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Phantoms Weekly

February 24, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


Coming Up

The Phantoms have another important three-in-three weekend coming up with road games on Friday and Saturday at Rochester and Binghamton and then coming back home Sunday afternoon to take on Syracuse. The team just completed a successful similar stretch last weekend winning two out of three as they racked up five goals in both of their wins on Friday and Sunday.

Adirondack currently sits six points out of eighth place in the conference in the Eastern Conference playoff race in pursuit of one of the coveted Calder Cup playoff spots. The playoff push is on! Another strong weekend pulls the Phantoms even closer.

Come out Sunday and get ready to cheer on your Phantoms in their 3:00 battle with the Syracuse Crunch. The first 3,000 fans in attendance receive a Phantoms team poster courtesy of Glens Falls Printing and the whole team will be appearing in Heritage Hall after the game for an autograph session.

Call 480-3355 to Be Here!

Phantoms Ticket Specials

The Adirondack Phantoms have announced a couple of great ticket specials. Get 'em while they're hot!

Get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit and feel the luck of the Irish and the O'Phantoms! Two tickets plus a specially designed green Adirondack O'Phantoms T-Shirt are only $30.

The Northway 2-Pack including two tickets to each of Adirondack's upcoming Time Warner Cable Cup rivalry games on March 6 and April 10. The package also includes a hockey stick autographed by an Adirondack Phantoms player. The whole package is a great bargain at $65.

Call the Phantoms to find out more and order your great ticket packages today. 518-480-3355.

Hall of Fame Voting

The fans' votes count! Everyone can submit their ballots for the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame through this Sunday. The top selections will count as one vote amongst all the committee members comprised of area hockey historians, former players, coaches and other representatives.

Fans can submit their votes by sending an email to sdewitt@phantomshockey. com with their two selections.

The nominees include Dave Casey, Murray Eaves, Dale Krentz, Pete Mahovlich, Norm Maracle, Ted Nolan, Dave Strader and Erin Whitten. More information on all of their great achievements at this link: http://www.phantomshockey.com/pages/news/articles/20120216.asp

Outdoor Jersey Auction on ebay

Bidding Continues on some great jerseys from the January 6 Outdoor Classic in Philadelphia. Denis Hamel, Michael Leighton, Mike Testwuide, Eric Wellwood and Jason Akeson are among the stars whose game-worns are being auctioned in this second wave of the terrific looking classic-feel uniforms. The bidding for the auction concludes on Sunday night. Get your bids in soon and good luck!

The jersey auction is taking place trksidp3686

Roster Moves

Lots of moves made by the Phantoms this week with more shuttling of players back and forth from Philadelphia.

Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson have returned to the Phantoms after extended stays with the Flyers following Philadelphia's acquisition of two veteran defensemen. Bourdon's first ever NHL call-up in November was initially expected to be short-lived but ended up lasting for three months over 39 games in which he scored his first two NHL goals. Gustafsson had just scored his first career NHL goal on a great drive to the slot last Thursday. Congrats on the success at hockey's top level to both!

Eric Wellwood has again been recalled by the Flyers. He scored his first NHL goal last Saturday against Pittsburgh!

Rob Bordson has been signed to a standard player contract from the Trenton Titans of the ECHL. Bordson played in 61 games with the Phantoms last year and scored seven goals. The hard-working and versatile forward led the Titans with 17 goals at the time of his callup. He also played in eight games with Rochester on a professional tryout contract in December.

The Phantoms wish good luck to forward Jon Kalinski who was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning organization on Saturday in exchange for Lightning defenseman and former Adirondack Red Wing Pavel Kubina. Kalinski joins the Norfolk Admirals and may play against his former teammates on March 9 when Norfolk travels to Glens Falls.

Northeast Division Standings

1. Connecticut Whale (62 pts)

2. Bridgeport Sound Tigers (61 pts)

3. Albany Devils (56 pts)

4. Springfield Falcons (52 pts)

5. Adirondack Phantoms (51 pts)

Week in Review

Friday, February 17 (Adirondack 5 - Manchester 1)

The Phantoms returned home for their lone game in Glens Falls in a seven game stretch and again showed their home-ice success and dominance. Brandon Manning recorded a "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" with a fight, goal and assist in the same game. Matt Ford scored a pair of goals. And Shane Harper and Tye McGinn also both lit the lamp.

Cullen Eddy and Oliver Lauridsen also both engaged in fights with the Monarchs and Jason Bacashihua turned in a fine performance with 30 saves for the win.

Saturday, February 18 (Bridgeport 3 - Adirondack 2)

The Phantoms raced out to a first period 2-0 lead on goals by Harry Zolnierczyk and Shane Harper. But the hottest team in the AHL was able to rebound in the second and third periods to post the come-from-behind win.

David Ullstrom scored the tying goal late in the second and the winner early in the third. Both goals came on one-time power play slapshots from the right circle.

Jason Bacashihua played well but was tagged with the loss.

Bridgeport's success story in 2012 has included a 15-1-1 record since January 1.

Sunday, February 19 (Adirondack 5 - Manchester 2)

The Phantoms continued their weekend success of the Monarchs with another five goal outburst. Matt Ford scored two goals for the second time on the weekend and Shane Harper scored in his third consecutive game. Tyler Brown and Tye McGinn also scored. Jason Akeson set a Phantoms season-high with four assists in the game.

Michael Leighton recorded the win and Adirondack finished the season series with a 3-1 advantage over the Los Angeles Kings affiliate.

Phantoms Breakdown

-- Michael Leighton is sixth in the league in total minutes (2027) and fourth in saves (942). His 30 career shutouts are 6th all-time in AHL history and are the most of any AHL goalie since 1975. He has one shutout this season (at Portland on October 21, 3-0) and had five shutouts with the Phantoms last year.

-- Jason Akeson leads the team in points with 41 including 10 goals and 31 assists. He is second among AHL rookies in helpers and is seventh in points. Akeson led the OHL in assists (84) and points (108) last year with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL.

-- Denis Hamel is tops on the Phantoms in goals with 16 and is second in points with 32. The 34-year-old veteran is 11th all-time in AHL history with 330 career goals. He played his 1000th career professional game on December 31st which included 192 NHL games mostly with Buffalo and Ottawa. He is in pursuit of an amazing 10th AHL season with 20 or more goals.

-- Shane Harper is on a three-game goal scoring streak. He scored in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday games last weekend.

-- Matt Ford had four goals in three games last weekend and now has five goals in seven games since joining the Phantoms on February 2. He had 10 goals with Hershey prior to being traded to the Flyers organization. Last year with Lake Erie, Ford scored a career-high 26 goals.

-- Hamel is tied for the AHL lead in total shot attempts with 209, tied with Chris Bourque of Hershey.

-- Tyler Brown has scored six of his seven goals in 2012.

-- Adirondack is 4-0-2 against the Western Conference (games against Rochester, Toronto and Hamilton) and are 2-0-2 against Canadian teams.

--The Phantoms are 18-1-1 when leading after two periods and are an impressive 12-2-1 when leading after one period.

--The Phantoms are 20-8-2 when they score first. The Phantoms are 12-8-3 in one-goal decisions.

--Adirondack is 16-9-1 at home this year and have the most points at home of any Eastern Conference team and second highest total in the AHL . The Phantoms are 20-5-1 when they score three or more goals.

Phantoms Leaders (Goals - Assists - Points):

Jason Akeson 10-31-41

Denis Hamel 16-16-32

Ben Holmstrom 11-19-30

Garrett Roe 7-21-28

Mike Testwuide 8-15-23

Eric Wellwood 9-12-21

Shane Harper 9-10-19

Michael Leighton - 16-19-0, 2.84, .908

Jason Bacashihua - 8-8-1, 2.81, .909

Upcoming Opponents

Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) -

The Phantoms are unbeaten in regulation against the Western Conference this year (4-0-2) and put the mark on the line when they travel to Rochester to open their three-in-three weekend on Friday night.

The Americans are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race currently sitting in ninth place, just two points back of San Antonio for the last playoff spot. Ironically, the San Antonio team is comprised of the Florida Panthers prospects who were playing in Rochester the year before.

The Amerks are 24-21-9 and are led by rookie Phil Varone (8-26-34) and area talent Derek Whitmore (22-11-33) who posted a four goal game earlier in the year.

Adirondack is 2-0 against Rochester this year including a win in western New York on October 23 and a victory at Glens Falls in early December on an overtime winner by Ben Holmstrom.

Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators) -

The Phantoms look to break the frustrating Mike McKenna curse still in search of their first win versus the last place Binghamton Senators.

The defending Calder Cup Champions have hardly played like champions this season at 21-29-3. McKenna has recorded almost half of his 13 total wins in games against the Phantoms where he always seems to excel.

Former New York Islander and NHL veteran Mark Parrish is the team's captain. Rob Klinkhammer has streaked to the team's scoring lead with 13 goals and 38 points. He recorded a hat trick at the Glens Falls Civic Center in a Senators victory there in late December.

Pat Cannone from Miami (Ohio) is the team's top rookie with 12 goals and 29 points.

Syracuse Crunch (Anaheim Ducks) -

The Phantoms return from their four-game road trip with a Sunday afternoon encounter against the Crunch. Adirondack is 3-2 against Syracuse this year.

Adirondack pulled out an exciting 4-3 victory in their last matchup with Syracuse on December 17 led by a penalty-shot goal by Holmstrom early in the third that held up as the game-winner. Jason Bacashihua had a spectacular 43 save effort for the win.

The Crunch are 21-23-8 for 50 points and are one point behind Adirondack in the Eastern Conference race.

Former Phantom Pat Maroon leads the team and is fifth in the league with 24 goals.

First rounder Kyle Palmieri has been outstanding in his limited time with the Crunch when he hasn't been up with Anaheim. He has racked up 46 points in only 34 games played as well as 30 goals.

Trent Yawney has taken over mid-season as head coach of the team while Mark Holick has been moved to an Associate Head Coach position. Yawney is a former head coach of the Norfolk Admirals (2000-05) where he had Michael Leighton as one of his players. He was also head coach of the Chicago Blackhwaks for two years (2005-07) and then assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks.

Transactions

Feb 13 - Eric Wellwood (F) Loaned to ADK from Philadelphia

Feb 14 - Jason Bacashihua (G) Returned to ADK from Philadelphia

Feb 14 - Tyler Hostetter (D) Recalled from Trenton (ECHL) to ADK

Feb 14 - Andy Bohmbach (F) Recalled from Trenton (ECHL) to ADK

Feb 15 - Tyler Hostetter (D) Loaned to Trenton (ECHL)

Feb 15 - Andy Bohmbach (F) Loaned to Trenton (ECHL)

Feb 16 - Eric Wellwood (F) Recalled by Philadelphia from ADK

Feb 16 - Tyler Hostetter (D) Recalled from Trenton (ECHL)

Feb 16 - Andy Thomas (D) Signed to PTO from Trenton

Feb 16 - Erik Gustafsson (D) Loaned from Philadelphia to ADK

Feb 18 - Tyler Hostetter (D) Released from PTO, Returned to Trenton (ECHL)

Feb 19 - Jon Kalinski (F) Traded to Tampa Bay (Norfolk) for Pavel Kublina

Feb 20 - Marc-Andre Bourdon (D) Loaned from Philadelphia to ADK

Feb 21 - Andy Thomas (D) Released from PTO, Returned to Trenton (ECHL)

Feb 21 - Rob Bordson (F) Signed to SPC with ADK from Trenton (ECHL).

Phantoms Day-by-Day

Thursday, February 23 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am). Bus to Rochester

Friday, February 24 - Practice at Rochester (11:00am). Game at Rochester (7:30). Bus after game

Saturday, February 25 - Practice at Binghamton (11:00am). Game at Binghamton (7:00). Bus after game

Sunday, February 26 - Game vs. Syracuse at GFCC (3:00pm).

Monday, February 27 - Practice TBD, 10:00 at Rec Center Ice Rink, Fire Road (10:00am)

Tuesday, February 28 - Practice at Rec Center Ice Rink, Fire Road (10:00am)

Wednesday, March 1 - Practice at Rec Center Ice Rink, Fire Road (10:00am)

Thursday, March 2 - Practice at GFCC (10:00am). Bus to Providence

Upcoming Events

Friday, February 24, 7:30 - Adirondack Phantoms at Rochester Americans

Saturday, February 25, 7:00 - Adirondack Phantoms at Binghamton Senators

Sunday, February 26, 3:00 - Syracuse Crunch at Adirondack Phantoms. Phantoms Poster Giveaway for first 3,000 fans courtesy of Glens Falls Printing. Post-Game Autograph Session with the Phantoms players. Sunday Family 3-Pack ($39 for 3 tickets, 3 sodas, 3 hot dogs, 1 large popcorn and 1 program).

Monday, February 27, 7:00 - Phantoms Power Hour LIVE at McGinny's. Special Guests, Riley Cote and Harry Zolnierczyk

Friday, March 2, 7:00 - Adirondack Phantoms at Providence Bruins

Saturday, March 3, 5:00 - Adirondack Phantoms at Albany Devils

Sunday, March 4, 3:00 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Adirondack Phantoms. Dax's Kids Club game and post-game open-skate with the Phantoms players. Sunday Family 3-Pack.

Get great savings with the Phantoms when you bring your group of 15 friends or co-workers to a game. Group-rates available as low as $13 per person. Call the Phantoms to find out more at 518-480-3355.

Check out the Half-Price Discount Outlet at phantomshockey.com for great savings from some of our awesome Phantoms corporate partners. Get half-off cards to local restaurants and other stores!

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.. Be sure to follow the Phantoms on twitter @phantomshockey and on facebook.com/adkhockey

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