Phantoms Weekly

November 28, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Wednesday, Nov. 23: Norfolk 4, PHANTOMS 2 - Nathan Barrett had two goals and an assist to lead Norfolk to a 4-2 win over the Phantoms at Norfolk Scope. Eric Chouinard had a goal and an assist for the Phantoms, while Freddy Meyer picked up the other goal. Martin Houle absorbed the loss, making 31 saves on 35 Admirals shots, while Corey Crawford stopped 21 of 23 Phantoms attempts to take the win.

Friday, Nov. 25: PHANTOMS 2, Albany 1 - Ben Eager's tally 3:40 into the third period stood up as the game winner in a 2-1 victory at Albany on Friday night. B.J. Abel scored the other goal for the Phantoms, who got stellar goaltending from Martin Houle. The rookie stopped 28 of 29 shots. Philadelphia fired a season-high 43 shots at Albany goaltender Frank Doyle, who stopped an impressive 41 of them.

Saturday, Nov. 26: PHANTOMS 4, Bridgeport 3 (OT) - Ben Eager tied the game with 2:56 remaining and Freddy Meyer scored 1:11 into overtime to give Philadelphia a 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Sound Tigers at the Wachovia Center. It was the second half of a doubleheader that started earlier in the afternoon with the New York Islanders topping the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2. The Phantoms held Bridgeport to just 18 shots, of which Jamie Storr stopped 15. Charlie Cook netted his first professional goal, and Pat Kavanagh had the other tally for Philadelphia.

Sunday, Nov. 27: PHANTOMS 3, Binghamton 2 (OT) - The Phantoms capitalized in overtime for the second consecutive evening, using a goal from Brent Kelly to beat the Binghamton Senators 3-2 in Binghamton, New York. All the regulation scoring took place in the second period, with Ryan Ready providing his first of the year and Pat Kavanagh his team-leading 11th. Kavanagh contributed an assist on Kelly's game-winner. Martin Houle won his second straight decision with 33 saves on 35 chances for Binghamton.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

Friday, Dec. 2: PHANTOMS vs. Binghamton, 7:05 - Binghamton (Ottawa Senators) visits the Wachovia Spectrum on Friday night to close out the extended home-and-home series between the two clubs. The Senators start the week 6-11-2-1 for 15 points, which puts them seventh in the East Division. Denis Hamel is leading the way for Binghamton with 21 points (10-11-21).

Saturday, Dec. 3: PHANTOMS at Bridgeport, 7:05 - The Phantoms make their second trip of the season to the Arena at Harbor Yard to face the Sound Tigers (New York Islanders). Bridgeport starts the week with a record of 8-10-2-0 for 18 points, good for fourth in the East Division. Rob Collins is tied for 15th in the league in scoring with 22 points (6-16-22).

Sunday, Dec. 4: PHANTOMS vs. Syracuse, 5:05 - The Phantoms meet a Western Conference foe for the first time this season when the Syracuse Crunch (Columbus Blue Jackets) come to the Wachovia Spectrum. The Crunch enter the week with a record of 10-8-0-1 for 21 points, which puts them fourth in the North Division. Geoff Platt has 14 goals on the season, which ties him with three others for second in the league this year. His eight power play goals and 23 total points also rank among the league's best.

THIS WEEK AT THE SPECTRUM

Friday night is "Old Time Hockey" night at the Wachovia Spectrum. At the center of this exciting matchup between the Phantoms and the Binghamton Senators is a visit from Flyers goaltending legend Bernie Parent, who will be signing autographs at the game. In addition, the Phantoms will be wearing a special jersey that will be auctioned off after the game.

On Sunday, the Phantoms will distribute the 2005-06 trading cards to the first 4,000 kids age 14 and under who arrive for the Phantoms tilt with Syracuse. Also, the annual Children's Miracle Network Helping Hands auction will take place, with framed player handprints being auctioned off to benefit the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children's Miracle Network.

AT THE QUARTER POLE

The Phantoms hit the 20-game mark on Wednesday in Norfolk and have now played 23 games, or just over a quarter of the 80-game campaign. The club enters this week with a record of 10-11-0-2 for 22 points, placing them third in the East Division and eighth - although just three points out of fifth - in the Eastern Conference. After a great 4-1 start was offset by a nine-game dry spell, Philadelphia has turned things around over the last couple of weeks. The Phantoms are currently on a three-game winning streak, their longest such vein this season. They've done better at home (6-2-0-1) than abroad (4-9-0-1) and are a respectable 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 contests.

KELLY AND KAVANAGH KLICKING

Pat Kavanagh and Brent Kelly have meshed well together as of late. The two teamed up for the game-tying and game-winning goals on Sunday in Binghamton. Over his last ten games, Kavanagh has seven goals and six assists for 13 points with a +5 rating. In the same period, Kelly is a +7 with three goals and six assists for nine points.

KAVANAGH ANSWERS THE CALL

Pat Kavanagh made his Flyers debut on Tuesday against Tampa Bay, wearing No. 36. He won five of the six faceoffs he took in 4:36 of ice time. Kavanagh then made his way to Norfolk, where he played with the Phantoms on Wednesday.

CAPTAIN'S COUNTDOWN - 5

With an assist on Freddy Meyer's game-winning goal on Saturday night, John Slaney pulled within five points of becoming the AHL's all-time leading scoring defenseman. Slaney has 448 career points and is chasing Steve Kraftcheck, the current leader at 453 career points.

RESPITE

Three games in three nights seems like a lot, but the Phantoms are thankful that's all they have ahead of them this week after two consecutive weeks of four-game in five-night stretches saw the team play eight games in just 12 days. November was the busiest month of the season, with 14 games. Philadelphia won't have to play more than 12 games in a month until March, when they'll play 13.

CCM VECTOR/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE

The Philadelphia Phantoms nominated Brent Kelly for Player of the Week honors this week. Kelly had a goal and five assists for six points this week while posting a plus-4 rating. Kelly registered at least one point in all four games this week, with most of them coming at crucial times. He set up Ben Eager's game-winning goal in Friday's 2-1 win over Albany, and then set up Eager's game-tying goal late in the third period of Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over Bridgeport. In Sunday's 3-2 overtime win at Binghamton, Kelly was the setup man on Pat Kavanagh's game-tying goal in the second period, and then scored the game-winner himself in the extra session. Kavanagh is now on a five-game scoring streak, which matches R.J. Umberger for the team's longest scoring streak this season. He has assists in all five games, and the five-game assist streak is the team's longest of the season thus far. Kelly is now tied with John Slaney for second on the team in overall points with 13 and for the team lead in assists with 10.

READY TO GO

Ryan Ready returned to the Phantoms lineup on Friday after missing the first 20 games of the season with an injury suffered while in training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored his first goal of the season on Sunday at Binghamton. Ready was recalled today by the Flyers and will be with the big club for their game tomorrow at the New York Islanders.

SLANEY ON THE AIR THIS WEEK

Phantoms captain John Slaney is slated to join former Flyer and OLN studio host Bill Clement on Bill Clement's Hockey World this Wednesday night. The show airs from 6-7 PM on WBCB 1490 AM and is broadcast live from Chilly McPhilly's at Comly and Roosevelt in Northeast Philadelphia.

PHANTOMS COACHES TO TAKE PART IN SYMPOSIUM

John Stevens, Kjell Samuelsson and Craig Berube will be part of the eighth annual Flyers/Phantoms Coaching Symposium, which is designed for all coaches who want in-depth information on advanced coaching techniques, and skills as presented by some of the top minds in the sport of hockey. The symposium runs from 7 to 9 PM on Thursday night at Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. Attendance is limited to 300 coaches, but a limited number of openings still remain. Those coaches interested in attending can RSVP to the Flyers Fan Development Department at 215-952-5999.

COACH'S CORNER ON PHANTOMSHOCKEY.COM

The brand-new Coach's Corner show is now available on the Phantoms website, www.phantomshockey.com. Each week, Phantoms broadcaster Mike Thornton sits down with head coach John Stevens for a look at the week gone by, the week ahead, and an update on the overall team.

SANTA SACKS HAVE ARRIVED

The ever-popular Phantoms Santa Sacks are back again for the holiday season! This year's Santa Sacks feature four tickets to a Phantoms game and an autographed stick by your choice of Jeff Carter or Mike Richards, two of the catalysts in last year's Calder Cup run who are now with the Flyers. Visit www.phantomshockey.com for more info!

A HOCKEY LOVER'S DREAM

The Phantoms have teamed up with the Philadelphia Flyers for a one-of-a-kind ticket package. With The Hockey Lover's Package, you can see seven Phantoms games and three Flyers games for just $200 for adults or $100 for kids! Availability is limited, so call 215-465-4522 today for more information or to buy yours!

PHANTOMS MEDIA GUIDES ARE IN

The 2005-06 Philadelphia Phantoms media guide is now available! The 132-page, full-color guide is packed with information on the current team, last year's team, and every team before it. Media members can obtain their complimentary copy by contacting the Phantoms PR office. Fans can order the guide for $12 plus shipping and handling by calling the Phantoms at 215-465-4522 or can pick up the guide at any home game.

PHANTOMSHOCKEY.COM

Don't forget to check out www.phantomshockey.com every day for the latest news on the Philadelphia Phantoms! In addition to press releases, player bios and schedules, you can download wallpaper featuring your favorite player, try your hand at several games, and much more!

TICKET INFORMATION

All kids tickets for all Phantoms games are just $8. To purchase, go to phantomshockey.com and click tickets. To charge by phone, call (215) 336-2000, (856) 338-9000 or (302) 984-2000.

UPCOMING GAMES Date Opponent Site Time (ET)

Fri., Dec. 2 Binghamton Senators Wachovia Spectrum 7:05

Sat., Dec. 3 Bridgeport Sound Tigers Arena at Harbor Yard 7:05

Sun., Dec. 4 Syracuse Crunch Wachovia Spectrum 5:05

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS (3-1-0-0)

Date Opponent Site W-L Score

Wed., Nov. 23 Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Scope L 4-2

Fri., Nov. 25 Albany River Rats Pepsi Arena W 2-1

Sat., Nov. 26 Bridgeport Sound Tigers Wachovia Center W 4-3 (SO)

Sun., Nov. 27 Binghamton Senators Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena W 3-2 (SO)

SEASON RECORD: 10-11-0-2, 22 points, 3rd East Division



American Hockey League Stories from November 28, 2005


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