December 9, 2014
This Week
Friday, December 12 (7:05 PM) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Binghamton Senators
Saturday, December 13 (7:05 PM) – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(“Go Birds” Tailgate! With special guests Jeremiah Trotter, Brian Baldinger & the Eagles Cheerleaders!)
(Specialty Jersey Night with post-game jersey auction!)
Sunday, December 14 (3:00 PM) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Albany Devils (Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City)
Upcoming
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, proud AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, are back in action for another busy three-game stretch this weekend.
Lehigh Valley (10-9-2-1, 23 pts.) returns to the frozen surface this Friday when the Phantoms head to Binghamton for a 7:05 PM showdown with the Senators. Friday’s clash will be just the second of 10 total meetings during the 2014-2015 regular season between the Phantoms and Senators after Lehigh Valley claimed a dramatic 5-4 overtime victory in Binghamton back on October 25th. The Senators (11-9-2-1, 25 pts.) enter the week in sole possession of third place in the East Division and just two standings points ahead of Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms currently hold one game-in-hand on Binghamton, two over the second-place Hershey Bears and three on the division-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Lehigh Valley then returns home to PPL Center on Saturday with a chance to gain some ground on the East Division leaders as the Phantoms welcome Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (14-9-1-1, 30 pts.) to town. Saturday’s showdown will be the fifth of 12 total meetings this year between the Phantoms and Penguins with Lehigh Valley looking for a little payback after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton prevailed with a chippy 5-1 win at Mohegan Sun Arena last Friday.
Saturday’s game at PPL Center features a “Go Birds” Tailgate in anticipation of the colossal showdown Sunday evening at Lincoln Financial Field between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. Special guests this Saturday include four-time Pro Bowler Jeremiah Trotter, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger and the Eagles Cheerleaders! Phantoms players will also wear specialty jerseys during the game, which will be auctioned off immediately following the contest.
Tickets for Saturday’s highly-anticipated match-up are available now at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (701 Hamilton), by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499) or online at pplcenter.com.
Finally, Lehigh Valley concludes its busy three-game weekend on Sunday when the Phantoms return to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for a 3:00 PM clash with the Albany Devils. Sunday’s showdown is the second of four total meetings this season between Lehigh Valley and Albany and is the second and final clash between the Eastern Conference rivals in Atlantic City. The Devils hung on for a 4-2 win over the Phantoms at Boardwalk Hall back on November 28th. The season series shifts to PPL Center in Lehigh Valley on Friday, January 16th.
Offense From Defense
Brandon Manning has been an offensive catalyst from the back end all season long for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
A 24-year-old defenseman from Prince George, British Columbia, Manning enters the week first among all Phantoms in total scoring (17 points), assists (11), plus/minus (plus-three) and shots on goal (69 shots). What’s more, the 6’1″, 205-pound blueliner is currently tied for second among all Lehigh Valley skaters in goals (six) and is second on the squad with three power play conversions.
Meanwhile, Robert Hagg (right) is tied for fifth among all active Phantoms with 10 points. The first-year defender from Uppsala, Sweden is also third among all Lehigh Valley skaters with eight assists and second on the team with 57 shots on goal.
Last Week
Friday, December 5: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5
Brett Hextall scored his first goal of the season while Rob Zepp and Anthony Stolarz combined for 28 saves but it wasn’t enough as the Phantoms were handed a 5-1 setback in a chippy affair at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Austin Fyten and Petr Straka assisted on Hextall’s goal while Lehigh Valley’s penalty kill was a perfect 7-for-7.
Saturday, December 6: Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 (SO)
Brett Hextall scored 6:08 into the second period triggering waves upon waves of teddy bears and stuffed animals as the Phantoms enjoyed their first Teddy Bear Toss in Lehigh Valley as part of a 3-2 shootout defeat to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in front of 8,068 fans at PPL Center.
Darroll Powe also scored for Lehigh Valley while Rob Zepp matched his second-highest save total of the season with 37 denials as the Phantoms earned a critical standings point against their Eastern Conference foe. Saturday’s contest also featured the seventh crowd of more than 8,000 supporters in 11 home games at PPL Center this season.
Sunday, December 7: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5 – Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3
Jason Akeson recorded two goals and two assists while Darroll Powe added a goal and an assist and Blair Jones chipped in a pair of helpers as the Phantoms closed their busy weekend with a 5-3 victory in a rematch at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The victory was Lehigh Valley’s 10th of the season as the Phantoms claimed three of a possible four standings points in their home-and-home series with the Sound Tigers.
Andrew Gordon and Brandon Manning also scored for Lehigh Valley while Anthony Stolarz earned his third professional victory in goal thanks to 34 saves on 37 Bridgeport shots. The Phantoms’ power play was a huge part of the triumph as Lehigh Valley went 3-for-6 on the man advantage.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 27 remaining regular season home games. If you can’t make it out to the rink, be sure to catch all the exciting action in high definition with Steve Degler and former Flyers and Phantoms goaltender Brian Boucher! And don’t miss “Phantoms – Breaking the Ice” every Monday from 7:00 – 8:00 PM throughout the season live at Chickie’s & Pete’s (701 Hamilton Street)!
Be sure to also catch each and every Phantoms game this season live on Fox Sports 1470 AM, online at Fox1470.com or via the iHeartRadio app! Join Voice of the Phantoms, Bob Rotruck, for all of the heart-pumping action of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey whether the team is at home or on the road. Nazareth Pallett Countdown to Faceoff begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all of the Phantoms’ 27 remaining regular season home games, including this Saturday’s highly-anticipated showdown, are on sale now at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (7th & Hamilton), by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499) or online at pplcenter.com.
Check it out! Don’t miss the action and fun of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey at PPL Center in downtown Allentown! Contact the Phantoms Front Office for information on season tickets and affordable partial-season plans by calling 610-224-GOAL (4625).
In their 19th season of operation, the Phantoms are currently in the midst of their Inaugural Season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms playing at the brand-new PPL Center. Established in 1996, the Philadelphia Phantoms spent their first 13 seasons at the Spectrum before re-locating to Glens Falls, New York in 2009 where the team spent the next five seasons as the Adirondack Phantoms. A new era of Phantoms hockey began in the fall of 2014 when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms began play at the state-of-the-art PPL Center. Through 18 incredibly successful campaigns, the Phantoms have captured two Calder Cup Championships (1998, 2005), two Conference Championships (1998, 2005), two Regular Season Titles (1996-97, 1997-98) and four Division Championships (1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2003-04).
