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Phantoms Weekly

November 14, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Phantoms Results

Friday, Nov.11 (GFCC) Syracuse Crunch 3 - Adirondack Phantoms 2

Saturday, Nov. 12 (GFCC) Toronto Marlies 1 - Adirondack Phantoms 2 (shootout)

Phantoms Upcoming Games

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6:30 - Adirondack Phantoms at Portland Pirates

Saturday, Nov. 19, 7:30 - Adirondack Phantoms at Syracuse Crunch

Sunday, Nov. 20, 3:00 - Adirondack Phantoms at Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Northeast Division Standings

1. Albany Devils (18 pts)

2. Adirondack Phantoms (17 pts)

3. Connecticut Whale (17 pts)

4. Bridgeport Sound Tigers (17 pts)

5. Springfield Falcons (14 pts)

On The Road!

The Phantoms start a four-game road trip on Tuesday in Portland, following a stretch where they played 5-of-6 games at home. Adirondack's trip will include visits to Syracuse on Saturday, Bridgeport on Sunday and Binghamton on Thanksgiving. The team returns home on Black Friday to play the Springfield Falcons. The Phantoms are 4-2-0 on the road this season. By having gone 3-2-1 in its last six games, Adirondack has improved to 8-4-1, which puts the Phantoms in a three-way tie for second place in the division and just one point behind the Albany Devils for first.

11/11, (SYR 3, ADK 2) - Phantoms Comeback Falls Short

Denis Hamel scored his 324th career goal and the Phantoms mounted a late comeback attempt, but the Syracuse Crunch held on for a 3-2 win.

Hamel's goal was his team-best ninth of the season and it moves him to within one tally of Adirondack Hockey Hall of Famer Glenn Merkosky for 12th place on the AHL's all-time goal-scoring list.

Although Hamel and captain Ben Holmstrom scored in a third period which the Phantoms dominated; J.F. Jacques, Patrick Maroon and Kyle Palmieri scored to put Adirondack in a 3-0 hole which it couldn't climb out of.

Michael Leighton made 25 saves on 28 shots and saw his record fall to 6-3-0.

Iiro Tarkki was the winning goalie for the Crunch, making 26 saves on 28 shots.

11/12, (TOR 1, ADK 2, Shootout)- Big Crowd, Big Win

On a night in which 4,680 loud and exuberant fans packed the Glens Falls Civic Center, the Phantoms got shootout goals from Jason Akeson, Denis Hamel and Oskars Bartulis to get a 2-1 win over the Toronto Marlies.

Following a scoreless five minutes of overtime, the three Phantoms scored consecutive goals in the shootout's first three rounds, while Jason Bacashihua held the fort by stopping 3-of-4 Toronto shooters.

Prior to the shootout, Bacashihua made 27 saves on 28 shots, and his win was his first at the GFCC as a Phantoms.

Shane Harper scored Adirondack's regulation-time goal, erasing a 1-0 Toronto lead in the second period.

Mike Zigomanis scored the Marlies only goal and gave his club a 1-0 lead, less than a minute into the second period.

Mark Owuya was the losing goalie after allowing 3-of-4 Phantoms to score in the shootout, after he made 33 saves on 34 shots through regulation and overtime.

Phantoms Breakdown

--Jason Akeson passed Garrett Roe for the Phantoms team lead in assists. Akeson (8 assists) is just two back of Grand Rapids' Gustav Nyquist for the rookie lead, while Roe (7 assists) remains among the rookie leaders. The 21-year-old Akeson comes to the Phantoms from the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL where he led the league in assists with 84 and tied for the league lead in points with 108.

--Jason Bacashihua notched his second win as an Adirondack Phantoms on Saturday and his first at the GFCC. The 29-year-old comes to the Phantoms from the Lake Erie Monsters where he was 23-16-3 with a 2.26 goals against average last year. In 2009-10 he helped backstop the Hershey Bears run to the Calder Cup Championship sporting an amazing mark of 17-3-1. The first-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2001 (#26 overall) also has 38 games of experience in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues. --Dan Jancevski enters the week with 199 career AHL assists. The 11th-year pro is in his second season as a Phantoms defenseman.

--Michael Leighton has a 1.83 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in road games. Leighton is sixth all-time in AHL shutouts (35), with his one shutout this season coming against Tuesday's opponent, the Portland Pirates.

--Adirondack's win on Saturday improved its home record to an impressive 15-3-5 since last February.

--Saturday's win improved the Phantoms to 4-2-0 in the second half of back-to-back games.

--Although the Phantoms trail the Albany Devils by one point in the division standings, Adirondack (.654) has the best points percentage in the division.

--The Phantoms have either ousthot their opponents or tied in shots in each of the last four games. Adirondack is a perfect 3-0-0 when outshooting its opponents and 5-4-1 when not outshooting its opponent.

--Adirondack has power-play goals in 10 if its 13 games (16-of-76, 21.1%). However, the Phantoms are 3-0-0 in the games when they don't score on the power play.

--The Phantoms are 5-0-1 when scoring three or more goals in a game, and 3-4-1 when scoring fewer than three goals.

--Adirondack is 6-0-0 when allowing fewer than two goals and 8-1-0 when allowing three or fewer goals. The Phantoms are 0-3-1 when allowing more than three goals.

--The Phantoms are 6-0-1 when leading after two periods and 0-4-0 when trailing after two periods.

Phantoms Leaders:

Goals: Denis Hamel (9)

Assists: Jason Akeson (8)

Points: Denis Hamel (14)

Penalty Minutes: Tom Sestito (44)

Plus/Minus: Garrett Roe (+6)

Wins: Michael Leighton (6)

Goals-Against Average: Michael Leighton (2.31)

Save Percentage: Michael Leighton/Jason Bacashihua (.920)

Shutouts: Michael Leighton (1)

Upcoming Opponents

Portland Pirates (Phoenix Coyotes) - The Phantoms start their four-game road trip by making their second and final visit of the season to Portland's Cumberland County Civic Center. In Adirondack's only prior visit to Maine, on October 21, Michael Leighton pitched his first shutout of the season en route to a 3-0 win. Since their last meeting, the Pirates have gone 3-5-0, and they're in last place in the Eastern Conference Standings with a 5-7-1 record.

A bright spot for the Pirates has been Andy Miele, the 2011 Hobey Baker Award-winner from Miami University (Ohio), who leads Portland with seven assists and 11 points.

Portland's goaltending duties are split between Justin Pogge and Curtis McElhinney, who took the loss against the Phantoms on October 21. McElhinney, a former Calgary Flame, is 2-6-0, with a 3.64 goals-against average and .889 save percentage. Pogge, a former star in juniors with the Calgary Hitmen who spent last season with the Charlotte Checkers, is 3-1-1, with a 2.37 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

Syracuse Crunch (Anaheim Ducks) - The Phantoms look for their first win of the season against the Crunch when they visit Syracuse on Saturday night. In the teams' last meeting, this past Saturday in Glens Falls, the Crunch scored the game's first three goals and held on for a 3-2 win. Syracuse got a home win against Adirondack, 6-2, on October 15.

The Crunch's best performer in the season series has been their leading goal scorer, Kyle Palmieri, who has four goals in the two games. Former Phantom Patrick Maroon has also played well in the season series, scoring one goal in each of the two games.

Iiro Tarkki has gotten most of the starts in goal for Syracuse lately. In his first-ever appearance against the Phantoms, this past Saturday, Tarkki made 26 saves on 28 shots in a winning effort.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers (New York Islanders) - The Phantoms finish their week with a 3:00 matchup in Bridgeport on Sunday afternoon. In the teams' last meeting, also a 3:00 Sunday game in Bridgeport (Oct. 16), the Phantoms cruised to a 5-1 win. Adirondack beat Bridgeport by a score of 6-3 on October 14 at the GFCC.

Despite getting outscored 11-4 in two games against the Phantoms, the Sound Tigers have played well lately and are in a three-way tie with Adirondack and Connecticut for second place in the Northeast Division standings (17 pts)

The Sound Tigers' leading scorer is Justin DiBenedetto. DiBenedetto has nine goals and four assists, with one of his goals coming during the October 14 game in Glens Falls.

Bridgeport has used three goalies this season: Anders Nilsson, Kevin Poulin and Mikko Koskinen. The Phantoms beat Nilsson on October 14 ad Poulin on October 16, but have yet to face Koskinen.

Denis Hamel's Chase of Glenn Merkosky

Denis Hamel's goal against Syracuse on Friday was his 324th in the AHL, which brings him to just one of the former Adirondack Red Wing great, Glenn Merkosky, for 12th place on the AHL's all-time goal-scoring list.

Hamel, a 15th-year professional, is just 19 games from 1,000 professional games and is 36th in all-time AHL points with 622. Hamel's next to targets on the all-time points list are Brian Kilrea and Ken Gernander, who both retired with 624 points. Kilrea and Gernander both went on to notable coaching careers after their playing days. Kilrea coached the Ottawa 67's in the Ontario Hockey League from 1974-2009 and was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003, while Gernander is currently the bench boss for the Connecticut Whale.

AHL Leaders - Goals Scored

1. Willie Marshall 1952-72 523

2. Fred Glover 1948-68 520

3. Jody Gage 1979-96 504

4. Dick Gamble 1954-70 468

5. Jimmy Anderson 1954-70 426

6. Harry Pidhirny 1948-66 376

7. Mitch Lamoureux 1982-99 364

8. Jim Bartlett 1955-73 360

9. Tim Tookey 1980-95 353

10. Alexander Giroux 2001-present 341

11. Brad Smyth 1994-06 326

12. Glenn Merkosky 1980-91 325

13. Denis Hamel 1997-present 324

14. Bruce Cline 1955-68 321

Phantoms Transactions

Nov 1- Harry Zolnierczyk (F) Recalled from loan by PHI (NHL)

Nov 1 -Ben Holmstrom (F) Recalled from loan by PHI (NHL)

Nov 1 -Matt Walker Loaned to ADK, from PHI (NHL)

Nov 1- Andy Bohmbach (F) Recalled from loan to TRE (ECHL)

Nov 3- Ben Holmstrom (F) Loaned to ADK, from PHI (NHL)

Nov 4- Eric Wellwood (F) Recalled by loan by PHI (NHL)

Nov 7- Eric Wellwood (F) Loaned to ADK, from PHI (NHL)

Phantoms Day-by-Day

Monday, Nov. 14 - Bus to Portland, Maine (1:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, Nov. 15 - Game at Portland Pirates (6:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, Nov. 16 - Off

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Practice at the GFCC (10 a.m.)

Friday, Nov. 18 - Practice at the GFCC (10 a.m.)

Saturday, Nov. 19 - Practice at GFCC (10:00 a.m.). Bus to Syracuse (2:00 p.m.). Game at Syracuse Crunch (7:30 p.m.). Bus to Bridgeport after game.

Sunday, Nov. 20 - Game at Bridgeport Sound Tigers (3:00 p.m.)

Be Here! Phantoms Tickets are On Sale Now!

Adirondack Phantoms game tickets are on sale now. Starting at just $12.25 for adults and $10 for kids it's the best entertainment value in town. Season tickets offer great savings and outstanding perks and benefits. 22 game and 12 game plans give the fans flexibility to choose the games that work best for their schedule while also saving big compared with purchasing the tickets individually. Call the Phantoms at 518-480-3355 for tickets.

On the Air!

All Adirondack Phantoms games are carried live on the flagship home of the Phantoms Hockey Network, Classic Hits Q101.7 FM. Each broadcast begins with a 30 pregame show. Also featured is an extended post-game show including audio replay highlights of the big goals so be sure to tune in as you driving home after the game. Bob Rotruck returns for his second season has the Voice of the Phantoms.

Fans can also listen on the Phantoms Hockey Network on the internet at phantomshockey.com and on the team's alternative audio link, ustream.tv/channel/phantomsradio . Games can also be seen on www.ahllive.com. The presenting sponsor of the Phantoms Hockey Network is Curtis Lumber.

Upcoming Events

Monday, November 14 - No Phantoms Power Hour show this week. The team will be traveling.

Tuesday, November 15, 6:30 - Phantoms at Portland Pirates.

Saturday, November 19, 7:30 - Phantoms at Syracuse Crunch

Sunday, November 20, 3:00 - Phantoms at Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Monday, November 21, 7:00 - Phantoms Power Hour LIVE from McGinny's Tavern, 193 Glen Street. Player guests, #18 Tyler Brown and #38 Jason Akeson. Ticket and t-shirt giveaways for fans live at the show. Live broadcast on Q101.7.

Upcoming Home Games and Promotions

Friday, November 25, 7:00 - Springfield Falcons at Phantoms. Annual Black Friday game. '80s Night. $2 draft beer specials through first intermission, Bud Light and Labatt Blue Light.

Saturday, November 26, 7:00 - Albany Devils at Phantoms. Time Warner Cable Cup Rivalry Game #2. Phantoms Snow Cap Giveaway for first 1,000 kids (age 14 and younger) courtesy of UniFirst.

Get great savings and have fun with your friends, family or co-workers by bringing your group of 15 or more fans to enjoy fast-paced, hard-hitting Phantoms hockey. Call the Phantoms to find out more at 518-480-3355 and check the team's website at phantomshockey.com.

Catch all the action of Phantoms hockey all season long on the team's flagship station, Classic Hits Q101.7 and on phantomshockey.com. Bob Rotruck has the broadcast coverage 30 minutes prior to game-time with Countdown to Faceoff.

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