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Overtime Win In Springfield Caps Off Long Travel Week For Adirondack

December 10, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms completed a very difficult four game week, where each contest took place in a different city. Wednesday night the squad traveled to Lowell where they suffered a 5-3 defeat to the Devils at Tsongas Arena. Friday night down in Philadelphia the Phantoms skated in front of over 13,000 fans at Wachovia Center and had the lead early in the first period on a Krys Kolanos goal. However the Norfolk Admirals struck back late in the second frame to tie the game on a goal by Radek Smolenak and Smolenak then led the way to a 2-1 overtime victory by setting up Ryan Craig's game-winner on a two-on-one rush. Saturday night back in Glens Falls, Adirondack battled the Albany River Rats in another fiercely contested Time Warner Cable Cup game. Jerome Samson's goal in the first period gave the visiting River Rats momentum and they rode that wave to a 4-1 win. But the Phantoms rallied on Sunday afternoon as they invaded the MassMutual Center and beat the Springfield Falcons 3-2 in overtime. Stefan Legein and Krys Kolanos each scored to put Adirondack ahead 2-0 late in the second period, but the Falcons fought back to tie the game, scoring in the final minute of the second period and then getting a power play goal with under four minutes left in regulation. Defenseman Danny Syvret was the Phantoms' hero of the day, receiving a perfect backhand pass from Jason Ward and then burying his shot with 1.6 seconds left in the extra session.

Week 11 Preview:

The Phantoms week started off by losing players as the Philadelphia Flyers recalled goaltender Johan Backlund and right wing David Laliberte on Tuesday morning. With news out of Philly that goalie Ray Emery will miss at least 5-6 weeks recovering from abdominal surgery, it is safe to say that Backlund will be on recall for a while and should make his NHL debut soon, since the Flyers eight games over the next 14 days leading up to Christmas. To fill the void Adirondack recalled goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak from the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL to join rookie Nic Riopel, who beat Springfield on Sunday for his third win of the year. There is a strong likelihood that the Phantoms will also have their roster bolstered by the return of some of their injured players; right wing Josh Beaulieu and defensemen Joonas Lehtivuori, Kevin Marshall and Logan Stephenson all have a good chance of getting back into the action this weekend.

Adirondack begins their three-games in three-days schedule on Friday night as they travel to Syracuse for the second time this season, a 7:30 pm face off with the Crunch at the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter. Then it's back home for a two-game weekend series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Saturday, December 12th as the Penguins make their first appearance of the year in Glens Falls, the Phantoms will be giving way Youth Winter Ski Hats courtesy of Unifirst to the first 1,000 kids (age 14 and under) through the doors; Sunday will be a second straight match up with the Penguins at 3:00 pm.

Week 11 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.)

Friday, December 11 - 7:30 pm - Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter - Syracuse, NY

@ Syracuse Crunch (9-13-2-2, 22 pts)

Tied-Sixth Place, East Division

The Crunch are struggling on both ends of the ice currently, going 1-3-0-0 in their last four games and being out-scored 20-7 over that span. They were shut out twice over the last six days and began this week's action by being blanked by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 6-0 in Syracuse. The Crunch still maintain a strong home record (7-3-1-1), but are struggling on the road (2-10-1-1). Phantoms' forward Stefan Legein returns to the War Memorial for the first time since being traded by Columbus to Philadelphia for defenseman Michael Ratchuk. Legein scored the game-winning goal for the Crunch in a 6-1 win over the Phantoms in Adirondack's first trip to Syracuse this season. The Crunch continue to lead the AHL in penalty minutes per game (27.85) and are second in the league in total PIMs (724). LW Jon Mirasty is tied for 1st in the AHL in major penalties (14) and is second in PIMs (130). Syracuse ranks last in the league in goals allowed per game (3.77) and are tied for 25th in the AHL in goals scored (2.31). Leading Scorer: Dan Fritsche (C) - 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists) in 23 GP. Leading Goaltender: Kevin Lalande (G) - 3.14 GAA, 0.900 save pct., 6-6-1 in 15 GP. Who's Hot: Dan Fritsche (C) - 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in his last five games played. Bates Battaglia (LW) - 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in his last five games played. Grant Clitsome (D) - 2 assists in his last two games played.

Saturday, December 12 - 7:00 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (12-10-1-1, 26 pts)

Third Place, East Division

&

Sunday, December 13 - 3:00 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (12-10-1-1, 26 pts)

Third Place, East Division

The Penguins won the first meeting with Adirondack 3-1 on November 21st in Wilkes-Barre. They are 2-4-0-0 in their last six games, snapping a three-game losing streak last Saturday night with a 4-1 over Hartford at home, but then they lost to Albany 4-1 on Sunday at the Times Union Center. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got back on track on Wednesday as they traveled to Syracuse and scored five first period goals on their way to a 6-0 romp over the Crunch. The Penguins have the sixth best goals-allowed per game average (2.42) and they rank 5th in the AHL in both shots per game (32.58) and shots allowed per game (27.58). Center Dustin Jeffrey is tied for 2nd in the AHL in assists (21) and is tied for 7th in points (25). Defenseman Nate Guenin ranks 4th in minor penalties (19); the Penguins team is tied for the AHL lead in major penalties (48) and rank 3rd in PIMs per game (24.42). Leading Scorer: Dustin Jeffrey (C) - 25 points (4 goals, 21 assists) in 22 GP. Leading Goaltender: John Curry (G) - 2.41 GAA, 0.911 save pct., 10-8-1 in 19 GP. Who's Hot: Mark Letestu (C) - 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) and a +3 rating in his last four games played. Dustin Jeffrey (C) - 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in his last five games played. Nick Johnson (RW) - 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) and a +3 rating on Wednesday at Syracuse; his first game since October 24th at Bridgeport (missed 16 games due to injury).

Week 10 Game Results:

December 2, 2009 Adirondack 3 @ Lowell 5

December 4, 2009 Norfolk 2 @ Adirondack 1 - OT

December 5, 2009 Albany 4 @ Adirondack 1

December 6, 2009 Adirondack 3 @ Springfield 2 - OT

Phantoms Player of the Week: (Week 10)

Danny Syvret - D - #25 4 GP, 5 Points (1 goal, 4 assists), -3, 2 PIMs, 1 GWG-OT

Defenseman Danny Syvret had a strong week for the Phantoms by tallying a team-high five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in four games during Week 10. The Millgrove, Ontario native started the week with three assists on Wednesday at Lowell, factoring in all three of Adirondack's goals. Then on Sunday at Springfield, he had two points (1 goal, 1 assist) including the game-winning goal in overtime with 1.6 seconds left on the clock.

Phantoms Quick Hits:

- 300 CLUB - Captain Jared Ross played in his 300th career Pro game last Sunday at Springfield. Ross has played in 274 career AHL games in his career, scoring 205 points (74 goals, 131 assists). He has also played in 13 career regular season NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers.

- THE LEGEIN OF DOOM - Right wing Stefan Legein has found his scoring touch lately. Legein has four goals and a +2 rating in his last five games. He has seven goals in 17 games since coming to Adirondack in a trade in late October and has 10 points (9 goals, 1 assist) in 23 games combined this year between the Phantoms and the Syracuse Crunch.

- HEATING UP - Three Phantoms forwards are leading the way offensively over the last two weeks. Leading scorer Jon Matsumoto has five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last five games played, while left wing Krys Kolanos has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) in his last six games played and right wing Jason Ward has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in his last six games played, including the primary assist on the game-winning overtime goal at Springfield on Sunday.

- 150 FOR LALIBERTE - Right wing David Laliberte played in his 150th career Pro game on Tuesday night, playing with the Flyers against the New York Islanders at Wachovia Center. Laliberte has played in 114 career AHL games, 27 ECHL games and 9 NHL contests.

- KOLANOS CLOSE - Left wing Krys Kolanos needs two games played to reach his 400th career Pro game. In 398 career Pro games, Kolanos has 269 points (136 goals, 137 assists) and 445 PIMs; he has played in 217 career AHL games and 136 NHL contests.

- SPECIAL TEAMS - The Phantoms went 18-for-19 (94.7%) on the penalty kill in their four games last week, snapping their 18-for-18 streak late in the third period on Sunday at Springfield when Falcons defenseman Chris Armstrong tied the game with a power play goal. Adirondack's power play has not faired so well; they are just 2-for-41 (4.8%) over their last eight games played.

Phantoms Recent Transactions

December 9 - ADD - Michael-Lee Teslak (G) - Reassigned by Philadelphia (NHL) from Elmira (ECHL).

December 8 - DELETE - Johan Backlund (G) - Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL).

December 8 - DELETE - David Laliberte (RW) - Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL).

Adirondack Phantoms Team Leaders:

Games Played: Three players tied (23)

Goals: Jon Matsumoto (9)

Assists: Patrick Maroon & Jon Matsumoto (10)

Points: Jon Matsumoto (19)

Plus/Minus: Jason Ward (+2)

Penalty Minutes: Matt Clackson (88)

Power Play Goals: Jon Matsumoto (5)

Short Handed Goals: Three players tied (1)

Game-Winning Goals: Eight players tied (1)

Shots: Jon Matsumoto (66)

Shooting Percentage: Andreas Nodl (18.8%)

Saves: Johan Backlund (383)

Wins: Johan Backlund (6)

GAA: Johan Backlund (2.81)

Save Percentage: Johan Backlund (0.903)

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Adirondack is back in action with another three-game weekend, beginning on Friday, December 11th in Syracuse for a 7:30 pm face off with the Crunch at the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter. Adirondack's next home game is scheduled for Saturday, December 12th at 7:00 pm against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

In the spirit of the holiday shopping season the Phantoms are offering special free domestic ground shipping on all orders made at the Phantoms Online Team Shop. This special free shipping offer will expire on Sunday, December 20th, so get your Adirondack Phantoms Merchandise today. The Phantoms Online Store can be found at http://shopphantomshockey.com.



American Hockey League Stories from December 10, 2009


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