Adirondack Travels To Wilkes-Barre & Albany; Hosts Syracuse This Week

Published on March 29, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Coming off another huge win over the Hershey Bears, Adirondack began the week with a home game against their Time Warner Cable Cup rival Albany River Rats. The Rats scored the game's first four goals before Jon Matsumoto tallied an unassisted shorthanded goal to put the Phantoms on the scoreboard. Ben Holmstrom notched his second career pro goal, but Jerome Samson completed his hat trick in the third period to lead Albany to a 6-2 win. Friday night in Hartford Adirondack got goals from Matsumoto and Andreas Nodl to take a 2-0 led early in the second period. The Wolf Pack responded, eventually tying the game halfway through the third period and picking up the extra point for a 3-2 shootout win. Saturday night the squad made its only trip to Manchester, New Hampshire, facing the Monarchs for the second time this year. Manchester opened an early 2-0 lead and left the Phantoms chasing the game the rest of the way. Matsumoto led all scorers with a goal and two assists and David Laliberte scored twice, but Adirondack never got themselves back to a level score, losing 4-3 to the Monarchs.

The final action of the weekend was one of the brightest for the Phantoms as rookie goalie Carter Hutton was recalled by the Flyers under emergency conditions and he dressed for his first career NHL game, serving as Brian Boucher's backup on Sunday during Philadelphia's 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at Wachovia Center. According to the terms of his Amateur Tryout contract (ATO), the Flyers would have to sign Hutton to a pro contract if they want him to remain in Philadelphia.

Week 27 Preview:

The Phantoms are clinging to their playoff lives as they are still mathematically capable of making the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. Adirondack needs to win their six remaining games and have Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Norfolk and Binghamton all finish with 81 points or less. The Phantoms will have a chance to keep their hopes alive on Wednesday night, March 31st as they face the Penguins for a 7:05 pm game at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. They will return home on Friday, April 2nd to square off with the Syracuse Crunch for the final time this year at 7:30 in Glens Falls. Actor Paul D'Amato, who played "Dr. Hook" Tim McCracken from the movie Slapshot will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs during Friday's game. The Phantoms will travel to Albany on Saturday, April 3rd for a 7:00 pm game against the River Rats; their last trip to the Times Union Center this season.

Logan Stephenson, Josh Beaulieu and David Laliberte all returned to the lineup on Friday night in Hartford, significantly reducing the injured numbers for Adirondack. As of Monday, Denis Bodrov, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Matt Clackson, Krys Kolanos and Danny Syvret still populate the injured list.

Week 27 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 31 - 7:05 pm - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza - Wilkes-Barre, PA

@ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (38-31-2-3, 81 pts)

Second Place, East Division

This will be the eighth and final game between the Phantoms and Penguins this season. Adirondack is 3-3-1-0 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season and they are looking for their first road win of the season (0-2-0-1) at Mohegan Sun Arena. In their last meeting defenseman Joey Mormina's scorching power play goal in overtime lifted the Phantoms to a 2-1 OT win over the Penguins on March 14th at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Since that game Wilkes-Barre rattled off five straight wins to move ahead of Norfolk and into third place, the last guaranteed playoff spot in the East Division. However, the Penguins have lost their last two games and still face Norfolk one more time and have three games against Binghamton; they are three points ahead of the Admirals and nine points clear of the Senators. Rookie goalie Brad Thiessen has started six of their last eight games and is 4-2-0 during that stretch and was named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week by posting a 2-1-0 record last week, with a 1.00 GAA, a 0.969 save percentage and one shutout. Leading Scorer: Dustin Jeffrey (C) - 68 points (21 goals, 47 assists) in 71 GP. Leading Goaltender: Brad Thiessen (G) - 2.51 GAA, 0.913 save pct., 11-12-1, 3 SO in 25 GP. Who's Hot: Chris Lee (D) - 5 points (2 goals, 2 assists) and a +1 rating in his last five games played. Chris Conner (RW) - 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in his last five games played. Dustin Jeffrey (C) - 5 assists and a +2 rating in his last five games played.

Friday, April 2 - 7:30 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY

vs. Syracuse Crunch (31-37-3-3, 68 pts)

Seventh Place, East Division

This will be the sixth and final meeting of the season between Syracuse and Adirondack. The Phantoms are 1-4-0-0 against the Crunch this year; in their last meeting on February 24th in Glens Falls Adirondack led 5-3 after two periods, but allowed three third period goals to Syracuse, including a shorthanded goal by Maksim Mayorov to complete the comeback win - it was the first victory by the road team during the 2009-10 season series. Syracuse has since fallen off the pace, winning just one of their last seven games (1-6-0-0) and have only two wins in their last eleven contests (2-9-0-0). Last Saturday's 5-2 home loss to Albany, coupled with wins by Bridgeport and Lowell, officially eliminated Syracuse from the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. Right wing Chad Kolarik has 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in 13 games since being acquired by Syracuse at the trade deadline. Goaltender Kevin Lalande has played in 14 of the last 15 games for the Crunch, posting a record of 5-7-0 during that span. Leading Scorer: Brendan Bell (D) - 51 points (14 goals, 37 assists) in 70 GP. Leading Goaltender: Kevin Lalande (G) - 2.79 GAA, 0.912 save pct., 23-22-2, 3 SO in 52 GP. Who's Hot: Greg Moore (C) -6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in his last six games played. Tom Sestito (LW) - 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) and a +1 rating in his last four games played. Chad Kolarik (RW) - 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in his last five games played.

Saturday, April 3 - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

@ Albany River Rats (41-27-3-5, 90 pts)

Second Place, East Division

This will be the eleventh of twelve games between the Phantoms and River Rats. Adirondack is 2-7-1-0 against Albany this season, with both wins coming at the Times Union Center. The River Rats swept their three road games last week, out-scoring their opponents 16-5; they beat the Phantoms 6-2 last Wednesday, went to Syracuse and won 5-2 on Saturday and then traveled to Springfield on Sunday and overwhelmed the Falcons 5-1. Jerome Samson had eight points during the week (3 goals, 5 assists), including a hat trick against Adirondack; he ranks 2nd in the AHL in goals and fourth points. Rookie Zac Dalpe scored his first career pro goal against the Phantoms on Wednesday and then registered his first pro hat trick on Saturday at Syracuse. Goalie Justin Peters returned from his extended NHL call up with Carolina and won back-to-back weekend starts, posting a 1.50 GAA and a 0.949 save percentage. The River Rats can clinch the 2nd Place playoff spot in the East Divison, and home-ice advantage in the first round, with a combination of four points either with wins and OT/SO points and/or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton points dropped with regulation losses and OT/SO losses. Leading Scorer: Jerome Samson (RW) - 76 points (34 goals, 34 assists) in 69 GP. Leading Goaltender: Justin Peters (G) - 2.54 GAA, 0.917 save pct., 24-16-2, 1 SO in 43 GP. Who's Hot: Jerome Samson (RW) - 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) and a +5 rating in his last four games played. Zac Dalpe (C) - 6 points (5 goals, 1 assist) and a +5 rating in his last three games played. Chris Terry (LW) - 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) and a +5 rating in his last three games played.

Week 26 Game Results:

March 24, 2010 Albany 6 @ Adirondack 2

March 26, 2010 Adirondack 2 @ Hartford 3 - SO

March 27, 2010 Adirondack 3 @ Manchester 4

Phantoms Player of the Week: (Week 26)

Jon Matsumoto - C - #11 3 GP, 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists), -1, 4 PIMs, 1 SHG

Phantoms leading scorer Jon Matsumoto piled up five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in three games during Week 26 action. The Ottawa, Ontario native scored his second shorthanded goal of the year on Wednesday night against Albany, an unassisted goal in the closing seconds of the second period. Friday in Hartford Matsumoto scored Adirondack's first goal of the game via the power play early in the second period and on Saturday in Manchester, he had a game-high three points, factoring in all three Phantoms goals in a 4-3 loss to the Monarchs. Matsumoto leads the team with 27 goals and 58 points, while being tied for the team lead in assists (31); he is the only player to have skated in all 74 games this season for Adirondack. His three-game goal streak is one game shy of the Phantoms season-long, set by David Laliberte and Stefan Legein.

Phantoms Quick Hits:

- TWO GOALS, ONE MILESTONE - Right wing David Laliberte missed six games due to injury, but returned on Friday at Hartford. On Saturday in Manchester Laliberte scored two goals, his second was his 100th career AHL point. He has 49 goals and 51 assists in 157 career AHL games over parts of three seasons with the Phantoms.

- GAMES, GAMES AND MORE GAMES - D Sean Curry played in his 550th career Pro game on Wednesday night vs. Albany. Curry has 115 points (35 goals, 80 assists) in 552 career Pro games. LW Andreas Nodl recorded his 100th career AHL game on Friday at Hartford; he has 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists) in 101 career AHL games.

- MAGIC NUMBER - The Phantoms are still alive in the race for the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. They must win their final six games and have Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lose their final six games. Adirondack must also have Norfolk earn three points or less over their final six games. Since Bridgeport and Lowell have passed the 81-point mark (Adirondack's highest potential point total), the only possible playoff spot for the Phantoms would be finishing in 3rd place in the East Division, but being the 4th seed and facing Hershey in the first round.

- BACKLUND IN THE SHOW! - Phantoms number one goaltender Johan Backlund made his NHL debut on Saturday, March 27th at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. The Swedish goalie looked sharp in his first career NHL action, stopping 22-of-24 shots over forty minutes of action. However, he did not play the third period, being forced to leave the game due to an injury suffered in the first period that got progressively more painful the game went on.

- APPROACHING MILESTONES - LW Andreas Nodl needs just 1 GP to record his 150th career Pro game. C Jared Ross is 2 GP away from his 350th career Pro game and needs 3 points for his 250th career Pro point. RW Stefan Legein is 3 GP away from his 100th career Pro and AHL game. RW David Laliberte is 5 GP shy of his 200th career Pro game and 1 goal away from his 50th career AHL goal. C Jon Matsumoto needs 5 GP to record his 250th career Pro & AHL game.

Phantoms Recent Transactions

March 28 - DELETE - Carter Hutton (G) - Recalled by Philadelphia (NHL).

March 24 - ADD - Jeremy Duchesne (G) - Returned on loan from Philadelphia.

March 24 - DELETE - Johan Backlund (G) - Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL).

March 24 - DELETE - Kris Mayotte (G) - Released from PTO, returned to Johnstown (ECHL).

March 23 - ADD - Mario Valery-Trabucco (RW) - Signed ATO; called up from Union College (NCAA).

March 23 - ADD - Chris Clackson (LW) - Signs ATO; called up from Western Michigan University (NCAA).

Adirondack Phantoms Team Leaders:

Games Played: Jon Matsumoto (74)

Goals: Jon Matsumoto (27)

Assists: Jon Matsumoto & Jared Ross (31)

Points: Jon Matsumoto (58)

Plus/Minus: Mika Pyorala (+8)

Penalty Minutes: Matt Clackson (174)

Power Play Goals: Jon Matsumoto (8)

Short Handed Goals: Stefan Legein (3)

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

Shots: Jon Matsumoto (229)

Shooting Percentage: Stefan Legein (18.2%)

Wins: Johan Backlund (21)

GAA: Johan Backlund (2.79)

Save Percentage: Johan Backlund (0.906)

Saves: Johan Backlund (1,102)

Shutouts: Johan Backlund (2)

####

The Phantoms will complete their three-game road trip on Wednesday, March 31st as they travel to Pennsylvania to face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:05 pm at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Adirondack's next home game comes on Friday, April 2nd as they host the Syracuse Crunch for a 7:30 pm puck drop at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Friday is Orange Crunch Night, where the team is asking all fans to Wear Orange in support of the Phantoms. Also on Friday night, come meet actor Paul D'Amato, who played "Dr. Hook" Tim McCracken in the legendary hockey movie Slapshot.

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.

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