Sports stats



Phantoms Weekly

March 14, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms went 3-1 on their four-game trip through the Northeast last week to remain in the hunt for the top seed in the AHL's East Division. On Wednesday, Jon Sim scored twice and Antero Niittymaki made 31 saves in a 2-0 win over the Lowell Lock Monsters. Niittymaki recorded his fifth shutout of the season as Lowell was blanked for just the second time all year. Philadelphia completed a two-game season sweep of the Manchester Monarchs with a 4-2 victory on Friday. Sim tallied two more goals, John Slaney and R.J. Umberger each had a pair of assists and Niittymaki turned aside 25-of-27 shots as Philadelphia downed the Atlantic Division-leading Monarchs. Rookie Tony Voce's two goals were not enough on Saturday when the Phantoms suffered a 3-2 loss in Portland. Maxime Daigneault made 27 saves to earn the win in his first career AHL start, while Neil Little stopped 21 shots in the loss. The Phantoms rebounded on Sunday with a 4-1 triumph over the Worcester IceCats. Sim and Ben Eager each compiled two points and Niittymaki finished with 32 saves for Philadelphia, which won in Worcester for the first time since April 6, 1997.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS
Philadelphia will seek a two-game season sweep of the Worcester IceCats when the teams collide on Friday. The Phantoms ended a five-game losing streak vs. the IceCats with Sunday's 4-1 road victory. It was Philadelphia's first win in the series since Oct. 5, 2001 and first win in Worcester since April 6, 1997. All-time, the Phantoms are 6-11-2 vs. Worcester, including a 4-5 mark when playing at home.

Philadelphia is 2-2 against the Binghamton Senators heading into Saturday's showdown. The Phantoms posted a 3-2 victory in the first meeting between the teams on Nov. 13, and then a 2-1 shootout victory at home four days later. The Senators responded with a shootout victory of their own on Dec. 19, downing the Phantoms 3-2, before winning 4-2 in Philly on Jan. 12. Philadelphia is now 4-6 all-time against the Senators, but owns a 3-1 mark when playing on the road. The teams, who never faced each other prior to 2003-04, will face off for the final time on Wednesday, March 30 in Binghamton.

The Phantoms will try to avenge last week's loss to the Portland Pirates when the teams match up again on Sunday. Philadelphia swept both encounters with the Pirates last season, but suffered a 3-2 loss in Portland on March 12. The Phantoms still hold a 7-5-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 5-1 when playing at home.

SIM ON FIRE
Forward Jon Sim has been on a tear recently, compiling an impressive 16 points (11G, 5A) in his last 10 games. The scoring spree has included a natural hat trick during the second period on Feb. 25 vs. Hershey, three straight two-goal performances vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Lowell and Manchester and a plus-12 rating. In just 48 games with Philadelphia this season, the 27-year-old leads the team in goals (25), game-winning goals (7), shorthanded goals (3) and plus/minus (+21), while ranking third in points (42).

CLOSE RACE IN THE EAST
The top four teams in the AHL's East Division are currently separated by just five points. Binghamton owns first place with 81 points, while Philadelphia sits in second with 80. Norfolk follows with 78 points and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is in fourth with 76. The following is a breakdown of each team's remaining schedule (thru March 13):

Team Games Left Home Away vs. East
Binghamton 15 9 6 11
Philadelphia 16 9 7 13
Norfolk 15 12 3 12
Wilkes-Barre 17 7 10 12

HOT ON THE ROAD
The Phantoms have remained among the AHL's elite this season due to their strong play on the road. Philadelphia has won nine of its last 12 games away from home and currently ranks fourth in the league with 18 road wins. The Phantoms are also one of only five AHL teams to have a winning record at home and on the road, joining Manchester, Rochester, Manitoba and Milwaukee.

FASTEST GOAL RECORDED
Tim Gleason's goal for Manchester seven seconds into the second period on March 11 was the fastest opening goal of a period ever in a Phantoms game. Former Phantoms captain Mark Greig set the previous record of eight seconds on Feb. 17, 2001 in Syracuse. The previous record by a Phantoms opponent (13 seconds) was accomplished by Cincinnati's Philippe Audet and Bobby House of St. John's - both during the 1999-2000 season.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
The Phantoms will wear special St. Patrick's Day jerseys on Friday, March 18 vs. Worcester and then auction them off for charity in Bullies Sports Bar & Restaurant. Fans are encouraged to bring new or gently used CDs on March 18 for the WXPN CD Drive. All CD's collected that night will be donated to patients at local hospitals. Fans will receive a $3 discount off tickets that night in exchange for a CD. In addition, the Calder Cup will be on display on the concourse throughout the game. On Sunday, March 20, team mascot Phlex will be celebrating his ninth birthday. Phlex will receive a cake and a card from his fellow mascots during the first intermission following a tug-of-war competition, and then join his mascot friends for the annual giant game of broomball during the second intermission.

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 3/13)
* Riley Cote is second among rookies in major penalties (24) and third in penalty minutes (234).
* Ben Eager is first among rookies in minor penalties (45) and tied for fifth in penalty minutes (185).
* Antero Niittymaki is fifth in goals-against average (1.95) and sixth in minutes (2440:21).
* Dennis Seidenberg is tied for first among defensemen in game-winning goals (5).
* Jon Sim is tied for fifth in game-winning goals (7), tied for seventh in shorthanded goals (3) and ninth in goals (27).
* John Slaney is tied for 13th among defensemen in points (32) and tied for ninth in power-play goals (5).
* R.J. Umberger is fifth among rookies in points (45), third in assists (29), fifth in goals (16), tied for fourth in plus/minus (+13) and seventh in shots (151).
* Tony Voce is tied for second among rookies in power-play goals (8), fourth in goals (17), tied for ninth in plus/minus (+9) and 11th in points (30).
* The Phantoms are third in goals allowed per game (2.28), fifth in shots allowed per game (27.67) and seventh in penalty killing (86.8 percent) and penalty minutes per game (28.39).

PHANTOMS NOTES
* Freddy Meyer played in his 100th game as a pro on March 9 at Lowell and his 100th game as a Phantom on March 11 at Manchester.
* Eric Meloche played in his 300th AHL game on March 11.
* Dennis Seidenberg recorded his 100th point as a pro on March 12 at Portland.
* The Phantoms are 20-1 when scoring four or more goals in a game.
* R.J. Umberger, Ben Stafford and Dennis Seidenberg are the only Phantoms to appear in all 64 games 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, March 18 Worcester IceCats Wachovia Spectrum 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 Binghamton Senators B.C. Veterans Memorial Arena 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, March 20 Portland Pirates Wachovia Spectrum 6:05 p.m. (CSN)

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Date Opponent Site W-L Score
March 9 Lowell Lock Monsters Tsongas Arena W 2-0
March 11 Manchester Monarchs Verizon Wireless Arena W 4-2
March 12 Portland Pirates Cumberland County Civic Center L 3-2
March 13 Worcester IceCats DCU Center W 4-1

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Adirondack Phantoms Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central