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Phantoms Weekly

March 21, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms went 2-1 over the weekend to move into a first-place tie with Binghamton in the AHL's East Division. On Friday, Ben Stafford, John Slaney and Boyd Kane all scored in the third period to lift Philadelphia to a 4-2 win over the Worcester IceCats. Jon Sim also lit the lamp and Antero Niittymaki made 23 saves as the Phantoms completed a two-game season sweep of the IceCats. On Saturday, Sim scored his second goal of the game with 3:37 left in the third period to even the score at 3-3, but Binghamton's Denis Hamel won it for the Senators with 64 seconds remaining in overtime. Tony Voce also scored for Philadelphia and Niittymaki turned aside 39 shots. Antoine Vermette finished with a goal and two assists for Binghamton, which took a 3-2 lead in the season series. The Phantoms returned home on Sunday and cruised to a 5-0 triumph over the Portland Pirates. Sim tallied twice more, R.J. Umberger registered a goal and two assists and Neil Little made 32 saves to notch his third shutout of the year. Portland goalie Maxime Daigneault, who earned his first career AHL victory on March 12 vs. the Phantoms, allowed five goals on 30 shots.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS
Philadelphia brings a three-game win streak vs. Springfield into Friday's game at the Spectrum. The Phantoms swept both meetings last year before posting a 4-3 victory on Dec. 15 in Tampa, Fla. at the home of the Falcons' NHL affiliate, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Patrick Sharp tied a club record with four assists in the first match-up, while Boyd Kane added a goal and two assists. Philadelphia owns an 8-5-2 lead in the all-time series, including a 4-2-1 mark when playing at home.

Philadelphia is 5-3 vs. the Bears heading into Saturday's game in Hershey. 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 three in a row. Philadelphia ended the slide with a 4-1 victory on Feb. 25 behind Jon Sim's natural hat trick in the second period. Mark Murphy is leading the Phantoms with eight points (2G, 6A) and a plus-seven rating in the eight Hershey games this season, while Mathieu Darche has compiled 11 points (8G, 3A) for the Bears. Philadelphia owns a 54-40-8 lead in the all-time series, including a 23-24-4 mark on the road. The teams will next meet on Friday, April 1 in Philadelphia.

SIM ON FIRE
Forward Jon Sim has been on a tear recently, compiling an impressive 21 points (16G, 5A) in his last 13 games. The scoring spree has included a natural hat trick during the second period on Feb. 25 vs. Hershey, five two-goal performances and a plus-16 rating. In just 51 games with Philadelphia this season, the 27-year-old leads the team in goals (30), game-winning goals (8), shorthanded goals (3) and plus/minus (+25), while ranking second in points (47).

CLOSE RACE IN THE EAST
The top four teams in the AHL's East Division are currently separated by just seven points. Philadelphia and Binghamton share first place with 85 points, while Norfolk sits in third with 82 points. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton resides in fourth with 78. The following is a breakdown of each team's remaining schedule (thru March 20):

Team Games Left Home Away vs. East
Philadelphia 13 7 6 12
Binghamton 12 6 6 8
Norfolk 12 9 3 12
Wilkes-Barre 15 7 8 11

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 13 games away from home and currently ranks tied for fourth in the league with 18 road wins. The Phantoms are also one of only six AHL teams to have a winning record at home and on the road, joining Manchester, Rochester, Manitoba, Chicago and Milwaukee.

UMBERGER MATCHES ROOKIE RECORD
After recording a goal and two assists on Sunday, center R.J. Umberger matched the Phantoms record for most points by a rookie. Umberger now has 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points, which ties Ruslan Fedotenko's mark set during the 1999-2000 campaign. The 22-year-old currently leads Philadelphia in scoring and assists, while ranking second in plus/minus (+16) and fourth in goals.

LITTLE STILL ROLLING ALONG
Despite a limited role this season, goaltender Neil Little continues to excel between the pipes. Little recorded his 18th shutout as a Phantom and the 21st of his pro career on Sunday when the Phantoms downed the Portland Pirates 5-0. Three of Little's last four wins have come via a shutout and the 33-year-old is now 13-6 with a 2.27 GAA on the season. Little is also one victory shy of tying Jean-Francois Labbe (202) for ninth place on the AHL's all-time wins list.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
The first 4,000 fans at this Friday's game vs. Springfield will receive a Bill Barber bobblehead doll, courtesy of Toyota. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Barber, the first-ever head coach of the Phantoms, will also be available for autographs prior to the game.

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 3/20)
* Riley Cote is second among rookies in major penalties (25) and third in penalty minutes (243).
* Ben Eager is first among rookies in minor penalties (47) and tied for fourth in penalty minutes (194).
* Antero Niittymaki is fourth in goals-against average (1.99), sixth in minutes (2865:12) and tied for seventh in wins (26).
* Dennis Seidenberg is tied for first among defensemen in game-winning goals (5).
* Jon Sim is tied for third in goals (32), tied for fourth in game-winning goals (8) and tied for eighth in shorthanded goals (3).
* John Slaney is 12th among defensemen in points (35) and tied for ninth in power-play goals (5).
* R.J. Umberger is tied for fourth among rookies in points (50), second in assists (33), fifth in goals (17), second in plus/minus (+16) and sixth in shots (161).
* Tony Voce is 12th among rookies in points (31), tied for second in power-play goals (8), fourth in goals (18) and 14th in plus/minus (+8).
* The Phantoms are fourth in goals allowed per game (2.27), sixth in shots allowed per game (27.93), sixth in penalty killing (87.1 percent) and fifth in penalty minutes per game (28.48).

PHANTOMS NOTES
* Ben Stafford played in his 300th game as a pro on March 18 vs. Worcester.
* The Phantoms' 4-3 setback in Binghamton on March 19 was their first overtime road loss since Feb. 22, 2003 at Hershey.
* John Slaney played in his 800th game as a pro and recorded his 200th point as a Phantom on March 20 vs. Portland.
* Philadelphia matched its largest margin of victory this season with a 5-0 win over the Pirates on March 20.
* The Phantoms are 22-1 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 67 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 25 Springfield Falcons Wachovia Spectrum 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 26 Hershey Bears GIANT Center 7:00 p.m.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Date Opponent Site W-L Score
March 18 Worcester IceCats Wachovia Spectrum W 4-2
March 19 Binghamton Senators B.C. Veterans Memorial Arena L 4-3 (OT)
March 20 Portland Pirates Wachovia Spectrum W 5-0



American Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2005


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