Phantoms Weekly

March 15, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms went 3-1 last week to remain atop the East Division standings. On Monday, Philadelphia cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Albany River Rats, as Kirk Furey tallied two of Philadelphia's four first-period goals and Steve Gainey and Mark Murphy both finished with three points. Antero Niittymaki stopped 26 shots for Philadelphia, which tied a season high for most goals in a game and recorded its largest margin of victory in 2003-04. The Phantoms hit the road and posted a 4-0 victory over the Providence Bruins on Friday. Niittymaki stopped all 31 shots he faced, while John Slaney finished with two goals and two assists. Philadelphia was not as fortunate the following night in Manchester in suffering a 3-1 loss to the Monarchs. Boyd Kane tallied the lone goal and Niittymaki made 25 saves in the setback. But the Phantoms bounced back on Sunday as Neil Little registered 24 saves in a 2-0 triumph over the Portland Pirates. P.J. Stock put Philadelphia on the board late in the second period and Kirby Law added an empty-netter with one second remaining.

FIRST IN THE EAST

Through games of March 14, the Phantoms reside in first place in the AHL's East Division. Philadelphia currently sports a 38-22-6-1 record for 83 points - two points ahead of second-place Bridgeport, which has played one less game. The Hartford Wolf Pack own the Eastern Conference lead with 85 points. Philadelphia's 38 wins through 67 games are third most in the AHL and the team's most since finishing the 1999-2000 season with 44. The Phantoms' 19 home wins are the most since totaling 21 in 1999-2000. Philadelphia's 19 road wins lead the league.

SHUTOUTS GALORE

Entering the 2003-04 season, the team record for most shutouts in a year was five (set in 2000-01). Over the weekend, Antero Niittymaki and Neil Little each registered his fifth shutout of the season as Philadelphia continued to shatter the previous record. The Phantoms' 10 shutouts currently rank fifth in the AHL.

Philadelphia also matched a club record by recording its third consecutive shutout vs. Providence on March 12. The Phantoms had posted a 4-0 win over the Bruins on Jan. 12, 2002, did not play them in 2002-03, and then registered a 1-0 victory on Nov. 16 of this season. Earlier this year, Philadelphia set the franchise record by blanking the Hershey Bears in three straight meetings.

SLANEY ON NINE-GAME POINT STREAK

John Slaney is working on a nine-game point streak entering this week's play. The defenseman has compiled eight goals and seven assists during the span that began on Feb. 20 (he missed four Phantoms game while on recall to the Flyers). Highlights of Slaney's streak include breaking the AHL record for most career goals by a defenseman on Feb. 21 and recording two goals and two assists in a 4-0 win in Providence on March 12. It was Slaney's most productive game as a Phantom since also registering four points (3G, 1A) on Jan. 18, 2002 in Hartford.

PENALTY LEADERS

The Phantoms continue to lead the league in penalty minutes (29.19 per game), major penalties (100), minor penalties (518) and game misconducts (23). They are tied for first in 10-minute misconducts (18).

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

Philadelphia is 3-4 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as the teams continue their 10-game season series this Tuesday and Friday. The Penguins won the first match-up, 3-1, on Oct. 24 as Michel Ouellet netted two of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's three third-period goals. Philadelphia responded on Nov. 22 by rallying from a three-goal deficit to post a 5-4 road win. Former Penguin Mark Murphy scored twice in the comeback. The Phantoms posted a 3-2 home win on Nov. 28 thanks to second-period power-play goals by Kirk Furey and Patrick Sharp, and made it three in a row on Jan. 4 when Sharp scored twice in a 3-2 triumph. Wilkes-Barre got back in the win column on Jan. 17 as Kris Beech netted the game-winner 6:01 into the third period of a 4-3 decision, and then posted a 2-0 win on Feb. 18 behind 30 saves by Sebastien Caron. The Penguins and Caron posted their second straight shutout on March 6 as Tomas Surovy scored twice and Ouellet had three assists in a 4-0 decision. The Phantoms hold a 29-16-3-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 13-8-2-1 mark at home. The teams will meet for the final time on April 3 in Wilkes-Barre.

The Phantoms seek a two-game season sweep of the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday. The Griffins joined the AHL in 2001-02 and did not face Philadelphia until last season, when they swept both match-ups. But Philadelphia posted a 5-3 road win on Feb. 29 as Boyd Kane and John Slaney each scored twice and Antero Niittymaki made 25 saves.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

The first Scout Sleepover Night will take place this Friday, March 19. Scout troops that register in advance will receive a ticket to that night's game vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the Wachovia Spectrum and then get to camp out inside the Wachovia Center. Disney's Brother Bear will be screened on the arena's videoboard and all participants will receive a late-night snack and breakfast. March 19 is also Kids Run The Show Night, as winning entrants will have the chance to join the Phantoms' marketing, sales, public relations, operations, box office, fan development, game production and vice president staffs for a night. In addition, the People-Pet Partnership and the Phantoms will be hosting Adopt-A-Pet Night, as adoptable dogs and cats will be on the concourse to meet prospective owners. The Pennsylvania SPCA and Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association (PACCA) will also have information tables on the concourse. Finally, the Stanley Cup will be on display on the concourse throughout the entire game on Friday. The first 4,000 kids 14 and under in attendance on Sunday, March 21 will receive a Neil Little bobblehead doll, courtesy of Wachovia.

PHANTOMS TRANSACTIONS

3/10 - DELETE Randy Jones, recalled by Flyers (NHL)
3/10 - ADD John Slaney, reassigned from Flyers (NHL)

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 3/14)

* Kirby Law is fifth in points (61), tied for sixth in assists (38) and tied for 13th in goals (23)

* Peter White is tied for third in assists (41) and 18th in points (51)

* Mike Peluso is 11th in shots (201)

* Peter Vandermeer is first in penalty minutes (348)

* Boyd Kane is first in minor penalties (64)

* Neil Little is 13th in goals-against average (2.04), tied for ninth in wins (19) and tied for fifth in shutouts (5)

* Antero Niittymaki is tied for 12th in wins (18), tied for fifth in shutouts (5) and 16th in goals-against average (2.16)

* Dennis Seidenberg is first among defensemen in game-winning goals (4)

* Randy Jones is tied for fifth among rookies in assists (22) and tied for 17th in points (30). Among defensemen, he is tied for 17th in assists and tied for 16th in points.

* Kirk Furey is tied for eighth overall and tied for fifth among defensemen in plus/minus (+20)

* John Slaney is first among defensemen in goals (15), tied for second in power-play goals (8), tied for first in shorthanded goals (2), tied for second in game-winning goals (3), seventh in points (37) and tied for 17th in assists (22)

* Freddy Meyer is tied for third among defensemen in goals (11) and tied for fifth in power-play goals (6). Among rookies, he is tied for 17th in goals and tied for fourth in power-play goals.

* The Phantoms are third in shots allowed per game (25.91), second in power-play goals scored (60) and fifth in goals allowed per game (2.21)

PHANTOMS NOTES

* This Tuesday's game vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is a make-up for the game on Feb. 3 that was postponed when the Penguins could not make it down to Philadelphia due to the weather.

* Kirk Furey played in his 200th game as a pro and Kirby Law notched his 300th point as a pro on March 14 in Portland.

* P.J. Stock is the only player in Phantoms history to attempt more than one penalty shot. The veteran forward converted an attempt on Feb. 15 in Lowell and was denied on March 13 in Manchester. Philadelphia is 4-for-13 all-time in penalty shots and 1-for-3 this season.

* Peter Vandermeer needs two penalty minutes to become the Phantoms' all-time leader in that category. Vandermeer has 996 in three seasons with the team, which is one shy of Francis Lessard's mark set from 1999-2002. Vandermeer's 348 PIM this year is the second-highest single-season total in club history after Lessard's 416 accomplished in 1999-2000.

* The Phantoms are 19-for-19 on the penalty kill over the last four games.

* Philadelphia is 5-0 when wearing its purple third jerseys.

* When playing three games in three days, Philadelphia is a combined 12-11-3 during the first two days and 10-2-0-1 when playing the third game.

* The Phantoms are 12-2-0-1 when playing on Sunday this year.

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)
March 16 W-B/Scranton Penguins Wachovia Spectrum 7:05 p.m.
March 19 W-B/Scranton Penguins Wachovia Spectrum 7:05 p.m.
March 21 Grand Rapids Griffins Wachovia Spectrum 5:05 p.m.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Date Opponent Site W-L-T Score
March 8 Albany River Rats Wachovia Spectrum W 6-1
March 12 Providence Bruins Dunkin' Donuts Center W 4-0
March 13 Manchester Monarchs Verizon Wireless Arena L 3-1
March 14 Portland Pirates Cumberland County C.C. W 2-0



American Hockey League Stories from March 15, 2004


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