January 28, 2015
This Week
Thursday, January 29 (7:05 PM) – Albany Devils @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Friday, January 30 (7:05 PM) – Hershey Bears @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(FREE Youth Jersey giveaway for the first 3,000 kids in attendance (ages 14 and under)! meLVin’s Birthday Bash!)
Saturday, January 31 (7:05 PM) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Upcoming
After a brief respite during the All-Star break, the Phantoms return to action in full force later this week with three games in three days.
Lehigh Valley (20-16-4-1, 45 pts.) kicks things off tomorrow with the team’s first Thursday showdown of the season as the Phantoms welcome the Albany Devils to PPL Center for the final time this season. The Phantoms enter the week in sole possession of third place in the East Division and are currently just five points back of the second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and only six points behind the division-leading Hershey Bears. Lehigh Valley enters the week having won six of its last eight home games and six of 10 tilts overall.
Thursday’s contest marks the fourth and final meeting of the 2014-2015 regular season between the Phantoms and Devils with Lehigh Valley holding a 0-2-1 record head-to-head against Albany. The Devils hung on for a 3-2 win at PPL Center in the most recent get-together and the only prior meeting in downtown Allentown. Albany enters the week fourth among the five teams in the Northeast Division and has claimed four of its last six games overall.
The Phantoms then return to PPL Center just 24 hours later as they welcome the rival Hershey Bears back to town. Friday’s showdown marks the eighth of 12 total meetings this season between the in-state rivals with Lehigh Valley holding a 3-4 record head-to-head against the Bears. The home team had claimed each of the first six meetings until Hershey notched a 7-2 win in downtown Allentown last week. The Bears enter the week atop the East Division but just one point clear of second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and only six points ahead of third-place Lehigh Valley.
Friday’s contest features a Free Youth Jersey giveaway for the first 3,000 kids in attendance (ages 14 and under). It’s also meLVin’s Birthday Bash as everyone’s favorite puck-nosed pladottle celebrates with some of his craziest mascot friends. Tickets for both highly-anticipated games at PPL Center 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.
The Phantoms then conclude their busy post-All-Star week on Saturday as Lehigh Valley heads to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a meeting with the Penguins. Saturday’s showdown marks the sixth of 12 total meetings this season between the Pennsylvania rivals with the Phantoms holding a 2-2-1 record head-to-head against the Penguins. Lehigh Valley is 1-0-1 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at PPL Center this year and claimed the most recent gathering in downtown Allentown with a 2-1 shootout triumph back on December 13th. The Phantoms enter the week just five points back of the Penguins in the East Division standings with three games-in-hand on their in-state foes.
Phantoms By The Numbers
- Lehigh Valley is 12-4-2-1 at PPL Center this season and has outscored its opposition 55-46 on home ice. The Phantoms are tied for the fewest regulation losses at home (four) this season and currently feature the league’s third-highest attendance average (8,085).
The Phantoms are 11-3-4-1 in one-goal games this season. Lehigh Valley has already enjoyed 12 overtime/shootout decisions (fourth in AHL) and are 7-5 in games decided in overtime/shootout.- Lehigh Valley is 18-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season. Meanwhile, the Phantoms are 19-6-3-1 when limiting their opposition to three goals or fewer.
- Forward Nick Cousins has been on a tear lately for Lehigh Valley. The 21-year-old pivot has produced 12 points (five goals, seven assists) over his last eight games. As a result of his recent surge, Cousins enters the week first among all Phantoms in total scoring (30 points) and tied for the team lead in goals (13).
- Defenseman Brandon Manning represented the Phantoms earlier this week at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic. He notched an assist and two shots on goal as Team East was handed a 14-12 setback inside Utica Memorial Coliseum. A 24-year-old blueliner from Prince George, British Columbia, Manning enters the week second among all Phantoms and tied for eighth among all AHL defenders in total scoring with 26 points.
Last Week
Wednesday, January 21: Hershey Bears 7 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2
Petr Straka scored just 3:15 into the contest and All-Star blueliner Brandon Manning pumped in his seventh goal of the season but the Hershey Bears were able to claim a 7-2 win inside PPL Center. It marked the first time this season that the road team has claimed any of the head-to-head meetings between Lehigh Valley and Hershey.
Brett Hextall, Nick Cousins and Jason Akeson garnered assists in the setback at the Phantoms enjoyed a season-high 11 power play opportunities.
Connor Carrick, Tim Kennedy and Stanislav Galiev paced Hershey’s offensive attack with a goal and two assists each.
Friday, January 23: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 – Syracuse Crunch 4
Kevin Goumas and Adam Comrie each recorded their first multi-point games of the season as the Phantoms’ hard-fought effort in Syracuse fell just short in a 4-2 setback to the Crunch. Goumas tallied a goal and an assist while Comrie chipped in a pair of helpers for Lehigh Valley. Petr Straka also found the back of the net as he became the third Phantoms skater this season to reach the double-digit mark in goals scored.
Lehigh Valley’s penalty kill was a perfect 8-for-8 while goaltender Anthony Stolarz turned in his 10th 30-save performance of the season.
Saturday, January 24: St. John’s IceCaps 3 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4
Petr Straka extended his goal-scoring streak to three straight games with his 11th conversion of the year and Kevin Goumas tallied a goal and an assist for the second straight night as the Phantoms outlasted the St. John’s IceCaps 4-3 in front of a record-setting crowd of 8,983 fans at PPL Center.
Taylor Leier notched the game-winner while Andrew Gordon scored against his former team for the third consecutive game and moved into a tie with Nick Cousins for the team lead in goals with his 13th marker this season. Martin Ouellette backstopped Lehigh Valley to its 20th win of the season with 23 saves on 26 St. John’s shots.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 19 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’ 19 remaining regular season home games are available 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 for the 2015-2016 season of Phantoms hockey 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).
