Defenseman's Late Goal Boosts Phantoms To 5-3 Win

March 28, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


PHILADELPHIA - Nate Guenin scored just his fourth goal of the season with 6:25 to play in the third period, breaking a 3-3 tie and sending the Phantoms to a 5-3 win over the Binghamton Senators on Friday night at the Wachovia Spectrum. Jeremy Duchesne recorded a 19-save win in his AHL debut as the Phantoms outshot the Senators 40-22 and kept the East Division lead in Philadelphia for another night.

The Phantoms got on the board first with 4:08 remaining in the first period. Jared Ross came into the Binghamton zone 1-on-3 and managed a shot that goaltender Brian Elliott stopped. The puck caromed to the corner, where Stefan Ruzicka reeled it in. He carried it into the slot and snapped a wrist shot past Elliott for the 1-0 lead.

The Senators equalized with 2:33 remaining while on their third power play of the game. Scott May was hanging out in front of the crease and was able to change the direction of a Matt Kinch shot from the high slot, sending it past Duchesne to tie the game at 1-1 at the first intermission.

Denis Gauthier put the Phantoms up 2-1 at the 14:21 mark of the second. The Phantoms were about to go a man up after a penalty was signaled against Binghamton. But before the Senators could gain possession of the puck, it came to Gauthier in the slot. He shoveled a backhand on net that found its way through traffic and past Elliott, giving Philadelphia the lead. It was just his second goal of the season and first since the sixth game of the campaign.

Ross made it a 3-1 advantage with 1:29 to play. He was on the inside edge of the right circle when he happened upon a puck and fired a shot that Elliott stopped. But Ross persevered, firing again after the puck came right back to him. The second attempt zipped over Elliott's glove into the upper right corner.

Danny Bois brought the Senators within a goal just 1:33 into the third period. He took a centering pass from Hamel while coasting through the right circle and put a wrister over Duchense's stick side to the upper corner, making it a 3-2 contest.

Then Justin Mapletoft tied the game with 15:33 remaining on Binghamton's 19 shorthanded goal of the season. He was hanging out down near the Phantoms blue line and took a long pass that sent him in on a breakaway. He beat Duchesne high to the glove side for his league-leading eighth shorthanded goal of the year, tying the game at 3-3. Mapletoft had not scored a shorthanded goal since bagging two of them against the Phantoms on January 19, a span of 27 games.

But Guenin came to the rescue with his late goal. He blasted a slapshot from 20 feet that wriggled its way past Elliott's pad, making it 4-3. Jared Ross put a cap on matters with an empty netter that came with just over four seconds left.

Duchesne, a fourth-round pick of the Flyers in 2005, made his first appearance for the Phantoms after being reassigned from ECHL Dayton on Monday. He was 12-12-5 with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 29 appearances for Dayton this season. He was the fourth goaltender to play for Philadelphia in the last three games.

The Phantoms are now 42-24-3-3 for 90 points with eight games remaining on the season. They remain one point ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which clawed back from a 3-1 deficit and beat Hamilton 5-4 in a shootout. The Penguins also have eight games remaining, and will visit Bridgeport tomorrow night while the Phantoms are idle. Philadelphia will get that game back on Sunday when they host Hamilton while the Penguins take the day off.

The Phantoms return to action on Sunday when they induct Bob Clarke into the Phantoms Hall of Fame prior to the 5:05 faceoff against Hamilton at the Wachovia Spectrum. Tickets are available at the Wachovia Complex box office, online at ComcastTIX.com or phantomshockey.com, or by phone at 1-800-298-4200.



American Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2008


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