Phantoms Weekly

Published on January 31, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Walker Assigned to Adirondack

This past week, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that 6-4, 215-lb defenseman Matt Walker had been assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, following him clearing waivers. Walker had previously played three games with the Phantoms in December as part of a conditioning assignment.

Walker has been sidelined at different stretches this season following hip surgeries. He has appeared in four regular season games with the Flyers this year between January 13-18. He was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for Simon Gagne on July 19, 2010.

He has played in 310 NHL games mostly with the St. Louis Blues from 2002-08. He played with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2008-09 and with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009-10. He also played with the Worcester IceCats in the AHL from 2001-05. His most recent AHL action prior to his three-game stint with the Phantoms in December was in 2006-07 when he played two games with the Peoria Rivermen.

Walker recorded an assist in Adirondack's 6-4 win over Syracuse on Saturday night.

Adirondack Phantoms Team Leaders

Games: Ben Holmstrom and Greg Moore (49)

Goals: Michael Ryan and Denis Hamel (14)

Assists: Erik Gustafsson (24)

Points: Denis Hamel and Erik Gustafsson (28)

Plus/Minus: Matt Walker (3)

Penalty Minutes: Zac Rinaldo (176)

Power Play Goals: Denis Hamel (8)

Short-handed Goals: Jonathon Kalinski (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Denis Hamel, Michael Ryan, Luke Pither and Greg Moore (2)

Shots: Denis Hamel (142)

Saves: Johan Backlund (542)

Wins: Johan Backlund (6)

GAA: Michael Leighton (2.71)

Save Percentage: Michael Leighton (0.912)

2010-11 Record:

15-29-2-3, 35 points (Home 8-13-1-1, Road 7-16-1-2)

Week 17 Schedule

All games are broadcast LIVE on Classic Hits Q-101.7 FM by Adirondack Phantoms voice, Bob Rotruck, and can be heard free over the Internet at www.phantomshockey.com and can be viewed via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com O96MhDe2F4SkdmbpOv2Cgta4b5pgQUPHdb_eMg==].

First Game Back Following All-Star Break

Friday, February 4 - 7:30 p.m. - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Syracuse Crunch (16-26-2-4, 38 pts)

7th Place in Eastern Division, Eastern Conference

This will be the fourth of sixth of eight meetings between the Phantoms and Crunch with the final three games of the series being played at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Adirondack improved to 5-0 against Syracuse on the year with a 6-4 victory on Saturday night. Syracuse is .500 against the rest of the Eastern Division. The Phantoms have outscored the Crunch 21-10 in those five games. Ex-Phantom, Patrick Maroon has 7 goals and 15 points in 26 games with the Crunch while David Laliberte who also went to Syracuse in the trade on November 21st has 3 goals and 5 points in 19 games. Kyle Palmieri leads the Crunch in goals (11) while Nicolas Deschamps has 24 points in 48 games. J.P. Levasseur was pulled from the game on Saturday night after making 8 saves on 11 shots. Levasseur is 0-4-0 against Adirondack this season while Pielmeier went to 0-1-0 against the Phantoms allowing 2 goals on 21 shots in relief of Levasseur. Syracuse is ranked 14th on the power play (17.5%) and 22n d on the penalty kill (80.8 %). The Crunch are on a 3-game losing streak and 2-6-1-1 in their last 10.

Mid-Afternoon Showdown

Saturday, February 5 - 5:00 p.m. - Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ONT

@ Hamilton Bulldogs (27-15-1-4, 59 pts)

1st Place in North Division, Western Conference

This will be the third of four meetings between the Phantoms and Bulldogs with the remainder of the series being played in Hamilton and Montreal. Dustin Boyd is the Bulldogs leading goal scorer with 14 goals in 19 games while Max Pacioretty and David Desharnias are on recall to the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. Ben Maxwell leads the team with 32 points in 38 games. Curtis Sanford and Robert Mayer are both 1-0-0-0 against the Phantoms this season. Sanford leads the league in wins (18), GAA (1.72) and save percentage (.939). Hamilton is ranked 5th both on the power play (21.6%) and on the penalty kill (85.6%). When leading after 2 periods, Hamilton is 16-1-0-1 but when trailing after 2, they are 4-8-1-0.Adirondack is 0-1-0-1 losing two 1-goal games against Hamilton this season. The Bulldogs are on a 2-game losing streak and 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games.

Week 16 Game Results

January 26, 2011 - Binghamton 3 @ Adirondack 4

Adirondack opened the scoring at the 3:33 mark of the first period. Jonathon Kalinski setup the goal as he fired a shot from the blue line where Rob Bordson would pick up a rebound and score the first of his two goals on the night to give Adirondack the 1-0 lead. Binghamton would tie the score at 1-1 on a Patrick Wiercioch shot from the point that beat a screened Johan Backlund. Bordson though would strike again at the 12:26 mark of the first as he scored his second of the night and third as an Adirondack Phantom on a rebound in front of the Binghamton net. Bordson's fourth goal of the season gave Adirondack the 2-1 lead. Binghamton would storm back to tie the game at 2:02 of the second period. David Dziurzynski from the high slot beat Phantoms goaltender Johan Backlund with a shot just under the crossbar to tie the score at 2-2. Then Corey Locke, the AHL leading scoring, gave Binghamton a 3-2 lead though at 5:18 of the third period. That is when the Phantoms struck twice late in the third. Andrew Rowe (6th) picked up a loose puck behind the net and snuck it past Brodeur to tie the score at 3-3. Then Luke Pither (8th) scored the game-winning goal with 2:46 remaining in the third as he picked up a rebound in the slot and beat Senators goaltender Mike Brodeur top shelf to give Adirondack the 4-3 lead. Binghamton had a few chances late to tie the game but Backlund stood his ground. Backlund finished with 21 saves to earn his fifth win of the year while Mike Brodeur who came on in relief of Robin Lehner to start the second period made 19 saves in the loss. Adirondack and Binghamton both went 0-for-3 on the power play.

January 28, 2011 - Charlotte 2 @ Adirondack 1

On the night the Phantoms unveiled their new mascot, Dax, Adirondack's Andrew Rowe (7th) scored the lone goal for the Phantoms while Michael Leighton made 35 saves in the 2-1 loss. Jerome Samson, the Phantom killer, scored a power play goal late in the third giving Charlotte the 2-1 victory. Andrew Rowe opened the scoring for Adirondack on his second goal in as many games. Brad Herauf tied the score at 1-1 on his second goal of the year at the 15:49 mark of the second period. Herauf put home a Michael Leighton rebound. Adirondack had opportunities in third to take the lead including a Denis Hamel blast from the circles that rang off the crossbar but Samson gave Charlotte a 2-1 lead minutes later, on his team leading twenty-third goal of the season on a shot that just fluttered over the shoulder of Michael Leighton. Mike Murphy made 15 of his 32 saves in the third period to earn his second win of the year against Adirondack. Adirondack went 0-for-4 on the power play while Charlotte finished 1-for-4 on the man advantage.

January 29, 2011 - Adirondack 6 @ Syracuse 4

Michael Ryan's empty net goal with 10.6 seconds remaining capped the first ever hat trick in Adirondack Phantoms history. Adirondack got off to a strong start as Mike Testwuide scored the first two goals of the game, 13 minutes apart, to give the Phantoms a 2-0 lead. It was Mike Testwuide's first career multi-goal game. Nick Bonino who has spent time with the Anaheim Ducks this year closed the gap to 2-1 on his fifth of the year. Backlund held strong in the opening period making 15 of his 34 on the night. The Phantoms regained their 2-goal lead on a Michael Ryan power play goal 1:08 into the second period. It was the first of Ryan's three goals on the night. Timo Pielmeier came on in relief of J.P. Levasseur who left after making 8 saves on 11 shots. Syracuse would storm back though scoring three unanswered goals. Nicolas Deschamps, his ninth, at 2:40 of the second period cut the lead to 3-2. Three minutes later, MacGregor Sharp, his fifth, tied the score at 3-3 at 5:36 mark. Dan Sexton gave the Crunch their first lead of the night at the 12:10 mark of the period on his ninth goal of the year. Denis Hamel scored his fourteenth of the year minutes later though to tie the score at 4-4 on a breakaway. The Phantoms and Crunch were tied at 4-4 until Michael Ryan on a shot from the corner boards snuck through Pielmeier to give Adirondack the 5-4 lead. Ryan's second goal of the night proved to be the game-winner as Backlund held strong the rest of the way. Adirondack improved to 5-0 on the season against Syracuse.

Phantoms Quick Hits

-Defenseman Erik Gustafsson secured the winning point for the East in the Sher-Wood Puck Control Relay on Sunday at the AHL All-Star Competition.

-Michael Ryan finished the month of January with 11 goals and 2 assists in 14 games.

-Michael Ryan recorded the first ever hat-trick in Adirondack Phantoms history in a 6-4 victory over Syracuse on Saturday night.

-Johan Backlund is 3-0-0-2 with a .905 save percentage since returning from injury on January 8 in Abbotsford.

-Rob Bordson on January 26 and Mike Testwuide on January 29 recorded their first career multi-goal games

-Adirondack is 11-6-3 since December 17 and 9-6-3 under Head Coach Joe Paterson

Phantoms Reebok/AHL Player of the Week (Week 16):

#14 - Michael Ryan- FW - 3 GP (3 goals, 1 assist, +/- 2, 15 SOG)

For the second week in a row, the native of Boston, MA is the Phantoms Player of the Week. Ryan recorded the first ever hat trick in Adirondack Phantoms history in a 6-4 victory over Syracuse on Saturday night including the game-winning goal mid-way through the third period. He finished the month of January with 11 goals and 2 assists in 14 games.

Adirondack Phantoms Recent Transactions...

Jan 28 - Matt Walker (D) Loaned to Adirondack (AHL)

Phantoms Practice Schedule this Week

Monday, January 31-Thursday, February 3: ALL-STAR BREAK

Friday, February 4: Pre-game at 10:00 a.m. / Game vs. Syracuse Crunch (7:30 p.m.) / Bus to Hamilton following the game

Saturday, February 5: Pre-game at 11:00 a.m. / Game @ Hamilton Bulldogs (5:00 p.m.) / Bus back to GF following the game

Sunday, February 6: Practice at 10:00 a.m.

Monday, February 7: Practice at 10:00 a.m.

Upcoming Schedule:

Friday, February 4, 7:30 - Syracuse Crunch at Adirondack Phantoms

Saturday, February 5, 5:00 - Adirondack Phantoms at Hamilton Bulldogs

Don't be left out! Tickets for all Phantoms games are on sale now. Discount rates are available for groups of 15 or more. Save off the individual ticket price by asking the Phantoms about their great group rate packages.

The AHL is celebrating their 75th anniversary season and is the top development league for the NHL. More than 85 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates and more than 6 million fans attend AHL games every year.

Come watch future NHL stars and up-and-coming Flyers prospects with exciting Adirondack Phantoms hockey! A variety of ticket packages for all the fast-paced action are on sale now. The Phantoms selection of discount ticket packages includes 3-packs, 6-packs, 12 and 22 Select Plans, full season plans and Flex Packs. Choose the plan that works best for you! Get your tickets at the Phantoms office inside the Glens Falls Civic Center, online at ticketmaster.com, or by calling the Phantoms at 518-480-3355.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2011


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