Phantoms open East Division Finals with 4-1 victory
Published on May 4, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
(PHILADELPHIA, May 4, 2005) - Jon Sim recorded a goal and two assists as the Philadelphia Phantoms opened the East Division Finals with a 4-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tonight at the Wachovia Center.
Jeff Carter and Todd Fedoruk each added a goal and an assist, while Mike Richards scored in his first professional game to help Philadelphia take an early lead in the best-of-seven series. Game Two is set for Friday at 7:05 p.m. at the Wachovia Center.
Antero Niittymaki made 17 saves on 18 shots to notch his fifth win of the postseason. The 24-year-old, who compiled a 1.85 GAA in the division semifinals against Norfolk, had his shutout bid spoiled with just over three minutes left tonight.
Andy Chiodo started in goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and surrendered three goals on 15 shots in 33 minutes of play before being replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury.
Following 10 regular-season meetings, but none in over a month, the teams felt each other out for the first few minutes before Wilkes-Barre threatened twice in the first 10 minutes of the game. First, John Slaney was forced to clear a puck out of the crease at the five-minute mark and later, Dennis Seidenberg got in the way of an open-net shot by Matt Hussey.
Philadelphia then tallied the lone goal of the opening period with 7:13 left, just moments after Fedoruk finished serving a cross checking minor. Carter took possession at center ice from Ryan Ready on the play and executed a give-and-go with Fedoruk before sliding in his team-best fifth goal of the postseason.
The Phantoms allowed just five shots during the second stanza and tallied a pair of power-play goals to widen their lead to 3-0.
A day after signing a tryout contract with the Phantoms, Richards followed in a blocked shot by Sim at the 7:53 mark to make it a two-goal game. Joni Pitkanen set up the play by circling the net and finding Richards, who fed Sim for the initial shot.
"He (Richards) looked awesome," said Carter, who also played alongside Richards for Team Canada at the 2005 World Junior Championships. "He came right in and didn't miss a beat. He played a physical game, worked his butt off and it worked out for him. We both wanted to come in and help the team any way we could."
"This was the first time he's (Richards) played a game of pro hockey, so I'm sure he was a little nervous, but as the game wore on he settled in and was a really good player throughout," said Phantoms head coach John Stevens. "We knew a lot about him (already) and what he was capable of. He fit right in."
Sim netted his second playoff goal during a 4-on-3 situation to extend the margin to 3-0. Stationed at the point, Slaney found Carter in the far circle and the rookie quickly centered it to Sim, who redirected the puck past Chiodo at 13:01.
Chiodo, who allowed two goals on four shots in the second, was pulled in favor of Fleury following Sim's score.
"We wanted to be a hard, physical team (tonight)," said Sim. "We finished every check and did it for 60 minutes, which was a big key."
The lead grew to four goals 12:07 into the final period when Fedoruk redirected in a pass from Freddy Meyer. Sim also assisted on Fedoruk's second postseason goal.
The Penguins' Ryan Whitney capped the scoring with 3:20 remaining, beating a screened Niittymaki with a long wrister.
Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre are meeting in the East Division Finals for the second straight year. The Penguins captured last season's series in six games and then won six of 10 match-ups during the regular season.
Phantoms Notes: Joey Hope, David Printz, Charlie Cook, Mark Murphy, Riley Cote and Tony Voce were scratched ... Ready has a four-game assist streak ... Philadelphia is 4-0 at home this postseason and improved to 11-7 all-time in Game One of a playoff series ... The Phantoms are 40-for-43 on the penalty kill during the playoffs, including denying the Penguins on all four of their chances tonight.
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