Adirondack Ends Hershey's Home Winning Streak On Sunday

March 23, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Week 25 had some wild games for the Phantoms. Adirondack carried a three-goal lead into the third period on Wednesday night against Hamilton, but allowed four third period goals and lost in the shootout 6-5. They hit the road for a long three game weekend and grabbed an early lead Friday night on rookie Ben Holmstrom's first career professional goal at 3:46 of the first period at Norfolk. However, the game turned into an offensive slugfest as Norfolk won 8-4; Adirondack set single-game season highs for goals allowed (8) and total combined goals (12). Rookie goalie Carter Hutton made his professional debut for the Phantoms Saturday night in Norfolk, looking sharp in the net, and Ryan Dingle's first period goal tied the game a 1-1. Adirondack out-played the Admirals over the final two periods, out-shooing them in the game 39-26 and yet could only manage the one goal in a 3-1 loss. Sunday in Hershey, Hutton again got the start and thrived against the AHL's top-scoring team. Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Jared Ross scored an unassisted shorthanded goal to spark a big rally. In the third period the Phantoms scored three power play goals, out-dueling the Bears and winning 4-3; the victory ended Hershey's AHL record 24-game home winning streak.

Week 26 Preview:

Three more games on tap for Adirondack in Week 26. They begin with Round Ten of the Time Warner Cable Cup Series with the Albany River Rats on Wednesday, March 24th at 7:00 pm at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Then the Phantoms will hit the road for a two-game Atlantic Division road trip this weekend; they will travel to Hartford on Friday, March 26th for a 7:00 pm game against the Wolf Pack at XL Center and then head up to New Hampshire on Saturday, March 27th as they battle the Manchester Monarchs at 7:00 pm at Verizon Wireless Arena.

Injuries continued to pile up past week for the Phantoms. Denis Bodrov and Jason Ward returned to the lineup, but Johan Backlund, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Matt Clackson, Josh Beaulieu and Logan Stephenson were added to the long list of Adirondack players out of action; Krys Kolanos and defenseman Danny Syvret also remain out with injuries. The Flyers recent injuries also impacted the Phantoms as an injury to Michael Leighton led to goaltender Jeremy Duchesne receiving his first career NHL call up.

Week 26 Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on Classic Hits Q-101.7 FM and can also be heard for free over the Internet at www.phantomshockey.com and can be viewed via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com.)

Wednesday, March 24 - 7:00 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Albany River Rats (38-27-3-5, 84 pts)

Second Place, East Division

* This will be the tenth of twelve games between the Phantoms and River Rats. Adirondack is 2-6-1-0 against Albany this season and is still looking for its first home win against their arch rival. Albany went 1-3-0-0 last week and is currently on a three-game losing streak; they were throttled by Hershey 8-2 on Friday night and then were swept by Binghamton in a home-and-home weekend series. Goalie Mike Morrison has started seven straight games since Justin Pogge picked up an injury, Morrison is 4-3-0 during that span. Nick Dodge is on a four-game assist streak. Jerome Samson ranks 3rd in the AHL in goals and is tied for seventh in points. Ohio State sophomore Zac Dalpe, Carolina's 2nd Round Draft pick in 2008, made his pro debut with Albany last Saturday.

* Leading Scorer: Jerome Samson (RW) - 68 points (34 goals, 34 assists) in 69 GP.

* Leading Goaltender: Justin Pogge (G) - 2.55 GAA, 0.921 save pct., 13-7-5, 1 SO in 27 GP.

* Who's Hot: Jerome Samson (RW) - 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in his last four games played. Jonathan Paiement (D) - 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) and a +2 rating in his last five games played. Nick Dodge (C) - 4 assists and a +1 rating in his last four games played.

Friday, March 26 - 7:00 pm - XL Center - Hartford, CT

@ Hartford Wolf Pack (29-30-6-5, 69 pts)

Seventh Place, Atlantic Division

* This will be the second and final meeting of the season between Hartford and Adirondack. The Phantoms won their first meeting 3-2 on October 23rd at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Wolf Pack went 1-2-0 in three home games last week, losing to Providence on Friday 4-2 and then losing to Springfield on Saturday 4-3; they rallied on Sunday with a 4-3 overtime win against the Bruins when P.A. Parenteau scored in overtime. Rookie goalie Chad Johnson has started five straight games and is 3-2-0 during that stretch. Corey Locke is tied for the AHL lead in power play goals (18), he ranks third in the league in points and fifth in assists; Locke is on a six game point streak, with 10 points during that streak.

* Leading Scorer: Corey Locke (C) - 79 points (29 goals, 50 assists) in 70 GP.

* Leading Goaltender: Chad Johnson (G) - 2.51 GAA, 0.911 save pct., 17-16-2, 3 SO in 38 GP.

* Who's Hot: Corey Locke (C) - 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) and a +5 rating in his last six games played. P.A. Parenteau (RW) - 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) and a +7 rating in his last five games played. Kris Newbury (C) - 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in his last four games played.

Saturday, March 27 - 7:00 pm - Verizon Wireless Arena - Manchester, NH

@ Manchester Monarchs (35-26-3-6, 79 pts)

Fourth Place, Atlantic Division

* This is the second and final regular season meeting between Adirondack and Manchester. The Phantoms won their first matchup 3-1 on February 5th in Glens Falls. The Monarchs went 1-2-0-1 last week, being shutout at Syracuse on Wednesday, losing to Portland at home 4-3 in a shootout on Friday, getting a 4-3 overtime win at Bridgeport on Saturday and losing in Portland 2-1 on Sunday. They are clinging to the fourth playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of fifth place Bridgeport and one point behind third place Lowell; they have one game in hand on both teams. All-Star goaltender Jonathan Bernier has played in 53 games this season, he leads the league in shutouts (8) and ranks second in the AHL in goals-against average, but has gone 0-4-1 in his last five starts.

* Leading Scorer: Bud Holloway (LW) - 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in 65 GP.

* Leading Goaltender: Jonathan Bernier (G) - 2.09 GAA, 0.935 save pct., 26-20-6, 8 SO in 53 GP.

* Who's Hot: Alec Martinez (D) - 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in his last three games played. Oscar Moller (C) - 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in his last two games played. Dwight King (LW) - 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) and a +2 rating in his last three games played.

Week 25 Game Results:

March 17, 2010 Hamilton 6 @ Adirondack 5 - SO

March 19, 2010 Adirondack 4 @ Norfolk 8

March 20, 2010 Adirondack 1 @ Norfolk 3

March 21, 2010 Adirondack 4 @ Hershey 3

Phantoms Player of the Week: (Week 25)

Jared Ross - D - #3 4 GP, 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists), +2, 2 PIMs, 1 SHG

Captain Jared Ross led the way for the Phantoms with five points in four games as Adirondack faced some of the AHL's toughest opponents. The Huntsville, Alabama native began the week with a two-point performance against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Wednesday and then followed it up on Friday night with his 10th goal of the year and an impressive +3 rating, even more impressive since Adirondack allowed eight goals to Norfolk. Ross completed the week with another two-point game, this time scoring a shorthanded goal and adding an assist to spark the Phantoms to a 4-3 comeback win over the Hershey Bears in front of over 10,000 fans at the Giant Center. Ross leads the team in assists (31), ranks second in points (42) and has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) and a +5 rating in his last six games played.

Phantoms Quick Hits:

* DISCIPLINE - For the first time this season Adirondack played a game without being called for a single penalty on Saturday night at Norfolk. Only one minor was called during the game, interference on Vladimir Mihalik at 9:44 of the second period. The two combined minutes was the lowest of the season in a single game between the Phantoms and their opponent. Over the two-game weekend series with the Admirals, the two teams combined for just three infractions and six total penalty minutes.

* GOALIES REACH NINE - Kris Mayotte and Carter Hutton both made their Adirondack debuts last weekend in Norfolk, becoming the eighth and ninth goaltenders to play for the Phantoms this year, along with Johan Backlund, Nic Riopel, Brian Boucher, Ray Emery, Jeremy Duchesne, John Grahame and Michael-Lee Teslak. No other AHL club has come close to nine goalie mark; Springfield is a distant second with six different goalies hitting this season.

* BOOK ENDS ON A RECORD - The Adirondack Phantoms have two wins in four games against Hershey down at the Giant Center, something no other AHL team has accomplished this season. After Adirondack's shootout win on November 28th the Bears went on an AHL record 24-game home winning streak, which came to an end on Sunday when the Phantoms beat Hershey 4-3, handing the defending champs their first regulation home loss since November 25th.

* KEY POINT - Left wing Mika Pyorala tallied his 250th career Pro point by scoring the game-winning power play goal on Sunday at Hershey. He finished the four-game week with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and a +2 rating. He has 131 goals and 119 assists in 481 career pro games, mostly spent in Finland.

* LONG TIME COMING - Last Wednesday's 6-5 shootout loss to Hamilton at the Glens Falls Civic Center was the Phantoms' first home shootout loss in over a year. The last time they fell at home via the shootout was on December 20, 2008 against Norfolk when Brandon Bochenski's first round shootout goal proved to be enough in a 3-2 Admirals win.

* 299 AND COUNTING - Phantoms Head Coach Greg Gilbert is just one win away from his 300th career American Hockey League victory. He will become the 15th coach in AHL history to reach the 300 win mark; Gilbert (299) ranks second in the league in wins amongst active AHL coaches.

* PROFESSIONAL FIRSTS - Rookie right wing Ben Holmstrom scored his first career pro goal (and first pro point) on Friday night in Norfolk in just his second pro game. Holmstrom tipped in a shot from the blue line in the first period, which gave Adirondack a 1-0 lead at the time. Rookie goalie Carter Hutton made his pro and AHL debut on Saturday at Norfolk and then recorded his first career pro victory with 35 saves on Sunday at Hershey.

* CENTURY CLUB - Left wing Garrett Klotz played in his 100th career Pro & AHL game on Wednesday vs. Hamilton. Klotz also added two assists in four games last week, doubling his assist total for the season (4).

* APPROACHING MILESTONES - D Sean Curry needs 1 GP to reach his 550th career Pro game. LW Andreas Nodl is 2 GP short of his 100th career AHL game. RW Jason Ward is 2 points away from his 350th career Pro point and need s3 goals for his 150th career Pro goal. RW David Laliberte is 3 points shy of his 100th career AHL point and 3 goals away from his 50th career AHL goal. C Jared Ross needs 3 points for his 250th career Pro point and 5 GP to record his 350th career Pro game. G Johan Backlund is 25 saves away from his 8,000th career Pro save.

Phantoms Recent Transactions

March 20 - ADD - Carter Hutton (G) - Signed ATO, called up from UMass-Lowell (NCAA).

March 17 - ADD - Ben Holmstrom (RW) - Signed ATO, called up from UMass-Lowell (NCAA).

March 17 - ADD - Kris Mayotte (G) - Signed PTO, called up from Johnstown (ECHL).

March 17 - DELETE - Jeremy Duchesne (G) - Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL).

March 15 - ADD - Michael-Lee Teslak (G) - Reassigned by Philadelphia (NHL) from Wheeling (ECHL).

Adirondack Phantoms Team Leaders:

Games Played: Jon Matsumoto (71)

Goals: Stefan Legein (26)

Assists: Jared Ross (31)

Points: Jon Matsumoto (53)

Plus/Minus: Mika Pyorala (+9)

Penalty Minutes: Matt Clackson (174)

Power Play Goals: David Laliberte & Jon Matsumoto (7)

Short Handed Goals: Stefan Legein (3)

Game-Winning Goals: Jon Matsumoto, Joey Mormina & Jason Ward (3)

Shots: Jon Matsumoto (217)

Shooting Percentage: Stefan Legein (19.0%)

Wins: Johan Backlund (21)

GAA: Johan Backlund (2.79)

Save Percentage: Johan Backlund (0.906)

Saves: Johan Backlund (1,216)

Shutouts: Johan Backlund (2)

####

Adirondack is preparing for Round Ten of the Time Warner Cable Cup Series as they host the Albany River Rats on Wednesday, March 24th for a 7:00 pm face off at the Civic Center.

There is no better way to watch Phantoms Hockey than by sharing it with a group of your family and friends. Bring a group of 15 or more people to the Glens Falls Civic Center and qualify for incredible discounted ticket prices off the regular box office rates. For more information about group tickets, contact the Phantoms at 518-480-3355 or visit www.phantomshockey.com.



American Hockey League Stories from March 23, 2010


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.

OurSports Central