Pharm Stories: Adirondack Phantoms Lose Three in a Row…Again

Hershey Bears Michael Latta scores on Adirondack Phantoms goalie Cal Heeter during a 4-1 Phantoms loss on Saturday, March 15 in Hershey, Pa. The Phantoms have now lost six straight games. (MANDATORY CREDIT: Kyle Mace, Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

Another three games over the weekend, another three road losses for the Philadelphia Flyers AHL affiliate Adirondack Phantoms. The boys from Glens Falls, N.Y. fell Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the second weekend in a row. They have now lost six straight games, and only have one win in the month of March. Their record is now 24-32-1-4 and have 53 points. Adirondack is last in the Northeast Division.

The Phantoms lost 2-1 in a shootout Friday night to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Adirondack was given fantastic goal-tending from Yann Danis, who stopped 32 shots on 33 attempts. But his counterpart in Hartford’s Dov Grumet-Morris was equal to the task, as he stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced. Chris VandeVelde tallied the first and only goal of the game for the Phantoms in the first period. But former Phantom/Flyer Danny Syvret tied the game up with 3:44 to go in the the third period, as he rocketed a slap shot on the power play. Both goaltenders played well in the shootout. Grumet-Morris stopped all five shots he faced. Danis denied the first four shooters, but Danny Kristo was able to sneak the game winner over the line to give the Wolf Pack the win.

Saturday night renewed the rivalry between the Phantoms and Hershey Bears in Chocolatetown. Marshall Derek Mathers opened up the scoring in the game, giving Adirondack a 1-0 lead. But it all fell apart, as the Bears tallied a goal with two seconds left in the first period, and then three more in the game to take down the Phantoms 4-1. Cal Heeter returned as the Phantoms net minder, but was unable to stop the Bears offense, giving up four goals on 34 shots. Although registering 30 shots, Adirondack’s offense was invisible for the second straight game, scoring only the one goal while going 0-3 on the power play.

After going down 3-0 early to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Sunday, the Phantoms offense finally clicked, but it was not enough as they fell 5-4. Adirondack used a three goal second period to turn what was a dominant performance from the Sound Tigers into a close hockey game. But each time the Phantoms struck to within a one goal deficit, Bridgeport answered. Newly acquired (more on that below) Derek Whitmore gave the Phantoms the spark they needed in the second to start the comeback. Nick Cousins and Brandon Alderson each scored power play goals, both coming in the second period. Bridgeport took a 4-3 lead into the third period, with the Phantoms right on their heels. But an early goal by the Sound Tigers’ Jeremy Langlois four minutes into the third put the Phantoms in a 5-3 deficit that could not be overcome. Whitmore scored his second goal of the game, but Kevin Poulin blanked the Phantoms the rest of the game.

For whatever reason, the schedule makers hate the Phantoms, as they once AGAIN have a three game in three day stretch next weekend. The good part is that Saturday and Sunday’s games will be at home. Adirondack wraps up their dreadful five game road trip with a Friday night tilt against the Utica Comets. They’ll return to Glens Falls Saturday when they look for revenge on the Wolf Pack. Sunday completes the three game weekend when the Phantoms take on the Syracuse Crunch.

In other Phantoms news…

• Derek Whitmore has been acquired from the Hershey Bears on loan. The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned forward Kris Newbury to Hershey. Whitmore has six goals in 29 games. He played in all three games over this past weekend, registering two goals.