November 8, 2016
This Week
Friday, November 11 (7:00 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Utica Comets
Saturday, November 12 (7:05 p.m.) – Toronto Marlies @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Boy Scout Night.)
Sunday, November 13 (5:00 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Hershey Bears
Upcoming
Winners of three straight games, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-3-1, 11 pts., 3rd Atlantic Division) return to action for three more tilts this week, including a highly-anticipated showdown at PPL Center on Saturday.
Red-hot Lehigh Valley returns to the frozen surface this Friday, November 11 when the team heads up to Utica for its first showdown of the season with the Comets. Utica (2-7-1, 5 pts., 7th North Division) dropped all three of its games last week and enters the week having lost six of its last seven games overall. The Comets dropped both games in a two-game set with the St. John’s IceCaps early last week before being handed a 2-1 setback to the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday. The Comets produced just seven total goals in their three outings last week and have tallied two or fewer goals in a game in six of the team’s 10 games so far this year.
Friday’s contest will mark the first of four total meetings during the 2016-2017 regular season between Lehigh Valley and Utica.
The Phantoms then return home to PPL Center on Saturday, November 12 when the Toronto Marlies make their first and only visit to downtown Allentown this season. Toronto (7-2-0-1, 15 pts., 1st North Division) split a pair of games last week in a weekend series at St. John’s. After absorbing a 4-1 loss to the IceCaps on Saturday, the Marlies responded with a 3-2 victory in St. John’s as Toronto claimed its fifth victory over the team’s last seven games. Saturday’s contest will be the only regular season meeting between Lehigh Valley and Toronto at PPL Center. The two sides will close out their brief two-game regular season series at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto later this month (November 29).
Saturday’s game is the highly-anticipated Boy Scout Night at PPL Center with only a limited number of tickets remaining. Tickets for Saturday’s contest can be purchased by clicking HERE, by calling 610-347-TIXX or in-person at the PPL Center Box Office [701 Hamilton Street].
The Phantoms then cap this week’s action on Sunday, November 13 when Lehigh Valley invades the Giant Center in Hershey for a showdown with the Bears. Like Lehigh Valley, Hershey (6-2-2, 14 pts., 2nd Atlantic Division) won all three of its games last weekend capturing a 3-2 overtime victory at the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday before returning home to earn a 4-0 win over the Albany Devils on Saturday followed by a 5-3 triumph over the Rochester Americans on Sunday. The Bears enter the week in the midst of a five-game winning streak and have outscored their opposition 22-9 during their recent surge.
Sunday’s rivalry contest will mark the second of 12 total meetings this season between the Phantoms and Bears. Hershey claimed the series opener with a 3-2 win at Giant Center back on October 30. After Sunday’s head-to-head meeting, the season series will shift to PPL Center for the first time when the Pennsylvania rivals next face off on Friday, December 2.
- Phantoms By The Numbers
Forward Jordan Weal enters the week leading all Phantoms and is tied for sixth among all AHL skaters in total scoring with 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists). He enters the week having tallied 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) over his last six games and has managed at least one point in six of nine games overall.- Defenseman T.J. Brennan is currently second among all Lehigh Valley skaters and tied for third among AHL blueliners in scoring with 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists). Second among all Phantoms with 22 shots on goal, he’s already compiled three multi-point games through the club’s first nine outings.
- Forward Greg Carey enters the week leading all Phantoms with six goals this season and is first among all AHL skaters with five power play conversions.
- Goaltender Anthony Stolarz is coming off an impressive week in which he backstopped all three Lehigh Valley victories while posting a 2.00 goals-against average coupled with a 0.943 save percentage.
- The Phantoms enter the week with the AHL’s second-highest per-game goal output (3.89 goals/game). Lehigh Valley has tallied an impressive 35 total goals in just nine games, including 12 power play conversions.
Last Week
Wednesday, November 2: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 – Hartford Wolf Pack 0
Anthony Stolarz posted his third professional shutout with a 33-save performance as the Phantoms blanked the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-0 inside XL Center. T.J. Brennan paced the offensive attack with a goal and two assists while Cole Bardreau, Corban Knight and Mark Zengerle also found the back of the net for Lehigh Valley.
Friday, November 4: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 – Providence Bruins 2
Jordan Weal notched a pair of assists and four different Phantoms converted goals as Lehigh Valley doubled up the Providence Bruins 4-2 inside Dunkin Donuts Center in the first meeting of the year between the Eastern Conference foes. Mark Zengerle, Nic Aube-Kubel, Greg Carey and Scott Laughton all scored for the Phantoms while goaltender Anthony Stolarz earned the victory between the pipes with 27 saves on 29 Bruins shots.
Lehigh Valley’s special teams played a big part in the triumph as the team’s power play converted on two of five opportunities while the club’s penalty kill denied the only two power plays afforded to Providence on the evening.
Saturday, November 5: Springfield Thunderbirds 4 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 6
The Phantoms scored four unanswered goals in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit en route to a come-from-behind 6-4 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds in front of 7,920 fans at PPL Center. Greg Carey scored twice while Chris Conner and Taylor Leier each chipped in a goal and an assist to lead the offensive attack. Travis Sanheim and Will O’Neill also added a pair of assists while Danick Martel and Colin McDonald rounded out the scoring for Lehigh Valley.
Making his fourth consecutive start between the pipes, Anthony Stolarz backstopped the comeback effort with a season-high 40-save performance.
Broadcast Coverage
Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live all of the Phantoms’ 34 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’ 34 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 20 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).
