Penalties plague River Rats in 2-1 loss
November 11, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
Philadelphia, PA - The Philadelphia Phantoms came from behind by scoring two power play goals in the third period to beat the Albany River Rats 2-1 Sunday afternoon at the Wachovia Spectrum.
In the third period of their previous meeting on October 12th, Albany and Philadelphia were involved in a line brawl, where all 10 skaters on the ice ended up in the penalty box. When the first and second place teams in the East Division prepared to drop the puck in the first period Sunday, a physical match up was expected and the two squads did not disappoint. Just past the midway point of the period a big hit near the Albany bench set off another line brawl and six players wound up in the sin bin.
The River Rats grabbed the lead at 15:09 when defenseman Casey Borer unloaded a blistering slap shot from the high slot for a power play goal, his second of the year, assisted by Bobby Hughes and Mike Angelidis. Albany starter Michael Leighton was impenetrable in the first two periods, stopping all 32 shots he face through 40 minutes and the Phantoms were beginning to get frustrated.
However, the River Rats gave Philadelphia five straight power plays in the third period, allowing the first place team a chance for a come back. Boyd Kane redirected a shot from Alexandre Picard at 2:36 for a power play goal, tying the game 1-1. The Phantoms then took the lead on a 4-on-3 power play goal from Ryan Potulny at 8:59, assisted by Picard and Steve Downie. The River Rats had a chance to level the score with a power play in the final three minutes of play, but could not get the puck past goalie Scott Munroe.
Munroe earned the win for Philadelphia, stopping 19-of-20 shots; while Michael Leighton blocked a season high 45-of-47 shots in the loss for Albany. The Phantoms were 2-for-8 on the power play and the River Rats finished 1-for-6.
The River Rats will return home to prepare for another busy weekend of AHL action. Albany will host the Hershey Bears on Friday, November 16th at the Times Union Center for a 7:00 pm face off. Saturday, November 17th the River Rats face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Albany and then travel to Hershey on Sunday, November 18th to finish off the weekend in Pennsylvania.
Partial season tickets packages and flex tickets for the 2007-08 River Rats season are on sale now. For more information please contact the Albany River Rats at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyriverrats.com.
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