November 1, 2016
This Week
Wednesday, November 2 (11:00 a.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Hartford Wolf Pack
Friday, November 4 (7:05 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Providence Bruins
Saturday, November 5 (7:05 p.m.) – Springfield Thunderbirds @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(80’s Night.)
Upcoming
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2-3-1, 5 pts., 6th Atlantic Division) cap a season-high five-game road trip this week with a pair of road outings before returning to PPL Center this Saturday, November 5.
The Phantoms return to action this Wednesday, November 2 when they invade the XL Center in Hartford for a 11:00 a.m. rematch with the Wolf Pack. Hartford (3-4-0, 6 pts., 5th Atlantic Division) dropped two of three games last week, including a 5-1 setback to Lehigh Valley last Friday evening. Wednesday’s tilt will already mark the third of eight total meetings during the 2016-17 regular season between the Phantoms and Wolf Pack after Hartford claimed a 5-4 overtime decision at PPL Center on October 22 before Lehigh Valley garnered its convincing triumph over the Wolf Pack last week.
The Phantoms then cap their season-high five-game road swing on Friday, November 4 when they visit the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence for their first meeting of the year with the Bruins. Like Hartford, Providence (2-4-2, 6 pts., 7th Atlantic Division) dropped two of three games last week suffering a 4-3 overtime loss at the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday and a 3-2 regulation setback to the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday around a 4-2 win at the Utica Comets on Friday. The Bruins enter the week having dropped four of their last five games overall and have already been handed four one-goal setbacks on the young season.
Friday’s contest marks the first of six total meetings this season between the Phantoms and Bruins with the two sides set to collide again in Providence on Friday, November 18 before the season series shifts to the Lehigh Valley on Saturday, December 17. In six head-to-head meetings last season, the Phantoms posted an impressive 4-2 mark against the Bruins.
Lehigh Valley then returns to the friendly confines of PPL Center on Saturday, November 5 when it welcomes the Springfield Thunderbirds back to downtown Allentown. Springfield (5-2-0, 10 pts., 2nd Atlantic Division) enters the week having won two of its three games last week and five of six overall following a season-opening 4-2 defeat at the Phantoms on October 15. The Thunderbirds quickly rebounded from a 5-1 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last Friday with a 2-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday followed by a 2-0 shutout of the Sound Tigers on Sunday.
Saturday’s game will be 80’s Night at PPL Center where fans are encouraged to come to the game decked out in their best 80’s fashion. A limited number of tickets remain for Saturday’s highly-anticipated contest and can be purchased online at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX [8499] or in-person at the PPL Center Box Office [701 Hamilton Street].
- Phantoms By The Numbers
Forward Jordan Weal enters the week leading all Phantoms in total scoring with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists). He compiled an impressive seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in just three games last week.- Forward Andy Miele and defenseman T.J. Brennan are currently tied for second among all Phantoms with six points apiece. Miele has tallied at least one point in five of Lehigh Valley’s first six games while Brennan enters the week tied for sixth among all AHL defenders in total scoring.
- Forward Colin McDonald enters the week leading all Phantoms with four goals scored. Lehigh Valley’s captain tallied three goals in three games last weekend and is coming off a season in which he notched 14 goals in 51 games with the Phantoms.
- The Phantoms enter the week with the AHL’s fifth-highest per-game goal output (3.50 goals/game). Lehigh Valley has tallied an impressive 21 total goals in just six games, including seven power play conversions.
Last Week
Friday, October 28: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5 – Hartford Wolf Pack 1
Jordan Weal tallied a goal and three assists while Greg Carey added a pair of goals and T.J. Brennan chipped in a goal and two helpers as the Phantoms earned a convincing 5-1 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack inside XL Center. Danick Martel also found the back of the net for Lehigh Valley while goaltender Anthony Stolarz backstopped the triumph with a season-high 32-save performance.
The Phantoms’ special teams were a key component to the victory as Lehigh Valley’s power play produced three conversions in six opportunities while the team’s penalty kill denied all five of Hartford’s man-advantage chances.
Saturday, October 29: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 – Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5
Jordan Weal and Colin McDonald each scored twice but the Bridgeport Sound Tigers were able to hang on for a 5-4 win over the Phantoms at Webster Bank Arena. Travis Sanheim, Will O’Neill and Taylor Leier added two assists each while first-year goaltender Alex Lyon notched 30 total saves in just his second professional start.
Bracken Kearns (2 goals), Michael Dal Colle (goal, assist) and Joshua Ho-Sang (goal, assist) paced the offensive effort for Bridgeport in front of goaltender Christopher Gibson who earned the win with 22 saves on 26 Phantoms shots.
Sunday, October 30: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 – Hershey Bears 3
Colin McDonald netted his third goal of the weekend while first-year forward Nic Aube-Kubel tallied his first goal of the season as the Phantoms reignited their rivalry with the Hershey Bears in a 3-2 setback at Giant Center. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz capped a strong weekend with 30 saves as the reigning AHL All-Star allowed just four goals in two starts for the week while producing a 0.939 save percentage.
Jakub Vrana, Brad Malone and Paul Carey converted for the Bears in front of goaltender Vitek Vanecek (22 saves).
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 35 remaining regular season home games. If you can’t make it out to the rink, be sure to catch all the exciting action live in HD quality with Steve Degler, Todd Fedoruk, Doug Heater and Kristi Fulkerson! Pre-game coverage begins with “Phantoms Front and Center” 30 minutes before puck drop. And don’t miss “Phantoms – Breaking the Ice” every Monday from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. throughout the season live at Chickie’s & Pete’s at PPL Center!
Be sure to also catch each and every Phantoms game this season live on 1470-AM WSAN, 790-AM WAEB 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. “Countdown to Faceoff” begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.
Ticket Information
Tickets for each of the Phantoms’ 35 remaining regular season home games are available now online at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX [8499] or in-person at the PPL Center Box Office [7th & Hamilton].
RISE UP! Another thrilling season of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey at PPL Center is underway! Reserve your season tickets and group outings for the 2016-2017 season of Phantoms hockey today. For more information on how to reserve your seat at PPL Center to the hottest ticket in town, call the Phantoms front office today at 610-224-GOAL [4625].
And for the latest Phantoms news, visit www.phantomshockey.com or follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lehighvalleyphantoms), Twitter (@lvphantoms), Instagram (@lehighvalleyphantoms) and Snapchat (lvphantoms).
The Phantoms are thrilled to host the 2017 Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic at PPL Center January 28-30. The Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic includes a Phan Fest during the day on Saturday, January 28 and a Tailgate Party that evening, followed by the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 29 and the 2017 AHL All-Star Game on Monday, January 30. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event. Packages starting at just $67 for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic weekend are on sale now and include admission to Saturday’s Phan Fest & Tailgate Party, Sunday’s AHL All-Star Skills Competition and Monday’s All-Star Game. To purchase tickets, please visit www.phantomshockey.com or www.pplcenter.com .
The Phantoms are coming off their 20th Anniversary Season and are currently in their third campaign in the Lehigh Valley playing at the state-of-the-art 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).
