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Picard's Fifth-Round Shootout Goal Gives Phantoms 4-3 Win Over Syracuse

February 12, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


PHILADELPHIA - Alexandre Picard scored in the fifth round of the shootout to give the Philadelphia Phantoms the extra push they needed to get past the Syracuse Crunch by a final score of 4-3. Stefan Ruzicka scored two goals in regulation to help the Phantoms to their third win in a row on an icy night in South Philly, where the weather closed interstates and bridges and delayed the start of the game by 20 minutes. The Phantoms beat Syracuse for the first time in over five years and stepped out to an 11-point lead in the East Division.

Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead while on a power play with 5:56 remaining in the first period. Jared Ross played a puck ahead to Ruzicka, who was covered when he received the pass. But he chipped it around the defenseman, carried it in and snapped a wrist shot past goaltender Dan LaCosta for the first-intermission advantage.

Syracuse leveled the game 4:18 into the second period. Derek MacKenzie took a puck in over the Phantoms blue line, wound up and let loose with a slapshot from above the left circle. It went off the leg of a Phantoms defenseman and the altered flight path sent the puck over Brian Boucher's glove into the upper right corner, tying the score at 1-1.

Ruzicka struck again less than two minutes into the third on another power play tally. He handled the puck off the face-off and sized up LaCosta from near the left face-off dot before sniping a shot into a keyhole just above the goaltender's blocker. The goal at 1:27 gave Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

Nate Guenin gave the Phantoms a two-goal cushion with 4:58 to play. He was at the blue line on the right side and just flipped an arcing puck towards the net. LaCosta was screened on the play, and the puck was on its way down after reaching the height of its parabola when it passed the netminder and went in for the 3-1 lead.

But Philadelphia ended up needing that cushion. First it was Andrei Plekhanov scoring with 1:53 left to play, and then MacKenzie tied it with his second goal of the night with just over 51 seconds remaining, forcing the game to overtime.

The game went to a shootout after a scoreless extra session in which the Phantoms had to kill off a 4-on-3 situation. Ross scored in the first round but was equaled by Kirill Starkov. Goaltenders reigned supreme for the next three rounds until Picard bested LaCosta in round five. Boucher stoned Clay Wilson at the other end to secure the extra standings point.

Boucher's win was earned on the strength of 43 saves, while LaCosta stopped 29 of 32. The win gave the Phantoms 71 points on the season, one more than they accumulated all of last season. The team's record of 34-17-1-2 keeps them on pace with the 1996-97 and 1997-98 teams for most wins through 54 games.

The Phantoms are on the road for two games this weekend, but return to the Wachovia Spectrum for a President's Day special on Monday, February 18 vs. Albany at 4:05 PM. The team will be wearing special President's Day-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game, and there will be a host of other President's Day activities. Tickets are available at the Wachovia Complex box office, online at ComcastTIX.com or phantomshockey.com, or by phone at 1-800-298-4200.



American Hockey League Stories from February 12, 2008


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