Another Dazzling Leighton Shutout
October 21, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
Michael Leighton was spectacular again! Racking up 35 saves in a sparkling shutout, Leighton led the Adirondack Phantoms to a 3-0 win at the Portland Pirates on Friday night. Garrett Roe and Tyler Brown both scored their first professional goals to lead the attack.
For Leighton, the shutout was his first of the season and the 35th in his 10-year AHL career. Leighton leads all AHL goalies in the modern era (since 1975) in blankings, while he sits sixth in the 76-year history of the league.
Leighton made 35 saves in the effort and has only allowed one goal over the last two games. Improving to 4-0-0, Leighton took over sole possesion over the AHL's lead in wins. Meanwhile, Adirondack improved its overall record to 4-1-0 and became the first team in the Northeast Division to reach eight points. The Phantoms trail first place Hershey by just one point atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Leighton's shutout was the first against the Pirates at Cumberland County Civic Center in nearly five years, as Portland was last shut out on its home ice by Jason LaBarbera (Manchester) on January 17, 2007. The Pirates fell to 2-2-1 with the loss in their first season as the AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Harry Zolnierczyk also scored for the Phantoms, three days after he scored his first NHL goal in highlight-reel fashion for the Flyers in Ottawa.
After the first period passed as the first scoreless frame in a Phantoms game this season, Tyler Brown's first professional tally put the Phantoms on the board at 2:44 of the second period. Brown's goal came over a falling McElhinney after Garrett Roe started the sequence by shooting the puck from the left-wing off the side of the net, corralling his own rebound, and then threading a pass from behind the net and through the slot for the excited Adirondack rookie, whose milestone marker came in his fifth professional game.
For Roe, the assist was his fifth of the season, which are the most of any other AHL rookie.
Already with five assists under his belt, Roe got his first professional goal and made the score 2-0 Adirondack at 8:36 of the third period. Shortly after the 5-on-3 portion of a Phantoms power play expired, Roe blasted a shot from the center point which found its way through trafiic and past McElhinney. With a goal and an assist on Friday, Roe has three multi-point game in the season's first two weeks.
In the game's final minute, Harry Zolnierczyk scored the Phantoms' second power-play goal of the night and made the score 3-0. Assisted by Zac Rinaldo and Jason Akeson, Zolnierczyk's goal was part of a 2-of-5 night on the power play for the Phantoms, who have scored on the man advantage in all five of their games this season. Going into Friday, the Phantoms led the AHL in team power-play goals and Adirondack is now 9-of-32 (28.1%) for the season.
It starting 4-1-0, the Phantoms have outscored their opponents by a combined 22-13, including a margin of 20-7 in their four victories. All of the Phantoms wins this year have been decided by 3 or more goals as their finals of their triumphs have been, in order, 6-3, 6-3, 5-1 and 3-0.
Allowing three goals on 23 shots, Curtis McElhinney was the losing goaltender.
The punches flew towards the end of the game as Ben Holmstrom mixed it up with Ryan Hollweg and then on the ensuing faceoff, Marc-Andre Bourdon dropped the mitts with Igor Gongalsky.
With two straight road wins, the Phantoms play the fourth game of a five-game road trip when they visit the rival Albany Devils on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. in the opener of the 10-game battle for the Time Warner Cable Cup. Adirondack concludes its road trip in Rochester on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m., and returns home on Wednesday night against the Norfolk Admirals.
The Phantoms went 2-for-5 on the power play while the Pirates were 0-for-3. Portland outshot the Phantoms 35-23. This was the first of four games between Adirondack vs. Portland and was the first time Adirondack has beaten the Pirates in the series. The Phantoms travel back to Maine for a Tuesday, November 15 game in their last game at Portland this season. The Pirates' first visit to the GFCC will take place on December 9.
American Hockey League Stories from October 21, 2011
- Admirals Net Touchdown in Shutout of Binghamton - Norfolk Admirals
- Crunch Take Down Monsters with 4-3 Overtime Win - Syracuse Crunch
- Monarchs Caught Whale Watching - Manchester Monarchs
- Another Dazzling Leighton Shutout - Adirondack Phantoms
- Whale beat Manchester - Connecticut Whale
- Aeros nip Charlotte - Houston Aeros
- Sharks Couldn't Hold off Providence, Downed in Shootout - Worcester Sharks
- Pirates Blanked by Phantoms - Portland Pirates
- Fast Start Doesn't Help Devils - Albany Devils
- Bears' Special Teams Play Buries Devils - Hershey Bears
- Sound Tigers Knock off IceCaps 4-3 in OT - Bridgeport Islanders
- Mark Parrish Named B-Sens Captain - Binghamton Senators
- Coyotes Recall Miele from Portland - Portland Pirates
- Wolves Name Baumgartner Eighth Captain in Franchise History - Chicago Wolves
- Stars and H-E-B Partner to Help Capital Area Food Bank - Texas Stars
- Rampage Sign NHL Veteran Brian Sutherby to PTO - San Antonio Rampage
- Crunch Announce Nate Guenin as Captain - Syracuse Crunch
- Baumgartner Assigned to Wolves - Chicago Wolves
- Rookie Tanski Handles Transition with Maturity and Confidence - Connecticut Whale
- Rampage Recall Keith Seabrook - San Antonio Rampage
- Amerks Sign Gwinnett's Chris Clackson to Professional Tryout - Rochester Americans
- Aeros Game Day, October 21 - Houston Aeros
- Barons Game Notes for Friday - Oklahoma City Barons
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