Phantoms Weekly

February 3, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Philadelphia's winless streak extended to six games last week with a loss and a tie. On Wednesday, former Phantom Eric Bertrand recorded a goal and two assists to lead the Hershey Bears to a 4-1 victory. Ben Stafford scored the lone goal for Philadelphia, while Neil Little finished with 20 saves. Three days later, John Slaney had a goal and an assist as Philadelphia rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie the Chicago Wolves, 3-3. Jamie Wright added two assists in his Phantoms debut and Antero Niittymaki registered 21 saves.

13 GAMES IN 19 DAYS AHEAD

Wednesday's game in Wilkes-Barre begins a brutal stretch of 13 games in 19 days for the Phantoms. Highlights of the stretch include a battle with the AHL's top team (Hamilton) this Friday, four road games in five days next week and a home-and-home series with Hershey on Feb. 22-23.

TUNE IN TO AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC

Don't miss your chance to watch future NHL stars compete in the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic in Portland, Maine. Comcast SportsNet will be televising live the 2003 AHL All-Star Game on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. ET. CN8, The Comcast Network, will air the 2003 Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition on a tape-delayed basis on Saturday Feb. 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Defenseman John Slaney, who is making his fourth straight AHL All-Star Classic appearance, was also voted a starter via on-line fan balloting at www.theahl.com. The 30-year-old served as captain of the Canadian AHL All-Star team last year and earned game MVP honors in 2001.

PHANTOMS TRANSACTIONS

1/28 - ADD Craig Brunel, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
1/28 - ADD Jeff Smith, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
1/28 - ADD Kam White, signed to a PTO
1/28 - DELETE Jack Baker, reassigned to Trenton (ECHL)
1/29 - ADD Chris McAllister, loaned from Flyers (NHL) for conditioning purposes
1/29 - DELETE Kam White, released from PTO
1/29 - DELETE Jim Vandermeer, recalled by Flyers (NHL)
1/30 - ADD Jim Vandermeer, reassigned by Flyers (NHL)
1/30 - DELETE Craig Brunel, reassigned to Trenton (ECHL)
1/30 - DELETE Eric Betournay, reassigned to Trenton (ECHL)
1/30 - ADD Jamie Wright, reassigned by Flyers (NHL) 1/31 - ADD Chris Corrinet, signed to PTO
2/1 - DELETE Chris Corrinet, released from PTO
2/3 - DELETE Jim Vandermeer, recalled by Flyers (NHL)

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

The Phantoms hold a 4-3 season-series lead vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as the teams prepare for Wednesday's encounter. The teams first met on Oct. 18, when Mark Greig scored twice and Andre Savage had four assists in a 5-4 Phantoms win. The next night in Wilkes-Barre, Sebastien Caron registered 28 saves as the Penguins prevailed, 4-1. Savage totaled another four assists and Greig added three points on Nov. 6 to lead the Phantoms to a 7-2 win, but Wilkes-Barre retaliated with a 6-1 rout on Dec. 13 behind four points by Matt Murley. The Penguins also won big (5-1) on Dec. 21 thanks to a pair of goals by Tom Kostopoulos before rookie Jack Baker's goal 1:28 into overtime was the difference in a 4-3 Phantoms win on Dec. 26. The Phantoms cruised to a 5-1 win on Jan. 3 as Greig totaled a goal and three assists and Antero Niittymaki made 38 saves. Philadelphia is 24-12-3 all-time vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, going 13-5-1 on the road. The Phantoms and Penguins play each other 10 times this season, with the next match-up set for Feb. 17 in Wilkes-Barre.

The Phantoms and Hamilton Bulldogs will square off for the third time this Friday. Mark Greig registered a goal and an assist on Nov. 2 in Hamilton, but Ty Conklin stopped 23-of-25 shots in a 4-2 Bulldogs win. Eight days later in Philadelphia, Mike Komisarek had three assists and Conklin made 25 saves in a 3-1 Hamilton triumph. Last season, the Phantoms went 1-1 against the Bulldogs, with each team winning on its home ice. Philadelphia is 7-8-2-1 all-time vs. Hamilton, including a 5-4 mark at home. The Phantoms and Bulldogs will meet for the final time on Feb. 28 in Hamilton.

The Phantoms are 3-4 against the Hershey Bears heading into Saturday's showdown. On Nov. 29 in the teams' first encounter of the season, Brian Willsie scored twice and rookie Peter Budaj stopped all 31 shots he faced in a 2-0 Bears victory. A week later, Charlie Stephens and Eric Bertrand each had a goal and an assist as Hershey prevailed 3-1. The Phantoms got in the win column on Dec. 14 in Hershey as Peter White's goal with 4:16 remaining was the difference in a 2-1 decision. Jim Vandermeer and White each had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 Phantoms victory six days later. Philadelphia made it three wins in a row on Dec. 27 when Neil Little made 23 saves in a 4-2 decision, but Bears goaltender Phil Sauve made 33 saves in a 3-0 Hershey win the next night. Bertrand registered a goal and two assists on Jan. 29 as Hershey posted a 4-1 home win. The Phantoms hold a 36-29-8-4 lead in the all-time series, but are 15-16-4-3 on the road). The teams play each other 12 times this season, with the next battle scheduled for Feb. 22 in Hershey.

The Phantoms and Syracuse Crunch play their fourth of six match-ups on Sunday. In the first encounter on Oct. 30, John Slaney had a goal and an assist and Ben Stafford scored the game-winner with 2:14 left in the second period as Philadelphia posted a 3-2 road win. Syracuse evened the series at home on Nov. 16 as rookie Tim Jackman scored his first two career goals and Karl Goehring made 23 saves in a 3-1 decision, but Neil Little stopped all 22 shots he faced in a 2-0 Phantoms home victory on Jan. 5. Philadelphia went 1-2-1 against the Crunch last season before getting swept by Syracuse in the best-of-five Western Conference Quarterfinals. Philadelphia is 15-7-7 all-time vs. Syracuse, including an 8-3-3 mark at home. The teams' next match-up is scheduled for March 5 in Syracuse.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

It will be Armed Forces Night on Friday, Feb. 7, as the Army, Navy and Marines will each have displays on the concourse. The Army will also have a rock-climbing wall and HUM-V outside the First Union Spectrum. Registration will take place on Feb. 7 & 9 for a trip to Disney World. Courtesy of the Phantoms and AAA Mid-Atlantic, the trip for two adults and two children includes round-trip airfare on US Airways; four-day, three-night accommodations at a Disney World resort; and a four-day hopper pass to the Disney World parks. The lucky winner will be announced during the third period on Feb. 9.

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 2/2)

* Mark Greig is tied for 14th in points (44), tied for sixth in power-play goals (10) and tied for fourth in game-winning goals (6)

* Peter White is tied for 14th in points (44), tied for second in power-play goals (11) and is fifth in shooting percentage (.212).

* Neil Little is seventh in goals-against average (2.26)

* John Slaney is seventh among defensemen in points (31) and tied for fourth in assists (26)

* Peter Vandermeer is second in major penalties (22) and third in penalty minutes (194)

* The Phantoms are third in penalty minutes per game (28.0)

* The Phantoms are second in shots allowed per game (26.79)

PHANTOMS NOTES

* Andre Savage played in his 300th game as a pro on Jan. 29 at Hershey.

* Hershey's four goals on Jan. 29 were the most allowed by the Phantoms since a 5-1 loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 21.

* Philadelphia scored just three goals during its recent five-game losing streak. The longest losing skid in club history is six games.

* The Phantoms' current six-game winless streak is three shy of the franchise record.

* After recording a club-record 15 ties in 2001-02, the Phantoms have a league-low two thus far this season.

* Saturday's tie vs. Chicago was the first time in 21 tries that Philadelphia did not lose a game when trailing after two periods this season.

* Philadelphia has killed off 14 straight power-play attempts.

TICKET INFORMATION

Ticket prices for Phantoms home games are $18, $17 and $13 for adults, and $8 for children 14 and under. The team also offers group rates, Game Plans, attractive premium area seating, birthday party and youth hockey packages, and the popular Family Value Pack. Please call the Phantoms sales office at 215-465-4522 for information, or log on to www.phantomshockey.com.



American Hockey League Stories from February 3, 2003


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