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Mathers Scores Another in Saturday Loss

March 15, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Rookie forward Derek Mathers scored his second goal in the last three games to give the visiting Phantoms an early lead but the Hershey Bears were able to storm back from there to post a 4-1 victory on Saturday night at Giant Center.

Nicolas Deschamps registered three assists and Brandon Segal had a goal and an assist to lead the Bears. It was the first game for Derek Whitmore of Adirondack to face his former teammates since coming over from the Bears in a loan just three days earlier. It was also Kris Newbury's first game against the Phantoms since the mutual loan deals were made.

Cal Heeter returned to the lineup for the first time in a month. It was the St. Louis native's first game in goal since his goalie-fight game on February 16. After that he was suspended for three games and then was called up to Philadelphia to serve as Steve Mason's backup for two weeks (five games total). Heeter was sharp early making a number of quality stops to keep Adirondack ahead 1-0 including a stone-cold denial of a Ryan Stoa partial-breakaway a few minutes into the game.

Heeter looked good but there wasn't much that could be done on the goals that were scored by the Bears. On one of the goals late in the second period that was the real back-breaker, it appeared that Brandon Segal's attempt at a slapshot from the left circle was missed by a good margin way in front of the net. But the puck went off the stick of Michael Latta in the slot near his hands and perfectly deflected into the goal on the fortunate bouncer. Latta's stick was relatively high as he punched that puck past the left shoulder of Cal Heeter but the referee deemed it to have been low enough to not require a high sticking whistle.

Derek Mathers opened the scoring about midway through the first period after he and Marcel Noebels worked hard to dig the puck away from the left-wing boards. Kyle Flanagan from deep in the left-wing corner found Mathers cutting to the slot and connected with the big rookie for a chip through David Leggio to give Adirondack the 1-0 lead. The former captain of the Peterborough Petes of the OHL now has two goals this season with both having come in the last three games.

The fourth line of Mathers, Noebels and Flanagan was particularly effective in the game and worked hard to create good opportunities in the Hershey end. Speaking of good energy and quality cycles, the Phantoms had plenty of those in a second period in which they carried the bulk of the play and appeared to have Leggio on the ropes. Adirondack out-shot Hershey 16-8 in the middle frame but Leggio held strong while Hershey would storm back and take advantage of their opportunities.

Before that, it was Brandon Segal's blast from the slot with just two seconds left in the period for his 15th of the year converting on a Jeff Taffe centering pass to tie the score just as an Adirondack penalty had expired. Segal's late goal gave the host Bears the momentum entering the first intermission.

Less than five minutes into the second period it would be Ryan Stoa finding a puck on the right leg of Cal Heeter after Nicolas Deschamps had sped up the left-wing wall and left it on the doorstep. Stoa's conversion gave the Bears a 2-1 lead.

Then it was Adirondack doing well for most of the second period with many close calls to tying the score. But that effort would all be washed out with just under a minute left in the 2nd period when Latta benefited from his lady-luck deflection for his 10th of the season.

Hershey concluded the scoring with an impressive individual effort from Chris Brown in the corner. Recently acquired in a trade, the former Portland Pirate spun his way free from the corner and dodged a couple check attempts to create his scoring opportunity in the slot which he was able to bury.

The affiliates of the Washington Capitals out-shot the Phantoms 34-30. The Phantoms were 0-for-4 on the power play while Hershey finished 0-for-3. Adirondack is now 3-2-0 this season against the Bears and the Phantoms all-time are 86-87-10 after the 183rd meeting between the two franchises going back 18 years to the beginning of the Philadelphia Phantoms in 1996. The Phantoms and Bears hook-up one more time in what will be the last ever game for the Adirondack Phantoms on Saturday, April 19 back at Giant Center in Hershey.

The Phantoms conclude their busy travel-weekend Sunday at 3:00 at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, AHl affiliate of the New York Islanders.

Adirondack's next home games are Saturday, March 22 and Sunday March 23 at 5:00. The March 22 game is Firefighters Appreciation Night and the March 23 game is a Sunday Family FunDay featuring a postgame skate with the Phantoms players. Call the Phantoms for tickets and Sunday Family Fun-Packs at 518-480-3355.

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