Phantoms Weekly

Published on March 21, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Gustafsson Returned to Adirondack; Rowe to Join Phantoms in Charlotte

The Philadelphia Flyers have returned defenseman Erik Gustafsson to the Adirondack Phantoms.

It was Gustafsson's third NHL call-up this season to the Flyers and played in his second and third career NHL games this past week. In the Thursday, March 17 game at Atlanta, Gustafsson logged over 9 minutes of ice-time. Then, he had over 7 minutes of ice-time in the Saturday game at Dallas.

Gustafsson made his NHL debut on a previous call-up in a February 26 game in Ottawa. His first call-up to the Flyers was December 29 through January 3.

Gustafsson, 22 (12-15-88), was signed by the Flyers as a free agent on March 3, 2010. He has 5 goals and 31 assists this season for 36 points. He leads the Phantoms in assists and is first among all AHL rookies. His 36 points tops all rookie blue-liners in the AHL.

Andrew Rowe returns to Adirondack following a week stint with Greenville in the ECHL. In six games with the Road Warriors, he has three goals and one assist. Rowe has seven goals and 12 points in 54 games this season with Adirondack.

Season Ticket Holder Redemption Night

Full Season Ticket Holders, if you missed any game during the month of March, you can trade your unused tickets at the Phantoms Offices for tickets of equal or lesser value for the March 25th game against the Hershey Bears.

March Redemption - Friday, March 25th

(Can redeem tickets from 2/27, 3/6, 3/11, 3/12, and/or 3/16)

All tickets must be traded in a minimum of 24 hours (one business day) in advance of the game, and can only be traded at the Phantoms offices inside the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Upcoming Dax and Player Appearances

Tuesday: 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Dax at Granville Rec Center

Thursday: 6:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Harrison Avenue Reading Cafe at Harrison Elementary

Friday: Game Day vs. Hershey Bears

Saturday: 11:30 p.m.-12:30 p.m. Queensbury PTSA Family Fun Fair

Game Day vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Phantoms Upcoming Games

Tuesday, March 22 - Adirondack at Charlotte - 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 23 - Adirondack at Norfolk - 7:15 p.m.

Friday, March 25 - Hershey at Adirondack - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 26 - Wilkes-Barre at Adirondack - 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 27 - Adirondack at Worcester - 3:00 p.m.

2010-11 Record:

24-33-4-6, 58 points (Home 13-15-3-3, Road 11-18-1-3)

Adirondack Phantoms Team Leaders

Games: Ben Holmstrom (67)

Goals: Denis Hamel (21)

Assists: Erik Gustafsson (31)

Points: Denis Hamel (40)

Plus/Minus: Mike Testwuide (6)

Penalty Minutes: Zac Rinaldo (263)

Power Play Goals: Denis Hamel (10)

Short-handed Goals: Jonathon Kalinski and Eric Wellwood (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Denis Hamel (3)

Shots: Denis Hamel (209)

Saves: Johan Backlund (674)

Wins: Michael Leighton (9)

GAA: Michael Leighton (2.24)

Save Percentage: Michael Leighton (0.924)

Week 24 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 9MK4JBb89i2MZ4PpRas3i1My3DB-FrFFSg8LVw==].

First of Five Games in Six Days

Tuesday, March 22 - 7:00 p.m. - Times Warner Cable Arena - Charlotte, NC

@ Charlotte Checkers (38-25-2-6, 84 pts)

Tied for 3rd Place in East Division, Eastern Conference

This is the sixth and final meeting between the Phantoms and Checkers. The Checkers lead the season series 5-0 but the Phantoms have earned a point in two of the last three games against Charlotte. Charlotte is coming into the game on a 2-game losing streak after loses to Syracuse on Saturday and Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Jerome Samson remains in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes after recording 26 goals and 54 points in 53 games with the Checkers this season. Zac Boychuk has a team high seven points in the five games against Adirondack this season. On the season, Chris Terry leads the Checkers in goals (28) and points (55) in 71 games while Boychuk and defenseman Bryan Rodney have a team-high 32 assists. Goaltenders Mike Murphy (21-11-0-3, 2.53 GAA, .919 save percentage) and Justin Pogge (17-16-0-3, 3.13 GAA, .908 save percentage) have continued to split time in net for the Checkers. This season against Adirondack, Murphy is 4-0 with a 1.71 GAA and .952 save percentage while Justin Pogge is 1-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .958 save percentage. Charlotte is currently ranked 11th on the power play (18.8%) and 8th on the penalty kill (84.5%).

Phantoms Finish 3-Game Road trip in Norfolk

Wednesday, March 23 - 7:15 p.m. - Norfolk Scope Arena - Norfolk, VA

@ Norfolk Admirals (35-19-8-6, 84 pts)

Tied for 3rd Place in East Division, Eastern Conference

This is the fourth and final meeting between the Phantoms and Admirals this season. Norfolk leads the season series 2-1. Norfolk and Charlotte are currently tied for 3rd place in the Eastern Division with 84 points and are fighting for playoff positioning. Forward Johan Harju leads the Admirals in goals (21) while Marc-Antoine Pouliot has a team-high 39 assists and 59 points in 57 games. Both have spent time throughout the season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Against Adirondack this season, goaltender Dustin Tokarski is 1-0 with a .954 save percentage while Cedrick Desjardins is 1-1 with a .854 save percentage. The Admirals are 1st in the league in shot/gm (34.24). Norfolk is ranked 12th on the power play converting 18.7% of the time and sixth on the penalty kill stopping opponents 85.0%. The Admirals are on a 5-game point streak and 7-2-0-1 in their last 10 games.

SUPERFAN CAMERON HUGHES IS BACK FOR THE WEEKEND

Friday, March 25 - 7:30 p.m. - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Hershey Bears (42-23-2-5, 91 pts)

2nd Place in East Division, Eastern Conference

This is the eighth and final meeting between the Phantoms and Bears this season. The Bears lead the season series 6-1 but Adirondack is 1-1-1-0 against Hershey at the Glens Falls Civic Center this season. In their last meeting on March 12, ex-Phantom Kyle Greentree scored the game-winner in overtime to lead Hershey to a 3-2 victory. Michael Leighton stopped 26 of 29 while Bears netminder Todd Ford made 19 saves for his seventh win of the season. Forward Brian Willsie has a team-high 28 goals and 64 points in 71 games while AHL veteran Keith Aucion leads the Bears with 48 assists. Goaltender Braden Holtby was recently returned to Hershey following a stint in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. He went 5-0 with 2 shutouts and is 9-2-2 with a 1.95 GAA on the season with the Capitals. This season with the Bears, Holtby is 14-8-0-2 with a 2.14 GAA and .923 save percentage and 3-0 against Adirondack. Hershey is ranked 9th in the AHL on the power play (19.1%) and 10th on the penalty kill (83.9%).The Bears are 4-3-1-2 in their last ten and are on a 2-game losing streak.

FAITH AND FAMILY NIGHT (Post-Game Concert by Isaiah 6)

Saturday, March 26 - 7:00 p.m. - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (50-18-0-1, 101 pts)

1st Place in East Division, Eastern Conference

This is the seventh of eight meetings between the Phantoms and Penguins this season. It will mark the final time that Wilkes-Barre makes the trip to Glens Falls for the 2010-11 season. Wilkes-Barre leads the season series 4-2 but Adirondack has won the past two games (4-2 on Jan.21 at the Wells Fargo Center and 1-0 on Feb.12 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza) against the Eastern Division leading Penguins. Wilkes-Barre became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with their win on Saturday night against the Worcester Sharks. Forwards Dustin Jeffrey, Nick Johnson and Eric Tangradi remain called up to the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brett Sterling leads the Baby Pens with 23 goals and 45 points in 57 games while Ryan Craig has a team-high 26 assists. This season against Adirondack, Curry is 3-1 and a .916 save percentage while Thiessen is 1-1 with a .944 save percentage. The Penguins are on a 6-game point streak and are 7-2-0-1 in their last ten games.

Last Meeting between the Sharks and Phantoms

Sunday, March 26 - 3:00 p.m. - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

@ Worcester Sharks (32-26-4-8, 76 pts)

4th Place in Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference

This is the second and final meeting between the Phantoms and Sharks this season. It will mark the fifth game in six days for the Phantoms. Adirondack leads the season series 1-0 with their 2-1 shootout victory on February 26 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Former Phantom, Greg Moore, scored the game-winner in the shootout while Michael Leighton stopped five of six shooters and 37 of 38 in the game. Worcester is currently three points behind the Binghamton Senators for the final playoff spot. They have played their best on home ice this season (18-10-2-4) but are 6-7-0-2 against the Eastern Division on the year. The Sharks are 18th in the AHL on the power play (17.6%) and 24th on the penalty kill (79.6%). Ex-NHL'er Jonathon Cheechoo leads the Sharks in goals (18), assists (29) and points (47). Goaltender Carter Hutton, who spent some time with Adirondack late last season, is 8-4-0-2 with a 2.91 GAA and .906 save percentage. Backup Daren Machesney, who made 36 saves in regulation against Adirondack when the teams last met, is no longer with the Sharks organization.

Week 23 Game Results

March 16, 2011 - Binghamton 2 @ Adirondack 5

Five different Phantoms scored while goaltender Michael Leighton made 21 saves to earn his eighth win of the season. Rookies Harry Zolniercyzk and Cullen Eddy scored their first career AHL goals. Michael Ryan (18th), Tom Sestito (13th) and Ben Holmstrom (13th) were the other goal scorers as Adirondack improved to 8-3-5 in their last 16 games. Roman Wick tallied the two goals for the Binghamton Senators with one coming on the power play. Adirondack is 3-3-1 against the Senators this season and are 3-0-1 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Phantoms went 1-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

March 19, 2011 - Adirondack 3 @ Toronto 1

Rob Bordson (6th), Harry Zolniercyzk (2nd) and Eric Wellwood (15th) led the way for Adirondack as they extended their winning streak to three games and their point streak to four with the 3-1 victory. The Phantoms finished the season 1-1-0-0 against the Marlies. Rob Bordson started the scoring for Adirondack less than three minutes into the game. Zac Rinaldo picked off a clearing try in the neutral zone and fed it to Luke Pither up the left wing whose centering give to Bordson up the middle would be slammed past Marlies goalie Ben Scrivens. Zolnierczyk extended the Adirondack lead to 2-0 on his second goal in as many games. Less than 10 minutes into the third, Korbinian Holzer cut the Phantoms lead to 2-1 as he beat Phantoms goaltender Michael Leighton from the high slot. Eric Wellwood would seal the game for Adirondack with 29 seconds remaining putting one into the empty net. Michael Leighton made 38 saves to win for the ninth time on the season and third in a row. Adirondack improved to 9-3-5 in their last 17 games (since February 5th) and are 18-10-8 under Head Coach Joe Paterson.

Phantoms Quick Hits

-The Phantoms go into this week on a 3-game winning streak and have a 4-game point streak.

-In the last 17 games, Adirondack is 9-3-5 (since February 5).

-Under Head Coach Joe Paterson, the Phantoms are 18-10-8.

-Forward Ben Holmstrom is the only Adirondack Phantom to have appeared in every game this season (67).

-Harry Zolnierczyk scored his first goal on Wednesday night against the Binghamton Senators and has goals in back-to-back games.

-Rookie defenseman Oliver Lauridsen made his pro debut on Wednesday night against the Binghamton Senators. The 6'6" blue-liner out of St. Cloud State University was signed to an Amateur Try-out Contract earlier last week and signed on for an entry-level contract with the Flyers system for 2011-12.

-When leading after the second period, Adirondack is 11-1-1-3.

-In 2011, Adirondack is 8-2-1 in day games (starting before 5:05 p.m.)

Phantoms Reebok/AHL Player of the Week (Week 23):

#49- Michael Leighton - G - 2 GP (2-0-0-0, 1.50 GAA, .952 save %)

Mar.16: W 5-2 over Binghamton- 21 saves/23 shots, 2.00 GAA, .913 save percentage

Mar 19: W 3-1 over Toronto- 38 saves/39 shots, 1.00 GAA, .974 save percentage

The Petrolia, ONT native recorded his third straight win making 38 saves in Saturday afternoon's 3-1 victory against the Toronto Marlies. Leighton currently leads Adirondack in Wins (9), GAA (2.24) and Save percentage (.924). He currently ranks 6th on the AHL all-time shutout list (32) and has the most of any modern AHL goalie since 1975.

Adirondack Phantoms Recent Transactions...

Mar 14 - Erik Gustafsson (D) Recalled to Philadelphia (NHL)

Mar 15 - Andrew Rowe (RW) Loaned to Greenville (ECHL)

Mar 15 - Oliver Lauridsen (D) Signed to ATO

Mar 20 - Erik Gustafsson (D) Returned on Loan to Adirondack (AHL)

Mar 21 - Andrew Rowe (RW) Returned to Adirondack (AHL)

Phantoms Practice Schedule this Week

Tuesday, March 22: Pre-Game at 11:00 a.m. / Game @ Charlotte Checkers at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 23: Pre-Game at 11:00 a.m. / Game @ Norfolk Admirals at 7:15 p.m.

Thursday, March 24: Fly back to Glens Falls

Friday, March 25: Pre-Game at 10:00 a.m. / Game vs. Hershey Bears at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 26: Pre-game at 10:00 a.m. / Game vs. Wilkes-Barre Penguins at 7:00 p.m. / Bus to Worcester following the game

Sunday, March 27: Game @ Worcester Sharks at 3:00 p.m.

Monday, March 28: OFF

UPCOMING GAMES

Tuesday, March 22nd, 7:00 p.m. - Adirondack Phantoms at Charlotte Checkers

Wednesday, March 23rd, 7:15 p.m. - Adirondack Phantoms at Norfolk Admirals

Friday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. - Hershey Bears at Adirondack Phantoms - The return of Super Fan Cameron Hughes firing up the crowd. Make some noise and get some T-Shirts!

Saturday, March 26, 7:00 p.m. - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Adirondack Phantoms - The return of Super Fan Cameron Hughes firing up the crowd. Make some noise and get some T-Shirts! Post-game concert with Isaiah 6.

Join us at the Glens Falls Civic Center for exciting Adirondack Phantoms hockey, the top affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers.

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 and flex-packs.

Come watch future NHL stars and up-and-coming Flyers prospects. 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 March 21, 2011


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