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Devils Take Round 1

October 14, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms traveled down the Northway for the opener of their 12-game rivalry series against the Albany Devils and were tagged in the Columbus Day matinee by a 4-1 final. The victory in the 35th game between the Adirondack Phantoms and Albany Devils break a tie in the all-time series and gives the Albany Devils an 18-17 lead. The Phantoms and Devils square off 11 more times this year beginning with Adirondack's first opportunity for revenge on Saturday, November 2 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Trailing 3-0 in the third period, Rob Bordson scored his second goal of the season on a deflection of an Oliver Lauridsen drive from the point. And Adirondack shortly thereafter received a power-play opportunity with a chance to again make it a one-goal game. But for the eighth consecutive time on the day, Albany's penalty kill scrambled their way through and came through big.

Scott Wedgewood turned aside 24 of 25 Phantoms shots to earn the Albany victory as the Devils improved to 2-1-0 overall this season. Tim Sestito scored two goals for the Devils against his older brother Tom's former team. Joe Whitney registered his third on the season and Scott Timmins scored his second. Yann Danis took the loss for Adirondack.

Special teams made the difference. While the Phantoms' power play finished 0-for-8 on the power play, Albany's man-advantage went 2-for-5. Adirondack may have received the majority of the power play opportunities but it was Albany who benefited from penalty-shot decision on a Sestito shorthanded breakaway with 9.2 seconds remaining in the opening period.

Sestito had not been hauled down on the contact and was able to move in virtually in the clear for his initial breakaway attempt. But the penalty-shot was granted to the dismay of the Phantoms' bench who protested the call. Ben Holmstrom received a 10-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and then Sestito buried his key penalty shot to give Albany a 2-0 lead at the first break. The goal came just three minutes after Joe Whitney's blast on the power play had opened the scoring.

The Phantoms' opportunities continued but Albany penalty killers held Adirondack in check. Dan Kelly and the rest of the Devils blocked and deflected many Phantoms shots while others were handled by goalie Wedgewood or missed the target.

"On our side of it, we had our opportunities," Phantoms head coach Terry Murray said. "We had seven power plays by the end of the second period. Our power play's been pretty good and we needed it to be good here tonight to get a goal and get back into a 2-0 game after the penalty shot. And we didn't do it."

Murray said the team displayed critical changes on their man-advantage to how they had worked such situations previously. "The opportunities were there for us on the power play and we got away from the execution that we've shown in the previous games. We tried a little bit of that home-run play and just got too stagnant with it and didn't get any movement."

His players seemed to echo that sentiment. "I think special teams is a big part of the game," Rob Bordson said. "They scored two power play goals and we didn't score any. That's momentum. Nowadays, special teams usually wins games. If you win the special teams battle. I think that's the second game where our P.K. has given up two goals and that's unacceptable. We gotta be better."

Albany's late second period power-play led to a back-breaking goal with Reid Boucher's pass towards the slot bouncing off the leg of Adirondack's Oliver Lauridsen and conveniently onto the stick of Scott Timmins on the right-wing end-line who was able to curl and stuff it in.

The Phantoms climbed back into the game at 8:17 into a slow-paced third period that had seen only three combined shots on goal at that point. Lauridsen's liner from the left-point was smartly deflected by Rob Bordson for Adirondack's first tally. And the Phantoms were alive and pressuring for another goal.

"It was a little face-off play," Bordson said. "I kind of got tied up there and Browny...he did a good job all night helping me. It sometimes takes the wingers to help win the faceoff. The puck went back to Oliver and once I saw that I just went to the net. And Oliver took a nice shot and it got through, I got stick on it and I think the goalie was a little unexpected when it got tipped."

Jason Akeson was checked by Eric Gelinas up the right-wing boards for an interference penalty and a key power play following another big chance to close the deficit further but Albany was able to get the kill yet another time.

Tim Sestito converted on a 2-on-1 chipping home a centering feed from Darcy Zajac to complete the scoring at 14:17 of the third.

Adirondack's record moves to 1-2-1. The Phantoms outshot Albany 25-21 marking the fourth straight game Adirondack has recorded the majority of the shots on goal. The afternoon contest was the only Columbus Day game in the American Hockey League.

Ben Holmstrom tied Kevin Marshall's all-time record by playing in his 185th career game with the Adirondack Phantoms. Holmstrom is slated to break the record on Friday night at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Terry Murray tried a new lineup for this game. Doug Clarkson, younger brother of former New Jersey Devil star David Clarkson (now of Toronto) made his Adirondack Phantoms and AHL debut wearing #8. Defenseman Steven Delisle also made his Phantoms debut and wore jersey #5. Kyle Flanagan played for the first time this season but had appeared with the Phantoms in the last month of the regular season in 2012-13.

Scratches for Adirondack included Zack FitzGerald, Brandon Alderson, Cullen Eddy and Maxim Lamarche. Adirondack and Albany meet again for Round 2 of the 12-Game season series on Saturday, November 2 in Glens Falls. The Phantoms' next sojourn to the Capitol Region is Saturday, November 9

The Phantoms upcoming games have them traveling to Wilkes-Barre, PA to play the Penguins on Friday night and then Adirondack returns home on Saturday evening hosting the Springfield Falcons, AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Call the Phantoms for tickets at 518-480-3355.



American Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2013


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