More players assigned to Phantoms

Defenseman Erik Gustafsson along with forwards Brayden Schenn and Harry Zolnierczyk have been assigned to the Phantoms.

The Flyers also placed Blair Betts, Oskars Bartulis, and Matt Walker on waivers yesterday. Betts was claimed by Montreal; Bartulis cleared and was assigned to the Phantoms. I can't find any information on Walker so I'm presuming, until/unless I see otherwise, that he was neither claimed nor sent down.

Final score: Penguins 3, Phantoms 1

Oliver Lauridsen makes it 3-1, very late in the third period. Good job! Assist: Holmstrom.

With 14.7 seconds remaining in the third period, the Phantoms go on the PP.

But the Phantoms are unable to score with a 5 on 3 advantage in the final seconds of the period. Final score: Penguins 3, Phantoms 1.

Click here for the Phantoms' official game recap.

Third period (in progress)

Another 5-on-3 disadvantage translates into another Penguins goal in the third period. 3-0 Penguins. But as one of the Phantoms had a double minor, rather than just two minutes, we're still down two players even after being scored on. Holmstrom and Marshall are in the box.

Back to 5 on 5. 8:28 left in the third period. Still 3-0 in favor of the bad guys. SOG favor the Penguins 26-13. The Phantoms have only had one shot on goal so far in this period.

End of Second Period

At the end of the second period, the Penguins lead the Phantoms 2-0.

From Twitter:

@PhantomsHockey shots on goal: ADK 12 - WBS 20.Bacashihua playing well for ADK. Phantoms have been getting to Brad Thiessen but haven't broken him yet.

I was surprised to hear that we will only play in Wilkes-Barre one time this season. That's a major departure from our past history. Then again, we are in a different division from the PA teams this year, after a realignment of the AHL during the offseason.

I'm Not Amused, however, as I would rather see the Phantoms play semi-close to Philly more often than that. W-B is only SEMI-close, to be sure, but it's a darn sight nearer to Philadelphia than Glens Falls is. The distance from the former Spectrum site to the Glens Falls Civic Center is 288 miles. Wilkes-Barre and Hershey offer the opportunity to see the Phantoms live, at a distance that won't require an overnight stay in a hotel. So I'd rather have seen us continue to make numerous appearances in PA during the course of the season.

Phantoms @ Penguins, second period (in progress)

The Penguins drew first blood during this period, and lead 1-0. The Pens also spent some time in this period with 6 skaters on the ice, completely missed by the referees. I guess it's preseason for the officials as well.

With 21 seconds remaining in the Phantoms' 2-man disadvantage, both of which penalties were assessed to our top penalty killers, the Penguins scored again to make it 2-0. So now we'll be at 5 on 4 briefly before returning to full strength.

Even strength now. 8:48 left in the second period.

Michael Leighton loaned to Phantoms; Phantoms preseason results so far

On Wednesday, September 28, the Phantoms opened their preseason in Saratoga vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with a 3-1 win. Last night, October 1, they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Albany Devils.

They are currently in a game at Wilkes-Barre vs. the Penguins. The score is 0-0 in the first period.

Today, the Flyers announced that they have loaned Michael Leighton to the Phantoms.

Sestito has cleared waivers.

Tom Sestito has cleared waivers. He does not need to pass through re-entry waivers to be recalled to the Flyers.

Tom Sestito sent down

Tom Sestito was ejected from Monday night's Flyers/Rangers preseason game after delivering a hit from behind. There's no word yet on any suspension or fine from the league, but the hit was blatant enough that I'd be amazed if he doesn't get suspended for it.

On Tuesday, it was announced that he was sent to the Phantoms, though he'll have to clear waivers before being added to the roster.

I've seen the AHL partially honor other leagues' suspensions before. See: Jesse Boulerice (twice), Steve Downie. Their suspensions in the AHL weren't as long as the corresponding suspensions from other leagues, but they did have to spend some games in the press box before being allowed to join the Phantoms. So if Sestito gets sternly treated by the NHL, he might have to sit out games in the AHL, as well.

Phantoms to Host Hershey in Outdoor Classic at Citizens Bank Park on January 6

     MEDIA RELEASE    

Phantoms to Host Hershey in Outdoor Classic at Citizens Bank Park on January 6  It is an historic and proud day for the Adirondack Phantoms who have announced they will host and play their first ever outdoor game in franchise history. The Phantoms will be part of the NHL Winter Classic week-long celebration of hockey when they play the Hershey Bears at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, on Friday, January 6. "This is an extremely exciting day for the Phantoms organization and Phantoms fans everywhere," said Phantoms President Rob Brooks. "A hockey celebration and atmosphere unlike anything the AHL has ever seen will happen at Citizens Bank Park. We are extremely grateful to (Comcast Spectacor President) Peter Luukko for helping make this truly great event a reality." It was also announced that the Philadelphia Flyers will play the New York Rangers in the NHL's annual Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, January 2. This is the fifth NHL Winter Classic but the first ever to also feature an AHL outdoor game as part of the festivities. "The American Hockey League has a strong following in the region and it will be a terrific experience for Pennsylvania hockey fans as the historic Phantoms-Bears rivalry is renewed outdoors at Citizens Bank Park," said David Andrews, AHL President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are thrilled to join with the Philadelphia Flyers in adding AHL hockey to their outdoor showcase." The Phantoms and Bears will also wear specially designed jerseys honoring the significance of the Outdoor Classic, similar to the fantastic jerseys the NHL teams have worn in their Winter Classic games. It will be an especially memorable event for the players themselves who will have the honor of getting to skate on this incredible night. Many of the players grew up with frozen ponds in their backyards where they would play for hours on end. The Outdoor Classic is an homage to those youthful hockey experiences. For these players to now get to play outdoors in front of a huge crowd at a major league stadium is truly once-in-a-lifetime stuff which all will surely remember as an all-time highlight of their careers. "This will be a terrific opportunity for hockey fans throughout Philadelphia to see the future prospects of the Flyers in a truly unique setting," said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "We're very excited to add a Phantoms regular season game to our week-long celebration of the Winter Classic being in Philadelphia. We look forward to working with both (owners) Rob and Jim Brooks in bringing the Phantoms back to Philadelphia for this truly special night." This will be the third outdoor game in AHL history; The Syracuse Crunch hosted the Binghamton Senators on February 20, 2010 at the New York State Fairgrounds in front of 21,508 fans. The Connecticut Whale hosted the Providence Bruins on February 19, 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT breaking the league's attendance record with 21,673. "It is exciting to have a chance to break the league attendance record," Brooks said. "In fact, that is our goal and we absolutely believe it will happen. Fans will want to be there just to soak in the magical atmosphere and to be a part of history!" Citizens Bank Park is the major league baseball home of the Philadelphia Phillies and will have a seating capacity of approximately 40,000. Details on how to purchase tickets for the Outdoor Classic will be available soon.  One way to be guaranteed a ticket is to become a Phantoms season ticket holder. Mark your calendars! Adirondack Phantoms Opening Night is Saturday, October 8. The Phantoms take on the Connecticut Whale to begin the third season of exciting Phantoms hockey in Glens Falls. 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.   Follow the Phantoms on twitter @phantomshockey and on facebook.com/adkhockey                                            ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS: Glens Falls Civic Center * One Civic Center Plaza * Glens Falls, NY  12801 * 518-480-3355 MEDIA CONTACT: Bob Rotruck - 518-480-3355 - brotruck@phantomshockey.com

Building the Phantoms 2011-2012 Roster

Today's Waiver Wire/Flyers Cuts

On Waivers (have to clear to go to Phantoms):

PHI - Jason Bacashihua
PHI - Johan Backlund
PHI - Dan Jancevski
PHI - Jon Kalinski
PHI - Stefan Legein

Full NHL Waivers List: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=376604

Assigned to Phantoms:

FORWARDS
Jason Akeson
Tyler Brown
Shane Harper
Ben Holmstrom
Tye McGinn
Luke Pither
Mike Testwuide
Eric Wellwood

DEFENSEMEN
Marc-Andre Bourdon
Tyler Hostetter
Blake Kessel
Oliver Lauridsen
Kevin Marshall

GOALTENDER
Brad Phillips

Also, Cullen Eddy, Garrett Klotz and Garrett Roe are no longer on an NHL Pro Try-Out and will report to Adirondack as well.

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=589692

Allentown Morning Call: "Hockey arena no sure thing"

Allentown's Morning Call has a less-than-optimistic article about the downtown site that's been proposed for the new arena. It's a site that has been beset by sinkholes, causing the nixing of a previous attempt at an arena on that site, as well as the demolition of an office building that the sinkholes damaged in the 90s.

Surrounding properties would also have to be purchased from their current owners, or else taken via eminent domain, and the appeals process for that could take "a couple years".

CLICK HERE to see the article itself.

Can someone please explain to me why Bellmawr, NJ was rejected as an arena location? It would have been PERFECT -- minutes away from the Voorhees practice facility, and minutes away from the Spectrum site so the entire existing STH fan base could easily make the shift and go there instead. They already had done an environmental impact study and had plans to manage the increased traffic flow to the area (as there's other developing going on there, with or without the proposed arena). They were ready for, and WANTED, an arena there. Their original plans even had a tentative location shown where the arena would go. And in the meantime, the rumors were that the team would spend the interim in Atlantic City.

But NOOOO. That made too much sense. We couldn't do THAT. Instead, we get the team moved 288 miles away, to a place where we have to reserve a hotel room if we want to see them play a home game. The AC interim move was nixed because they had concerns about poor attendance, yet we are currently 29th out of 30 AHL teams in attendance. Moreover, the intended permanent home in Allentown, from which we'd heard nothing since last summer, is only surfacing in the news to report plan changes and potential problems.

All this is making me a Very Grouchy Fan right about now. Can you tell?

Pronger questionable for Saturday; Gustafsson called up

Because Chris Pronger is questionable for Saturday's game with a swollen hand, Erik Gustafsson has been recalled from the Phantoms. CLICK HERE for the story on the Phantoms site.

Allentown arena: a construction site has been chosen. Or has it?

For the first time in a long time, we are hearing news of actual decisions being made in Allentown, regarding the placement of their new arena.

I don't know the layout of Allentown, so I can't offer an opinion on the suitability of the various potential construction sites. But apparently the original waterfront site, which is near their baseball stadium, has been ruled out in favor of a downtown site. Or at least it's PROBABLY ruled out. Per the Morning Call article:

"Logistically, if downtown doesn't work, then the riverfront goes back on the table. But there's a hope to get it downtown," the source said. "Until it's all signed, sealed and delivered, no one really knows what's going to happen. If they did, there would have been a press conference already."

So there you have it. It's been decided, unless it hasn't been decided, and it's a great big definite maybe. But someone actually mentioned the arena plans in a public venue, so that in itself is a measure of progress compared to hearing nothing whatsoever.

Click on the links to see coverage in Glens Falls's The Post-Star, Allentown's Morning Call, and Easton's Express-Times.

P.S. I couldn't help but notice the irony in the photo of the Brooks Brothers, taken in the Allentown press conference in 2009, which accompanied the Easton article. Notice anything about those jerseys? How about the SPECTRUM commemorative patches? Which, incidentally, go nicely with the shoulder patch depicting Phlex with the SPECTRUM.

Sigh.

Phantoms register a hat trick AND shutout in the same game!

It figures last night's game was one I couldn't watch because I wasn't home. I'll have to watch the archived video, because not only did the Phantoms beat one of the league's better teams in Hamilton, they earned the W in style. Denis Hamel registered the team's second hat trick in as many weekends, and Michael Leighton earned something that no Flyers goalie has achieved yet this season, a shutout, as the Phantoms downed the Hamilton Bulldogs 4-0. Way to go!

Here is the link to the game's box score. Read it and rejoice! :-)