Phantoms Weekly

December 6, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms gained three of a possible four standings points last week to maintain their comfortable lead in the AHL's East Division. On Wednesday, Ben Stafford converted two attempts during a shootout as Philadelphia posted a 3-2 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The teams were tied through five rounds of the shootout before Wilkes-Barre's Michel Ouellet and the Phantoms' Jon Sim each scored in the sixth round. Kris Beech was then stopped by Antero Niittymaki leading off the seventh round and Stafford scored on Marc-Andre Fleury for the second time in the shootout to give Philadelphia the win. Ryan Ready and Sim each scored in regulation for Philadelphia, while Niittymaki finished with 25 saves. On Saturday, Pavel Vorobiev's breakaway goal with 41.1 seconds left in overtime lifted the visiting Norfolk Admirals to a 2-1 win. Niittymaki stopped 24 shots and R.J. Umberger scored the lone goal for Philadelphia, which suffered its first home loss of the season. Michael Leighton registered 36 saves for Norfolk, which avenged a 3-2 overtime loss in Philadelphia back on Nov. 14.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

Philadelphia will seek its 17th consecutive win over the Hershey Bears when the teams collide on Friday. The Phantoms are 4-0 vs. Hershey so far this season after capturing all 12 match-ups with the Bears in 2003-04. Philadelphia now owns a 53-32-8-5 lead in the all-time series, including a 30-14-4-1 mark at home. The Phantoms have won the last nine match-ups with the Bears in Philadelphia. The teams will next meet on New Year's Eve in Hershey.

The Phantoms are 2-0 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins heading into Saturday's showdown. Philadelphia has posted a pair of 3-2 shootout wins, as R.J. Umberger and Ben Stafford tallied the deciding goals on Nov. 12 and Dec. 1, respectively. Last season, the teams split 10 match-ups before meeting in the East Division Finals. The Penguins captured the best-of-seven series in six games before eventually bowing out in the Calder Cup Finals. Philadelphia has won the last four regular-season meetings and owns a 33-17-3-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 17-8-1 mark on the road. The 10-game series continues on Sunday, Dec. 26 in Wilkes-Barre.

The defending Calder Cup-champion Milwaukee Admirals make their only appearance in Philadelphia this Sunday. The teams split two match-ups last year, as the Phantoms posted a 4-3 overtime win at home on Jan. 31 before dropping a 5-2 decision on the road on Feb. 28. Philadelphia has captured the last two meetings at home and is knotted at 3-3 in the all-time series. Milwaukee is set to host the Phantoms on Saturday, Feb. 19.

HOME WIN STREAK ENDS AT 12

The Phantoms' 12-game home win streak came to an end with Saturday's 2-1 overtime setback vs. Norfolk. Philadelphia went 12-0 on home ice to start the season, going 8-0 at the Wachovia Spectrum and 4-0 at the Wachovia Center. The Phantoms' 12-game home win streak was the best in the league since Providence won 12 straight at home in 1998-99, and the club's best since winning an AHL-record 19 in a row from Oct. 30-Jan. 24 during the 1996-97 season. Philadelphia still has a streak of recording at least one point in its last 18 home games dating back to last season (16 wins & 2 OT losses). The team's last home loss in regulation occurred on March 21, 2004 vs. Grand Rapids.

NIITTYMAKI NAMED PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Phantoms goaltender Antero Niittymaki has been named the club's Toyota Player of the Month for November. Niittymaki went 9-1 and allowed two goals or less in nine of his 10 starts, giving him a minuscule 1.66 goals-against average. He was also 2-0 in games decided by a shootout, including stopping all six attempts against Binghamton on Nov. 17 in the team's 2-1 victory. Overall, the Turku, Finland native allowed just 17 goals on 245 shots for a .931 save percentage.

UMBERGER NAMED AHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

The American Hockey League announced last week that Phantoms center R.J. Umberger has been named the Reebok AHL Rookie of the Month for November. Umberger recorded eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 14 games, helping the Phantoms to a 13-1 record. Umberger was a model of consistency in November, registering at least one point in 11 of Philadelphia's 14 contests. He led the club with eight goals and tied for the team lead with 14 points, including his first professional goal on Nov. 7 against Cincinnati. Umberger netted the winning goal on Nov. 13 at Binghamton, and put together a four-game goal-scoring streak from Nov. 19-24. He was even or better 12 times on the month, finishing with a plus-6 rating for November.

WIN STREAK NAMED AHL MILESTONE OF THE MONTH

The American Hockey League also named the Phantoms' history-making winning streak the CCM AHL Milestone of the Month for November. The Phantoms reeled off 17 consecutive victories, the longest such streak in the 69-year history of the American Hockey League. The record-setting victory came on Nov. 27, a 3-1 decision at the Giant Center in Hershey.

NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER

Philadelphia finished November with a 13-1 record for 26 points, making it the most successful month in team history. The previous high of 11 wins was set in March 1999 and January 2000, and the previous high of 25 points was accomplished in March 1999.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

The fifth annual Children's Miracle Network Helping Hands Auction will take place on Friday, Dec. 10, as fans can place silent bids for the framed cards featuring autographed handprints of Phantoms players and coaches, as well as several Flyers management and players. All proceeds go to the Children's Miracle Network. Also on Friday, Comcast SportsNet and the Phantoms will be collecting toys for needy children throughout the Philadelphia region by teaming up with the U.S. Marine Corps for their annual Toys For Tots Drive. Fans are encouraged to bring NEW, unwrapped, non-violent toys to Friday's game at the Wachovia Center.

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 12/5)


* Ben Eager is first among rookies in minor penalties (21) and tied for fifth in penalty minutes (67).
* Josh Gratton is third in penalty minutes (149) and tied for second in major penalties (15).
* Freddy Meyer is tied for third among defensemen in shooting percentage (.143).
* Antero Niittymaki is fourth in goals-against average (1.73), tied for first in wins (13), first in shootout wins (3) and fifth in minutes (1041:25).
* Dennis Seidenberg is tied for 13th among defensemen in points (13) and tied for first in game-winning goals (2).
* R.J. Umberger is first among rookies in points (19), tied for first in goals (9), tied for third in assists (10) and fourth in shooting percentage (.173).
* Tony Voce is fourth among rookies in points (16), tied for fifth in goals (7) and assists (9) and tied for second in power-play goals (4).
* The Phantoms are first in shots allowed per game (26.36), third in goals allowed per game (1.82), third in power-play percentage (20.5), fifth in penalty minutes per game (30.41) and tied for sixth in goals per game (3.14).

PHANTOMS NOTES


* Neil Little is unbeaten (7-0-1) in his last eight starts dating back to last season.
* Ben Stafford played in his 200th AHL game on Dec. 1 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
* The Phantoms are 7-1 when a game goes into overtime or a shootout this 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 Four Pack.

UPCOMING GAMES

Date Opponent Site Time (ET) Friday, Dec. 10 Hershey Bears Wachovia Center 7:05 p.m. (CSN)
Saturday, Dec. 11 W-B/Scranton Penguins Wachovia Arena 7:05 p.m. (CSN)
Sunday, Dec. 12 Milwaukee Admirals Wachovia Spectrum 6:05 p.m.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Date Opponent Site W-L Score
Dec. 1 W-B/Scranton Penguins Wachovia Spectrum W 3-2 (SO)
Dec. 4 Norfolk Admirals Wachovia Center L 2-1 (OT)



American Hockey League Stories from December 6, 2004


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