Phantoms Weekly

January 25, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms went 1-1 with a postponement to maintain the best winning percentage (.667) in the AHL's East Division. On Friday, Paul Gaustad scored twice to lead the Rochester Americans to a 2-1 victory over the Phantoms. Ryan Miller stopped 31-of-32 shots as Rochester completed a two-game season sweep of Philadelphia. Jon Sim scored the lone goal and Antero Niittymaki made 25 saves for the Phantoms. Following Saturday's postponed game in Hershey, Philadelphia returned home and posted a 3-2 win over the Albany River Rats on Monday. Todd Fedoruk and Boyd Kane each recorded a goal and an assist, while Niittymaki turned aside 27 shots to help Philadelphia snap a four-game losing streak. Scott Clemmensen finished with 34 saves for Albany, which has lost all four meetings with Philadelphia this year.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS
Philadelphia and Hartford wrap up their two-game season series on Friday. The teams opened the season against each other on Oct. 16, as Jason LaBarbera stopped 21-of-22 shots in a 2-1 Wolf Pack victory. Freddy Meyer scored the lone Phantoms goal and Antero Niittymaki made 26 saves. Philadelphia is 8-8-3-2 all-time vs. Hartford, including a 3-4-1-2 mark when playing at home. The Phantoms are winless in their last three meetings with the Pack (0-2-1), but unbeaten in the last two match-ups in Philly (1-0-1).

The Phantoms and Sound Tigers meet on Saturday for the fifth time this season. The Sound Tigers posted a 4-2 home victory during the teams' first encounter on Oct. 17, snapping Philadelphia's three-game unbeaten streak in the series. The Phantoms bounced back at home on Oct. 27 with a 5-0 shutout, and then skated to a 3-1 victory on Nov. 19 before Bridgeport responded with a 3-2 shootout win on Dec. 22. Philadelphia is 9-9-2 all-time vs. the Sound Tigers, including a 3-5-2 mark when playing on the road. The teams will next meet on March 2 in Philadelphia.

JAN. 22 GAME POSTPONED
Philadelphia's game scheduled for Jan. 22 in Hershey was postponed due to heavy snowfall in Central Pennsylvania. The game has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Hershey.

TV GAME MOVED
The Phantoms and Comcast SportsNet have made a change to their television schedule. Instead of airing Philadelphia's game in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, Feb. 5, SportsNet will instead be showing the Phantoms' game in Lowell on Wednesday, March 9.

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).

ALL-STAR TEAMS TO BE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK
Rosters for the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic will be announced this week, as the Canadian team will be revealed on Wednesday and the PlanetUSA squad on Thursday. The 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic is set to take place from Feb. 13-14 at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.

PHANTOMS TRANSACTIONS
1/24 - ADD Jerramie Domish, signed to PTO

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
Tribute to Tough Guys Night on Friday, Jan. 28 will honor some of Philadelphia's most popular hockey enforcers. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. that day for a free autograph session with the honorees and the first 10,000 fans will receive a commemorative poster, courtesy of Toyota. Tough guys scheduled to be participating include Craig Berube, Frank Bialowas, Dave Brown, Ron Hextall, Paul Holmgren, Dave Schultz and Bob Kelly.

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 1/24)
* Ben Eager is tied for fourth among rookies in minor penalties (26).
* Freddy Meyer is third among defensemen in shooting percentage (.125).
* Antero Niittymaki is fourth in goals-against average (1.96) and tied for third in shootout wins (3).
* Joni Pitkanen is tied for 13th among defensemen in points (21) and fifth in shots (113).
* Dennis Seidenberg is tied for 10th among defensemen in points (23) and tied for first in game-winning goals (3).
* R.J. Umberger is seventh among rookies in points (25) and tied for fifth in goals (11) and assists (14).
* Tony Voce is tied for 14th among rookies in points (18) and tied for sixth in power-play goals (4).
* The Phantoms are fifth in shots allowed per game (27.64), seventh in goals allowed per game (2.40), seventh in penalty minutes per game (27.38) and ninth in goals per game (2.90).

PHANTOMS NOTES
* Jon Sim recorded his 100th AHL point on Jan. 21 at Rochester.
* Philadelphia lost in Rochester on Friday for the first time since Feb. 9, 2001, ending a five-game unbeaten streak there (4-0-1).
* Collegeville, Pa. native Jerramie Domish made his AHL debut with the Phantoms on Jan. 24 vs. Albany.
* Antero Niittymaki played in his 200th game as a pro on Jan. 24.
* Philadelphia is unbeaten in its last eight home games (7-0-1) against Albany. The Phantoms' last loss at home to the River Rats was on Dec. 9, 2000.

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, Jan. 28 Hartford Wolf Pack Wachovia Spectrum 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 29 Bridgeport Sound Tigers Arena at Harbor Yard 7:05 p.m.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Date Opponent Site W-L Score
Friday, Jan. 21 Rochester Americans Blue Cross Arena L 2-1
Saturday, Jan. 22 Hershey Bears GIANT Center PPD
Monday, Jan. 24 Albany River Rats Wachovia Spectrum W 3-2



American Hockey League Stories from January 25, 2005


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