Phantoms Weekly
January 16, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
WEEK IN REVIEW
Friday, Jan. 13: Manitoba 3, Phantoms 1 - Prestin Ryan scored the game winning goal on a power play 1:34 into the third period to push the Moose to an eventual 3-1 win over the Phantoms. Philadelphia started out the scoring just under seven minutes into the game when Stefan Ruzicka netted his eighth goal of the year, and held a 1-0 lead until Lee Goren scored at 13:48 of the second period. After Ryan's game-winner, Manitoba added a late empty-netter with 30 seconds remaining. The Phantoms managed just 15 shots on Moose goaltender Wade Flaherty, a season low. Martin Houle stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced on the evening.
Saturday, Jan. 14: Manitoba 2, Phantoms 0 - Moose goaltender Wade Flaherty denied all 42 shots he faced to carry his team to a 2-0 win over the Phantoms in the weekend's second game. The Moose took a 1-0 lead at the 13:12 mark of the first period with a shorthanded tally from Sven Butenschon. The one-goal advantage stood until the latter half of the third period, when the Moose picked up an insurance goal from Jason King. Phantoms goaltender Rejean Beauchemin absorbed the loss with 19 saves on 21 Manitoba chances.
UPCOMING OPPONENTS
Friday, Jan. 20: Phantoms vs. Hershey - Philadelphia's closest rivalry continues Friday night when the Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) come to the Wachovia Spectrum for the fifth of 12 meetings between the two teams this season. The Bears are 24-10-2-6 at the start of the week, giving them 56 points and the second spot in the East Division. They're eight points behind first-place Wilkes-Barre. Bears captain Boyd Kane, who captained the Phantoms to their Calder Cup championship last year, made his Washington debut on Jan. 4 and appeared in three games with the big club before returning to Hershey.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Phantoms at Albany - The Phantoms make their third visit of the season to Pepsi Arena to meet the Albany River Rats (New Jersey Devils) in the fifth of six games between the two clubs. The River Rats hold the seventh spot in the Atlantic Division with a record of 13-25-0-2 for 28 points. They recently grabbed some national attention when fomer NHL all-star Alexander Mogilny cleared waivers and was assigned to Albany by the Devils. Mogilny has a goal in two games so far with the River Rats.
Sunday, Jan. 22: Phantoms vs. Norfolk - The Admirals and Phantoms face off in their sixth meeting of 10 this season, but just their second in Philadelphia. Norfolk started its week early with a win today over Bridgeport, which gives the team a record of 19-14-2-2 for 42 points, nine ahead of the Phantoms. The victory ties Norfolk with Bridgeport for fourthplace in the East Division. The game will mark the first return to Philadelphia for Eric Meloche, who ended up in Norfolk after a Dec. 5 trade in which the Flyers sent Meloche and Patrick Sharp to the Chicago Blackhawks for Matt Ellison and a draft pick. Meloche has a goal and an assist in ten games for the Ads since the deal.
THIS WEEK AT THE WACHOVIA SPECTRUM
From hockey to rock music to race cars, there's something for everyone this week during the Phantoms two games at the Wachovia Spectrum!
Friday night is Rock 'N Roll Mic Night when the Phantoms host Hershey. Preston from WMMR's Preston & Steve Morning Show will be doing karaoke with fans before the game and during the intermissions, and will also be roaming the stands during the game itself. Afterwards, local rock band ike will be performing live at center ice. The group will be opening for Bon Jovi in Atlantic City on Saturday, Feb. 4.
Sunday is NASCAR Night at the Spectrum when the Phantoms host the Norfolk Admirals. The #20 Tony Stewart and #18 J.J. Yeley show cars will be on the concourse, where fans can check them out and take photos. Also on the concourse will be a tire-changing challenge courtesy of Dover International Speedway, where fans can take a turn changing an actual tire on an actual car axle with a real air wrench! The official pace car of Dover International Speedway, a 2006 Dodge Charger, will also be on display. In addition, the first 5,000 fans will receive a Phantoms die-cast mini car!
Tickets for both games are still available and can be purchased online at
www.phantomshockey.com BOLSTERING THE TROOPS The Philadelphia Flyers enter the week a single point from the top of the NHL
despite losing 219 man-games to injury thus far in the 2005-06 NHL season. The
Phantoms have made a large contribution in filling those holes. So far, 10 players
who have appeared in a game for the Phantoms this season have combined to appear in
97 games for the Flyers (Umberger 36, Eager 20, Meyer 20, Jones 7, Ellison 5,
Kavanagh 3, Gratton 3, Chouinard 1, Ready 1, Skolney 1). The phenomenon has been
noticed by area papers, most recently in the Philadelphia Daily News on Wednesday
1/11: Every time a veteran player has gone down, John Stevens has sent one of his
Phantoms down the hall to the Flyers, where they fit in like they have been there
all season. Without them this would be a season of frustration and failures. --Ed
Moran, Phialdelphia Daily News EAGER RETURNS TO PHANTOMS With the return of Turner Stevenson to the Flyers lineup on Saturday, Ben Eager was
reassigned to the Phantoms. Eager was called up for the second time this season on
Dec. 10 and went on to play in 17 games for the Flyers, collecting three goals and
four assists for seven points in that span. Overall, Eager has played in 20 games
for the big club this season, with three goals and five assists for eight points
while playing an average of 7:31 per game. OUT AND ABOUT Watch for your Philadelphia Phantoms in the community over the next week, with the
following schedule: TUESDAY - Riley Cote will be at Mulberry Preschool in Gulph Mills to read to
children. WEDNESDAY - Triston Grant and David Printz will be at the Acme supermarket in
Ridley, PA from 4-6pm. BACK ON THE GROUND Philadelphia's 3200-mile trek to Winnipeg and back marked the first time this
season that the Phantoms left the Eastern time zone, and also the first time they
took to the air for travel. Philadelphia will make a similar trip next month when
they fly to Chicago for meetings with the Wolves and the Grand Rapids Griffins. 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.
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.
American Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2006
