Phantoms weekly

Published on January 17, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms went 0-3 last week, but reached the midway point of the season with a three-point lead for first place in the AHL's East Division. On Wednesday, Denis Hamel scored a pair of power-play goals to lead the Binghamton Senators to a 4-2 victory over the Phantoms. Brandon Bochenski and Jason Spezza each added two points as Binghamton evened the six-game season series at two wins apiece. Mark Murphy and B.J. Abel both scored for Philadelphia, while Neil Little made 19 saves. The Phantoms traveled to Norfolk on Friday and suffered a 6-2 defeat, their largest of the season. Pavel Vorobiev led the Admirals with two goals and an assist and Michael Leighton registered 23 saves to earn the win. Ben Stafford and John Slaney each scored for Philadelphia. The teams met again on Sunday in Philadelphia and Norfolk came away with a 3-2 win, as Jason Morgan and Mikhail Yakubov each scored in the Admirals' final two shootout attempts. Leighton picked up the victory again by making 29 saves before only allowing one Phantom to score in the shootout. Boyd Kane and Ryan Ready scored in regulation for the Phantoms, while Antero Niittymaki finished with 22 saves.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS
The Phantoms and Rochester Americans wrap up their two-game season series on Friday. Rochester posted a 4-2 win in the first match-up on Jan. 2 as Thomas Vanek led the way with a goal and an assist. The loss snapped Philadelphia's 10-game unbeaten streak (8-0-2) in the series that dated back to February 2001. The Phantoms hold a 17-16-4 lead in the all-time series, including an 8-8-2 mark when playing on the road. Philadelphia is on a five-game win streak in Rochester.

Philadelphia and Hershey square off for the seventh time on Saturday. The Phantoms captured all 12 match-ups with the Bears in 2003-04 and won the first four meetings this season before Hershey answered by winning the last two. Philadelphia owns a 53-33-8-5-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 23-18-4-4-1 mark on the road. The Phantoms had an eight-game road win streak in the series snapped in their last visit to Hershey on Dec. 31. The teams will next meet on Feb. 25 in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is 3-0 vs. Albany heading into next Monday's showdown. The Phantoms posted a 4-3 win in the first encounter of the year on Nov. 20 thanks to Jon Sim's goal 1:30 into overtime. Philadelphia then posted a 5-4 shootout win in Albany on Jan. 1 and a 3-0 victory on Jan. 9 behind 27 saves by Neil Little. The Phantoms went 4-2 vs. the River Rats in 2003-04 and are 17-13-4-1 all-time against Albany, including a 10-4-2-1 mark when playing at home. The Phantoms are on a seven-game home unbeaten streak (6-0-1) vs. Albany since their last loss on Dec. 9, 2000. The teams will not play again until Sunday, April 10 in Philadelphia.

JAN. 23 GAME MOVED TO JAN. 24
The Phantoms have announced that their game against the Albany River Rats, originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 23 at 5:05 p.m., has been moved to Monday, Jan. 24 at 7:05 p.m. The change is being made to alleviate potential parking and traffic problems due to the NFC Championship Game scheduled for Jan. 23 at Lincoln Financial Field between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. All tickets for Jan. 23 will be accepted on Jan. 24. If fans can not attend the rescheduled game, they may exchange the tickets for any remaining regular-season home game.

PHANTOMS REACH MIDWAY POINT OF SEASON
The Phantoms' 24 wins and 54 points at the midway point of the season are both third best in club history. Philadelphia's most-ever wins through 40 games was 26, accomplished during the Calder Cup-winning season of 1997-98. That squad and the inaugural team in 1996-97 each compiled 57 points, which is the most at the halfway point in team annals. Last season, the Phantoms had 22 wins and 49 points en route to capturing the East Division crown.

WORKIN' OVERTIME
The Phantoms lead the league in games going past regulation with 15, as the team is now 4-2 in overtime games and 5-4 in shootouts. Portland and Binghamton are tied for second with 14 games apiece. Philadelphia has also played the most shootout games (9) and is second in the league in shootout wins (5), trailing only Hartford (6).

FORMER PHANTOMS NAMED ALL-STAR CAPTAINS
The American Hockey League announced last week that Brad Tiley of the Milwaukee Admirals and Craig Darby of the Springfield Falcons will serve as playing captains for the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic in Manchester, N.H. on Feb. 14. Captains for the AHL All-Star teams are selected by the league in recognition of their outstanding service and leadership over the years. Tiley played for the Phantoms from 2000-03, while Darby was with the team from 1996-98.

PHANTOMS TRANSACTIONS
1/12 - ADD Rosario Ruggeri, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
1/13 - ADD Nick Deschenes, recalled from Trenton (ECHL)
1/17 - DELETE Nick Deschenes, Chris Houle & Brent Robinson, reassigned to Trenton (ECHL)

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
It will be Photo Night on Monday, Jan. 24, as all fans who bring a camera will have the opportunity to take pictures on the ice after the game with all the Phantoms players and coaches.

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 1/16)
* Ben Eager is tied for fourth among rookies in minor penalties (26).
* Josh Gratton is tied for fourth in major penalties (20).
* Freddy Meyer is third among defensemen in shooting percentage (.125).
* Antero Niittymaki is fourth in goals-against average (1.95) and tied for second in shootout wins (3).
* Joni Pitkanen is tied for 12th among defensemen in points (21).
* Dennis Seidenberg is 10th among defensemen in points (23) and tied for first in game-winning goals (3).
* R.J. Umberger is seventh among rookies in points (24) and tied for fifth in goals (11).
* Tony Voce is tied for 12th among rookies in points (18) and tied for fourth in power-play goals (4).
* The Phantoms are fifth in shots allowed per game (27.63), eighth in goals allowed per game (2.43), fifth in penalty minutes per game (28.00) and eighth in goals per game (2.95).

PHANTOMS NOTES
* Mark Murphy played in his 400th game as a pro on Jan. 12 vs. Binghamton.
* Brent Robinson recorded his first AHL point with an assist on Jan. 12.
* B.J. Abel played in his 100th game as a pro on Jan. 14 at Norfolk.
* Neil Little started four consecutive games from Jan. 8-14 for the first time since the final four games of the 2002-03 season.
* The Phantoms had 10 players scratched due to injury on Jan. 14 at Norfolk. The list included nine players who were on the opening-night roster plus Todd Fedoruk, who joined the team in November.
* All four of Philadelphia's home games vs. Norfolk this year have gone into overtime or a shootout.

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.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2005


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