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Rookie Defenseman Erik Gustafsson Shines During Pro Debut

April 6, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


The Phantoms enjoyed a few bright spots during Week 27 with the introduction of some new young and energetic players into the lineup. Five new faces joined the lineup during the week, including defenseman Erik Gustafsson and right wing Shane Harper, both of whom have signed contracts with the Philadelphia Flyers to begin in the 2010-11 season. Also debuting this week was right wing Mario Valery-Trabucco, center Chris Clackson and goalie Brian Stewart, who became the tenth goaltender to play for the Phantoms this year.

Adirondack started the week with a 3-2 road defeat against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Phantoms started well, but the Penguins scored two goals in the span of 7.9 seconds in the final minute of the first period to grab the lead. Adirondack struck back with two goals in the second period, including an unassisted shorthanded goal from captain Jared Ross, but Marc Letestu batted a puck out of mid-air at 5:15, which proved to the eventual game-winner. The Phantoms came back home to face the Syracuse Crunch for the sixth time this year, but even with a 1-0 lead early in the second period and out-shooting the Crunch 49-19 in the game, Syracuse rallied for a 3-2 win at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Saturday night Adirondack traveled to the Times Union Center to face Albany in the River Rats last ever regular season home game. Jacob Micflikier scored on a penalty shot in the first period and two second period goals gave Albany a 3-0 lead. Danny Svyret, returning for a lengthy shoulder injury, scored a power play goal and rookie Erik Gustafsson fired home his first pro goal to cut the lead to 3-2, but Steven Goertzen scored an empty net goal with 0.8 seconds left to cap off a 4-2 River Rats win.

Week 28 Preview:

Adirondack will close out the 2009-10 season, their first AHL season in Glens Falls, with a three-game home stand this week. The Phantoms host the Binghamton Senators on both Wednesday and Friday nights, as Adirondack looks to spoil the Senators hopes of making the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. Also on Friday night it's a doubleheader of hockey action at the Civic Center as the FDNY Hockey Team from New York City will be going head-to-head against a team of local firefighters, police officers and EMT rescue workers at 4:30 pm, prior to the Adirondack-Binghamton game at 7:30 pm. Tickets are good for both games and the Phantoms will be donating $5 from every ticket purchased to benefit the 9/11 Memorial campaign for the sculpture planned at the Ridge Street Fire House. Adirondack will close out the 2009-2010 season on Saturday, April 10th as they clash one last time with the Albany River Rats; it's the twelfth meeting between the two rivals this year. Saturday is Fan Appreciation Night with lots of great prizes planned for the fans and face off is set for 7:00 pm.

Week 28 Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on Classic Hits Q-101.7 FM and can also be heard for free over the Internet at www.phantomshockey.com and can be viewed via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com .)

Wednesday, April 7 - 7:00 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY

vs. Binghamton Senators (34-34-5-3, 76 pts)

Fifth Place, East Division

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Friday, April 2 - 7:30 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY

vs. Binghamton Senators (34-34-5-3, 76 pts)

Fifth Place, East Division

* This will be the ninth and tenth meetings of the season between Binghamton and Adirondack. The Phantoms are 4-3-0-1 against the Senators this year; in their last meeting on March 6th in Glens Falls Adirondack out-shot the B-Sens 25-24, but goaltender Chris Holt stopped everything he faced to record a 1-0 shutout; Brandon Svendson's second period goal was the only shot that got past Phantoms net minder Jeremy Duchesne. Binghamton began the month of March on an eight-game winless streak and had fallen to eight games under 0.500. Then a huge turn-around happened; the Senators won March 3rd and sparked a run of 12-4-1 in their next 17 games to get back to 0.500 and are still in the playoff race. The B-Sens face Adirondack on both Wednesday and Friday and then, if they are still in the post-season hunt, they will play a weekend home-and-home series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, which could have massive playoff implications. Defenseman Geoff Kinrade is currently on a four-game assist streak (5 assists) and center Martin St. Pierre has points in seven of his last eight games (10 points). Goalie Chris Holt started 14-of-16 games from February 24th to March 24th, going 8-5-1 and shouldering the heavy workload. However, goalie Mike Brodeur has started the last four straight games, going 3-1-0.

* Leading Scorer: Martin St. Pierre (C) - 69 points (24 goals, 45 assists) in 73 GP.

* Leading Goaltender: Chris Holt (G) - 2.95 GAA, 0.905 save pct., 16-15-1, 4 SO in 33 GP.

* Who's Hot: Derek Smith (D) - 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in his last four games played. Josh Hennessy (C) - 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) in his last six games played. Geoff Kinrade (D) - 5 assists and a +3 rating in his last four games played.

Saturday, April 10 - 7:00 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY

vs. Albany River Rats (42-28-3-5, 92 pts)

Second Place, East Division

* This will be the twelfth and final game between the Phantoms and River Rats. Adirondack is 2-8-1-0 against Albany this season, with both wins coming at the Times Union Center. The River Rats beat the Phantoms 4-2 in their last matchup on Saturday in Albany, officially clinching Second Place in the East Division and home ice advantage for the first round of the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. Goaltender Justin Peters has started four straight games since returning from NHL recall with Carolina and has allowed two goals or less in each game (7 total), posting a 3-1-0 record during that span. Leading scorer Jerome Samson picked up two high-profile AHL honors last week, being named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Month for March and also being named to the 2009-10 AHL First All-Star Team. Samson is currently riding a five-game assist streak (7 assists) and a six-game point streak (11 points) and has recorded points in eleven of his last twelve games (22 points). St. Lawrence University senior Mike McKenzie made his pro debut with Albany on Saturday against Adirondack, tallying one assist in the game; he is the son of TSN hockey analyst Bob McKenzie. Last week defenseman Casey Borer was selected as the Fred T. Hunt Award winner by the AHL's coaches, players and media; Borer suffered a broken neck in last year's Albany team bus crash and took almost a full calendar year to recover before now being a regular in the River Rats lineup.

* Leading Scorer: Jerome Samson (RW) - 76 points (34 goals, 34 assists) in 69 GP.

* Leading Goaltender: Justin Peters (G) - 2.54 GAA, 0.917 save pct., 24-16-2, 1 SO in 43 GP.

* Who's Hot: Jerome Samson (RW) - 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) and a +5 rating in his last six games played. Zac Dalpe (C) - 7 points (6 goals, 1 assist) and a +5 rating in his last five games played. Jacob Micflikier (C) - 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) and a +2 rating in his last three games played.

Week 27 Game Results:

March 31, 2010 Adirondack 2 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3

April 2, 2010 Syracuse 3 @ Adirondack 2

April 3, 2010 Adirondack 2 @ Albany 4

Phantoms Player of the Week: (Week 27)

Erik Gustafsson - D - #36 2 GP, 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists), -1, 0 PIMs

Rookie defenseman Erik Gustafsson made a sparkling debut for the Phantoms last weekend. The Kvissleby, Sweden native completed his junior year at Northern Michigan University and then signed an entry level contract with the Flyers for the start of the 2010-11 season. The next day he joined the Phantoms on an ATO and made his professional and AHL debut with Adirondack on Friday night against the Syracuse Crunch. Gustafsson jumped right into the action, assisting on both of the Phantoms' goals for his first career pro points. Saturday night in Albany he improved his performance by scoring his first career pro goal and adding an assist, finishing the two-game weekend with four points (2 goals, 2 assists), while factoring in all of Adirondack's goals during those two contests.

Phantoms Quick Hits:

* BACK ON THE BLUE LINE - Defenseman Danny Syvret returned to the lineup on Saturday night in Albany, his first game since separating his shoulder on January 12th while playing with the Philadelphia Flyers against the Dallas Stars. It was Syrvet's first AHL game since December 19th, before he was recalled by the Flyers. During the game the Millgrove, Ontario native scored a power play goal and later assisted on rookie Erik Gustafsson's first career pro goal; it was his first AHL goal since December 13th.

* QUICK STRIKE - Adirondack allowed two goals in the span of 7.9 seconds on Wednesday night at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the fastest two goals allowed this season by the Phantoms. Dustin Jeffrey scored a power play goal for the Penguins at 19:00 of the first period to break a scoreless tie and then Steve Wagner's wrist shot/dump-in from the red line eluded goalie Jeremy Duchesne at 19:07 officially (the score clock read 52.1 seconds left).

* NHL DEBUT - Goalie Jeremy Duchesne shook off a disappointing game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton quickly. The Silver Springs, Maryland native experienced a big time high on Thursday night last week as he came on in relief of starter Brian Boucher to make his NHL debut with Philadelphia against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. Duchesne came in early in the third period and played the final 16:44 of action, allowing one goal on four shots and picked up a no-decision in a 6-4 loss.

* AN EVEN TEN - Northern Michigan University senior Brian Stewart made his pro debut on Saturday night in Albany, getting the start and stopping 22-of-25 shots in a 4-2 loss to the River Rats. Stewart, a native of Burnaby, British Columbia, became the tenth goaltender to play for Adirondack this season, by far the most of any AHL club during the 2009-2010 campaign.

* GLOWING START - Rookie defenseman Erik Gustafsson's sensational debut over the weekend is the talk of the Phantoms right now as the Northern Michigan blue liner tallied four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in his first two career professional games. The Kvissleby, Sweden native picked up the Phantoms Player of the Week award and is nominated for the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week award.

* POWER PLAY PENALTY SHOT - Adirondack was assessed its second penalty shot against of the season when Albany's Jacob MicFlikier was pulled down during a breakaway at 5:09 of the first period Saturday night. MicFlikier scored on his attempt against rookie goalie Brian Stewart and was credited with a power play goal since the River Rats were a man up when the penalty shot was awarded. It was the second penalty shot assessed against the Phantoms this year; Bridgeport's Greg Mauldin scored on Johan Backlund on November 4th in a game that Adirondack won 4-2 at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

* DEBUTANTES - Five players made their professional and AHL debuts with the Phantoms during their Week 27 action. Defenseman Erik Gustafsson, right wing Mario Valery-Trabucco, center Chris Clackson, right wing Shane Harper and goalie Brian Stewart all hit the ice for their first ever pro games, joining right wing Ben Holmstrom and goalie Carter Hutton to total seven young athletes to make their pro and AHL debuts with Adirondack over the past month.

* LOOKING FOR ONE MORE WIN - Phantoms Head Coach Greg Gilbert needs only one more victory to record his 300th career American Hockey League win. He will be the 15th coach in AHL history to reach the 300 win mark; Gilbert (299) ranks second in the league in wins amongst active AHL coaches.

* MILE MARKER ALL WEEK - A Phantoms player reached a games played milestone in each of the three games last week. RW Andreas Nodl played in his 150th career Pro game on Wednesday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; captain Jared Ross played in his 350th career Pro game on Friday vs. Syracuse and RW Stefan Legein notched his 100th career Pro & AHL game on Saturday night at Albany.

* END OF THE STREAK - Leading scorer Jon Matsumoto had goals on both Wednesday and Friday nights last week to extend his goal-streak to a Phantoms season-long five games. However, he was held scoreless on Saturday at Albany, ending his scoring streak one game shy of the AHL's longest this year.

* LOOKING FOR TWO POINTS - Adirondack's winless streak hit a season-long six games following Saturday's 4-2 loss at Albany. The Phantoms are 0-5-1-0 since March 24th vs. Albany and their last victory came on Sunday March 21st, a 4-3 win over the Hershey Bears in front of over 10,000 fans at the Giant Center.

* APPROACHING MILESTONES - C Jared Ross needs 1 point for his 250th career Pro point. RW David Laliberte needs 2 GP to record his 200th career Pro point. C Jon Matsumoto is 2 GP shy of his 250th career Pro & AHL game. C Ryan Dingle is 3 GP away from his 200th career Pro & 150th career AHL game. LW Patrick Maroon needs 4 points to tally his 100th career Pro & AHL point.

Phantoms Recent Transactions

April 2 - ADD - Brian Stewart (G) - Signed ATO; called up from Northern Michigan University (NCAA).

April 2 - ADD - Jeremy Duchesne (G) - Returned on loan from Philadelphia (NHL).

April 2 - DELETE - Carter Hutton (G) - Released from ATO.

April 1 - DELETE - Jeremy Duchesne (G) - Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL).

April 1 - ADD - Shane Harper (RW) - Signed ATO; called up from Everett (WHL).

April 1 - ADD - Erik Gustafsson (D) - Signed ATO; called up from Northern Michigan University (NCAA).

March 29 - ADD - Carter Hutton (G) - Returned from emergency call up with Philadelphia (NHL).

Adirondack Phantoms Team Leaders:

Games Played: Jon Matsumoto (77)

Goals: Jon Matsumoto (29)

Assists: Jon Matsumoto & Jared Ross (32)

Points: Jon Matsumoto (61)

Plus/Minus: Mika Pyorala (+7)

Penalty Minutes: Matt Clackson (174)

Power Play Goals: Jon Matsumoto (10)

Short Handed Goals: Stefan Legein (3)

Game-Winning Goals: Jon Matsumoto, Joey Mormina & Jason Ward (3)

Shots: Jon Matsumoto (238)

Shooting Percentage: Erik Gustafsson (20.0%)

Wins: Johan Backlund (21)

GAA: Johan Backlund (2.79)

Save Percentage: Johan Backlund (0.906)

Saves: Johan Backlund (1,102)

Shutouts: Johan Backlund (2)

####

With all 40 of their road games completed, Adirondack returns to Glens Falls for a three-game home stand to close out the 2009-10 season. The Phantoms will host the Binghamton Senators on Wednesday, April 7th for a 7:00 pm face off at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

2010-2011 Adirondack Phantoms Season Tickets are on sale now. Renew your current tickets for next year, add additional seats to your existing package or become a Season Ticket Holder for the first time and experience all the excited of AHL hockey in Glens Falls. For more information, contact the Phantoms at (518) 480-3355 or log on to www.phantomshockey.com .



American Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2010


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