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Phantoms Weekly - Phantoms Renew Rivalry with Hershey Amidst 3-Game

October 26, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Lehigh Valley Phantoms News Release


This Week

Friday, October 28 (7:15 p.m.) - Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Hartford Wolf Pack

Saturday, October 29 (7:00 p.m.) - Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Sunday, October 30 (5:00 p.m.) - Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Hershey Bears

Upcoming

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-1-1, 3 pts., T-3rd Atlantic Division) hit the road for the first time this season as they prepare for a three-game weekend, which culminates in the renewal of their rivalry with the Hershey Bears.

Lehigh Valley's packed weekend begins this Friday, October 28 when the Phantoms invade the XL Center in Hartford for a 7:15 p.m. showdown with the Wolf Pack. Hartford (2-2-0, 4 pts., T-3rd Atlantic Division) split a pair of games last weekend earning a 5-4 overtime victory against the Phantoms on Saturday before being handed a 5-2 setback at home to the St. John's IceCaps Sunday. Friday's contest will mark the second of eight total meetings during the 2016-17 regular season between the Phantoms and Wolf Pack with the two clubs set to face off again in Hartford just five days after Friday's collision.

Photo courtesy JustSports Photography. Lehigh Valley then hits the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport on Saturday, October 29 for a 7:00 p.m. tilt with the Sound Tigers. Like Hartford, Bridgeport (2-2-0, 4 pts., T-3rd Atlantic Division) split a pair of games last weekend with a 5-2 win over the Phantoms on Friday followed by a 5-2 setback at the Hershey Bears on Saturday. This Saturday's meeting will be the second of eight total gatherings between Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport this season and will mark the first of three straight showdowns in the rivalry series at Webster Bank Arena. (Oct. 29, Nov. 19, Dec. 4).

The Phantoms then cap their three-game stretch on Sunday, October 30 as they renew their in-state rivalry with the Hershey Bears in a 5:00 p.m. showdown. Hershey (1-2-1, 4 pts., 6th Atlantic Division) also split its two games last weekend grabbing a 5-2 win over the Sound Tigers on Saturday before falling 2-1 in overtime to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday. This Sunday's contest will mark the first of 12 total meetings during the 2016-17 regular season between Lehigh Valley and Hershey. The Phantoms and Bears have squared off 24 total times since the Phantoms arrived in the Lehigh Valley with Lehigh Valley having posted an 11-13 head-to-head mark against their in-state rivals.

Phantoms By The Numbers

Forwards Andy Miele and Chris Conner both enter the week in the midst of three-game point streaks. Both Miele and Conner have tallied a goal and two assists through the season's first two weeks and have registered at least one point in each of the Phantoms' first three games.

Forward Danick Martel enters the week tied with Miele and Conner for the team lead in overall scoring with three points. Lehigh Valley's goal-scoring leader a season ago (22 goals), Martel converted a pair of tallies in the Phantoms' season-opening 4-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on October 15.

Forward Mark Zengerle enters the week tied with Martel for the team lead with two goals through the first three games. In addition to his season-opening tally on October 15, Zengerle also scored as part of Lehigh Valley's comeback effort against the Hartford Wolf Pack last Saturday.

Forward Taylor Leier enters the week leading all Lehigh Valley skaters with 12 shots on goal through just three games. Leier paced all Phantoms and finished third among all AHLers with 214 shots a season ago.

Last Week

Friday, October 21: Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2

Colin McDonald and Greg Carey each scored their first goals of the 2016-17 season but it was the visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers who were able to claim a 5-2 decision over the Phantoms in front of 7,072 fans at PPL Center. Carter Verhaeghe (goal, assist) and Bracken Kearns (2 assists) paced the offensive effort for Bridgeport while goaltender Christopher Gibson earned the win between the pipes with 18 saves on Lehigh Valley's 20 shots. Meanwhile, Anthony Stolarz turned in a 26-save performance for the Phantoms.

Saturday, October 22: Hartford Wolf Pack 5 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 (OT)

Andy Miele, Mark Zengerle and Chris Conner all scored third-period goals as the Phantoms erased a pair of late deficits en route to a critical standings point in a 5-4 overtime setback to the Hartford Wolf Pack in front of 7,892 fans at PPL Center. Corban Knight added a shorthanded tally for Lehigh Valley in front of first-year goaltender Alex Lyon, who registered 29 saves in his first career professional start.

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).


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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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