Phantoms Weekly

Published on March 28, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms went 2-0 over the weekend to maintain first place in the AHL's East Division. On Friday, five different Phantoms scored and Antero Niittymaki made 19 saves in a 5-1 victory over the Springfield Falcons. Ryan Ready and Jon Sim gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes of play before Josh Gratton and Tony Voce each recorded a goal and an assist in the third to blow the game wide open. With the win, the Phantoms completed their second straight two-game season sweep of the Falcons. On Saturday, John Slaney and Boyd Kane each collected a goal and an assist as Philadelphia rallied for a 4-2 win in Hershey. Sim tallied the game-winner, Eric Meloche added an empty-netter and Niittymaki made 26 saves to help Philadelphia improve to 6-3 vs. the Bears in 2004-05.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS
Philadelphia brings a 2-3 mark against the Binghamton Senators into Wednesday's season series finale. 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. Binghamton then posted a 4-3 overtime win on March 19 to make it three wins in a row. Philadelphia is now 4-7 all-time against the Senators, but owns a 3-2 mark when playing on the road. The teams never played prior to 2003-04.

Philadelphia is 6-3 vs. the Bears heading into Friday's game at the Spectrum. 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, and then posted a 4-2 road win on March 26. Philadelphia owns a 55-40-8 lead in the all-time series, including a 31-16-4 mark at home. The teams will next meet on Saturday, April 9 in Hershey.

The Phantoms and Norfolk Admirals face off for the eighth time on Saturday. Ben Stafford lifted Philadelphia to a 3-2 win on Nov. 14 when he scored 2:41 into overtime. Norfolk responded with four straight wins, including a pair of 2-1 overtime decisions in December, a 6-2 blowout on Jan. 14 and a 3-2 shootout win in Philadelphia two days later. The Phantoms got back in the win column, however, with two road victories over a three-day span in February. Philadelphia went 5-4-1 against the Admirals last year before defeating Norfolk in six games in the East Division Semifinals. The Phantoms are 20-23-2 all-time vs. the Admirals, including a 10-11-1 mark on the road. The teams meet again in Norfolk on Wednesday before ending the season against each other on Sunday, April 17 in Philly.

The Phantoms will look to end a four-game losing streak vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when the teams collide for the final time on Sunday. Philadelphia began the season series with 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. Wilkes-Barre won twice in December to even the series before Philadelphia countered with a 4-3 shootout victory on Jan. 8. The Penguins have captured the last four meetings to take a 6-3 lead in the season series. Last year, 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 owns a 34-24-3 lead in the all-time series, including a 16-12-2 mark at home.

CLOSE RACE IN THE EAST
The top four teams in the AHL's East Division are currently separated by just six points. Philadelphia owns first place with 89 points, while Binghamton sits in second with 88. Norfolk follows with 86 points and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton resides in fourth with 83. The following is a breakdown of each team's remaining schedule (thru March 27):

Team Games Left Home Away vs. East
Philadelphia 11 6 5 11
Binghamton 10 6 4 6
Norfolk 9 7 2 9
Wilkes-Barre 11 6 5 9

SIM ON FIRE
Forward Jon Sim has been on a tear recently, compiling an impressive 23 points (18G, 5A) in his last 15 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-17 rating. In just 53 games with Philadelphia this season, the 27-year-old leads the team in goals (32), game-winning goals (10), shorthanded goals (3) and plus/minus (+26), while ranking second in points (49).

MORE SIM
Jon Sim has scored the game-winning goal in each of Philadelphia's last three games and now owns the club record for most in a season (10). The previous mark of eight game-winning goals was shared by Peter White (1996-97) and Mark Greig (2002-03). Sim also scored the game-winning goal in three straight games from Nov. 20-24.

UMBERGER BREAKS ROOKIE RECORD
Center R.J. Umberger recorded an assist on Friday to break the Phantoms record for most points by a rookie. Umberger now has 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points, which tops Ruslan Fedotenko's mark of 50 set during the 1999-2000 campaign. The 22-year-old currently leads Philadelphia in scoring and assists, while ranking second in plus/minus (+17) and fourth in goals.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
The first 5,000 fans at this Friday's game vs. Hershey will receive Masquerade Ball Masks with special offers on food, merchandise and tickets. The band Bohemian Sunrise will also be performing in Bullies. On Sunday, Dora the Explorer will be on the concourse before and during the game to meet and take pictures with all her fans who bring their own cameras. Sunday is also Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Night, as a portion of ticket sales will help support MSAA's mission to ease the day-to-day challenges of individuals who have MS and their care partners.

PHANTOMS TRANSACTIONS
3/25 - DELETE B.J. Abel, reassigned to Trenton (ECHL)

PHANTOMS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS (thru 3/27)
* Riley Cote is second among rookies in major penalties (26) and penalty minutes (260).
* Ben Eager is first among rookies in minor penalties (47), tied for fourth in penalty minutes (194) and tied for fifth in plus/minus (+13).
* Antero Niittymaki is fifth in goals-against average (1.97) and minutes (2985:12), and tied for fifth in wins (28).
* Dennis Seidenberg is tied for first among defensemen in game-winning goals (5).
* Jon Sim is tied for first in game-winning goals (10), tied for second in goals (34) and tied for ninth in shorthanded goals (3).
* John Slaney is tied for 11th among defensemen in points (37), tied for ninth in power-play goals (6) and fifth in shooting percentage (.102).
* R.J. Umberger is fifth among rookies in points (52), second in assists (35), fifth in goals (17), second in plus/minus (+17) and sixth in shots (163).
* Tony Voce is tied for 11th among rookies in points (33), tied for third in power-play goals (8), fourth in goals (19) and 12th in plus/minus (+9).
* The Phantoms are third in goals allowed per game (2.25) and fifth in shots allowed per game (27.81), penalty killing (87.4 percent) and penalty minutes per game (28.20).

PHANTOMS NOTES
* Ryan Ready recorded his 200th point as a pro on March 25.
* Jon Sim has a team season-high five-game goal-scoring streak, while Joni Pitkanen has a team season-high five-game assist streak.
* Philadelphia has reached 40 wins for the sixth time in its nine-year history.
* Antero Niittymaki's 28 wins are the most by a Phantom since Neil Little finished with 31 in 1996-97 & 1997-98.
* The Phantoms are 24-1 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 69 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.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2005


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