Phantoms Weekly

February 23, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms went 2-1 last week to remain one point out of first place in the East Division. On Wednesday, Sebastien Caron stopped all 30 shots he faced as the visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins posted a 2-0 victory over the Phantoms. Antero Niittymaki stopped 20 shots to suffer the loss. Two nights later, Neil Little notched his fourth shutout of the year in a 3-0 triumph over the Hershey Bears. Little turned aside 29 shots, while John Slaney led the way offensively with a goal and an assist. Tom Lawson made 33 saves for Hershey. On Saturday, Freddy Meyer recorded a hat trick (all in the third period) and Little had 21 saves as Philadelphia rallied for a 4-1 road win over the Bears. Peter Budaj stopped 27-of-30 shots in the loss.

SLANEY BREAKS AHL RECORD

John Slaney scored at the 11:14 mark of the third period on Saturday in Hershey to break the AHL record for most career goals by a defenseman. The goal was the 125th in Slaney's AHL career, eclipsing the mark held by Jim Wiemer, who scored 124 times over 548 games from 1981-95. It was Slaney's 399th career AHL game. The 32-year-old Slaney already held the AHL record for most goals by a defenseman in a season (30 in 1999-2000 while with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton).

10 IN A ROW VS. HERSHEY

Philadelphia is 10-0 vs. Hershey this season, outscoring the Bears, 40-11, in the process. The 10-game win streak is a new franchise record for most consecutive victories vs. one opponent, breaking the mark of eight straight wins over Adirondack from Jan. 10, 1998 - March 16, 1999. Philadelphia also blanked Hershey in three straight games to match a club record for most consecutive shutouts vs. one team. Philadelphia had previously shut out Syracuse in three straight games from Oct. 10, 1998 - March 24, 1999. Hershey's goal in the first period of Saturday's game snapped a scoreless streak of 238:54 vs. Philadelphia, which spanned over 11 periods since the first stanza of a 6-2 Phantoms win on Dec. 26.

MEYER RECORDS HAT TRICK

Rookie Freddy Meyer became just the second Phantoms defenseman to record a hat trick when he scored three times (all in the third period) in Saturday's 4-1 win in Hershey. John Slaney is the only other backliner in club history to score three times in a game. The 23-year-old joined Shawn McCosh and Jason Zent as the only Phantoms to tally three goals in one period. Meyer, who has 17 points (8G, 9A) in 36 games this season, received his first call-up to the Flyers on Monday.

GAINEY ADDED; SIKLENKA & J. VANDERMEER TRADED

The Phantoms roster underwent some changes last week, as Steve Gainey was acquired from the Dallas Stars for Mike Siklenka on Feb. 16 and Jim Vandermeer was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the Alexei Zhamnov trade on Feb. 19. Gainey has appeared in seven games with the Stars this season and 45 with the Utah Grizzlies, where he recorded 15 points (7G, 8A) and 74 PIM. Siklenka, who was in his second season with the Phantoms, left with six points (1G, 5A) and 29 PIM in 18 games. Vandermeer split this season between the Phantoms and Flyers, registering seven points (1G, 6A) and 120 PIM in 26 games with the AHL club.

PENALTY LEADERS

The Phantoms continue to lead the league in penalty minutes (29.27 per game), major penalties (85), minor penalties (432) and game misconducts (21). Philadelphia is tied for first in 10-minute misconducts (13).

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

The Phantoms make their only two visits to Cincinnati this Wednesday and Friday. The Mighty Ducks came to Philadelphia in November and recorded a win and a tie to end the Phantoms' six-game unbeaten streak in the series. Cam Severson registered two goals and an assist on Nov. 12 as Cincinnati posted a 5-3 victory in the Phantoms' second annual School Day Game. Two nights later, Antero Niittymaki made 33 saves and Boyd Kane scored Philadelphia's lone goal in a 1-1 tie. The Phantoms posted three wins and a tie vs. the Mighty Ducks last season. Philadelphia leads the all-time series, 31-9-4, including a 14-6-1 mark when playing on the road. The Phantoms have won three in a row in Cincinnati since their last loss there on March 28, 2001.

Philadelphia looks to complete a two-game sweep of the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday. The Phantoms posted a 4-3 victory on Jan. 31 as John Slaney's power-play goal 1:23 into overtime was the difference. Kirby Law finished with three assists and Antero Niittymaki made 23 saves to notch the win. The Admirals entered the AHL in 2001-02 and proceeded to post 3-0 and 5-0 victories over the Phantoms that season. But Philadelphia exacted revenge in 2002-03 by winning 6-5 in overtime at home on Nov. 22 and pulling out a 4-3 road win on March 14.

The Phantoms and Griffins begin their two-game season series on Sunday in Grand Rapids. The Griffins joined the AHL in 2001-02 and did not face Philadelphia until last season, when they swept both match-ups. Philadelphia dropped a 3-1 decision at home on Jan. 25 before suffering a 5-2 loss in Grand Rapids on Feb. 12. The Phantoms are set to host the Griffins on Sunday, March 21 at 5:05 p.m.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

On March 7 & 8, fans will have the chance to win a luxury golf vacation, courtesy of the Phantoms, WYSP (94.1 FM) and www.1stop4golf.com. The first 1,000 fans in attendance each night will receive a scratch & win card, which could reveal the vacation. Lucky fans will also win discounted greens fees and merchandise from local golf courses.

PHANTOMS TRANSACTIONS
2/16 - ADD Steve Gainey, acquired from the Dallas Stars for Mike Siklenka
2/17 - DELETE Boyd Kane, recalled by Flyers (NHL)
2/17 - DELETE Chris Houle, loaned to Trenton (ECHL)
2/18 - ADD Mathieu Brunelle & Chris Houle, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
2/18 - DELETE Kirby Law, recalled by Flyers (NHL)
2/18 - ADD Antero Niittymaki, reassigned from Flyers (NHL)
2/19 - DELETE Antero Niittymaki, recalled by Flyers (NHL)
2/19 - DELETE Jim Vandermeer, traded to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the Alexei Zhamnov deal
2/19 - DELETE Chris Houle & Mathieu Brunelle, reassigned to Trenton (ECHL)
2/19 - ADD Jeff Smith, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
2/20 - ADD Chris Houle, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
2/20 - ADD Boyd Kane, reassigned from Flyers (NHL)
2/21 - ADD Jay Leach & Les Borsheim, signed to PTOs
2/22 - DELETE Chris Houle, Nick Deschenes & Jeff Smith, reassigned to Trenton (ECHL)
2/22 - DELETE Jay Leach, released from PTO
2/23 - ADD Nick Deschenes & Chris Houle, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
2/23 - DELETE Freddy Meyer, recalled by Flyers (NHL)

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 2/22)
* Kirby Law is sixth in points (54), tied for sixth in assists (33) and tied for 11th in goals (21)
* Peter White is tied for 10th in assists (31)
* Patrick Sharp is tied for 14th in power-play goals (7)
* Mike Peluso is 11th in shots (176)
* Peter Vandermeer is first in penalty minutes (298)
* Boyd Kane is first in minor penalties (50)
* Neil Little is seventh in goals-against average (1.93), tied for sixth in wins (17) and tied for fifth in shutouts (4)
* Antero Niittymaki is 18th in wins (14) and tied for fifth in shutouts (4)
* Dennis Seidenberg is first among defensemen in game-winning goals, tied for 10th in shots (123), tied for 16th in goals (7) and tied for 14th in plus/minus (+11)
* Randy Jones is tied for seventh among rookies in assists (18) and 19th in points (24). Among defensemen, he is tied for 18th in assists and tied for 16th in points.
* Kirk Furey is tied for 13th overall and tied for seventh among defensemen in plus/minus (+15)
* John Slaney is tied for third among defensemen in goals (9), tied for 12th in points (25) and tied for fourth in power-play goals (5)
* Freddy Meyer is tied for eighth among defensemen in goals (8)
* The Phantoms are second in wins (32), third in shots allowed per game (26.05) and fifth in goals allowed per game (2.18)

PHANTOMS NOTES
* The Phantoms are 4-0 with three shutouts when wearing their purple third jerseys this season.
* Neil Little's assist on Feb. 20 vs. Hershey was his first since March 23, 2001 and the first by a Phantoms goalie since Maxime Ouellet accomplished the feat on Feb. 3, 2002.
* Philadelphia's current seven-game road trip is its longest of the season.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets to all Phantoms home games are $19, $18 and $14 for adults, and $8 for all children 14 and under, and are available now at the Wachovia Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations throughout the Delaware Valley. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling (215) 336-2000, (856) 338-9000 or (302) 984-2000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Contact the Phantoms office at 215-465-4522 or log on to www.phantomshockey.com for information on group discounts, birthday packages and the Family Value Pack.

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Site Time (ET)
Feb. 25 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Cincinnati Gardens 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 27 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Cincinnati Gardens 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 28 Milwaukee Admirals Bradley Center 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 29 Grand Rapids Griffins Van Andel Arena 4:00 p.m.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Date Opponent Site W-L-T Score
Feb. 18 W-B/Scranton Penguins Wachovia Spectrum L 2-0
Feb. 20 Hershey Bears Wachovia Spectrum W 3-0
Feb. 21 Hershey Bears GIANT Center W 4-1



American Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2004


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