Fresh off an OT Loss, the Phantoms return to PPL Center ice for a Sunday rematch with the Monsters.
Read the post from yesterday for more setup on this game.
Thoughts From Opening Night
- Good crowd, mostly well-behaved. A lot of season ticket seats at center ice and in the cub sections were empty though. Usually everyone comes out for opening night, but I guess maybe folks had other things going on–and I know the corporate seats in the club are rarely full.
- I was unable to evade the parking authority last night. Still, I think $5 for Community Deck (S 6th St) or the Maple Street Deck is fair and there are good places to eat near both of those spots.
- I guess the North Lot has VIP spots. $29. I never park there; can anyone tell me if there’s a parking spot worth $29 there? I saw it on Park Mobile, is it referring to valet?
- The problem with black rally towels is that they don’t show up as easily as lighter colors.
- I forgot that the “sweaty t-shirt guy” was making a return appearance. I’m mostly over it–I guess it’s fun once in a while, but before when it was like every weekend it had become tiresome.
- Tonight stay after for photos with the players if you’re a season ticket member. I know for some, lack of access to players was a major drag during the pandemic games. Line up behind section 119 for ice access following the game.
- I did not attempt the “Beer Me” delivery system from the app. Maybe today. There’s not a lot of choice there, though.
- Come to think of it, there’s not a lot of beer choices at the arena overall. They could easily add more choices to the “beer market” near the club entrance, I think.
- The coffee table outside Timmies is a great idea. You have to buy the souvenir cup, but not standing in that line is probably worth it most nights for my third-period coffee.
- The 99 Bottles pickup window seems like a good idea. Again, I didn’t have a chance to try it, but there are some different choices on the menu on the app, and presumably it’s made fresh. I didn’t notice, is 99 Bottles open again for pre-game?
- $12 is a lot for a slice of pizza. OK, so it’s a big slice. Like the size of a whole pie? Investigation is in order. I guess if a flatbread is $13 and a sandwich is $14 then twelve for a big slice might be in line.
- Speaking of pizza, welcome Big Woody’s to the concourse pizza stand behind 104/105. Speak bad about their pizza if you want, but it has to be better than Ovations arena pizza. I like it when local food and beverage places get to showcase at the ballpark or arena. It’s extra cool for out-of-town visitors.
- Best place to watch football before the game today? Probably Sports and Social, unless it’s too crowded, right? I used to like 99 Bottles for that–big screens right above the bar and you can see all three at the same time. Chickie’s is the worst; even though they have all those screens they usually don’t have the football package and there might be one game on, at best.
- I thought the home white jerseys had some extra blue on them. I was wrong, looking at the cover photo (by Jack Mitroka) from last season. I like incorporating the blue as the fourth color–must be careful not to become Bridgeport, though.
- I think the offense will be fine. I had some concern about the low shot totals from the road games last weekend, as well as from pre-season. They were a little sloppy last night and in certain places they might need to simplify a bit, but overall I was happy with the quality of play last evening.
- It did get a little chippy at times, too. Might we see a full-out fight or two today? Who do you think? Bellerive? Wilson? Connauton?
- Cal O’Reilly is again the Captain this season. Alternates introduced last night were #17 Garrett Wilson, #44 Kevin Connauton, #20 Max Willman and #42 Hayden Hodgson. Bob Rotruck tells me Louie Belpedio wore an ‘A’ on the road last weekend. Wilson and Connauton wore the ‘A’ last night. They may split the home and away Alternates, as they’ve done sometimes in the past. (Aside: I’d like to get that guy Belpedio back from the Flyers. I thought he was really good watching him in preseason)
- Good to see the veteran Connauton out there last night. He had missed the games last weekend for whatever reason.
- Jackson Cates was added to the roster this morning, from the Flyers. Watch to see if he’s in the lineup today. The Fly guys were in Nashville yesterday, but have San Jose at home tonight.
- Ryan Fitzgerald and Cooper Marody were both scratches again. Those are two guys who can put the puck in the net, so I look forward to their return. As usual, no word on injuries. I do have some sources, though. I’ll check.
- According to the introductions last night, I’ve been pronouncing some of these player names wrong (in my head). And I’m not talking about Desnoyers–I took way more French than I wanted to, back in the day when general education requirements were broad and draconian.
- “Don’t Buy Them Drinks” department: Desnoyers, Wisdom and Foerster are only 20 years old.
- Gotta think Grosenick in goal this afternoon. Two really solid goalies is a nice luxury to have.
- I wonder if they’ll wear a different sweater today? Sunday? Day game? Quick turnaround?
- York up top on the power play, in sort of a modified umbrella formation. It didn’t always work last night, but they weren’t helpless, either. Something to improve. Both teams were 1/3 last night on the man-advantage, plus the Phantoms tied it with the extra attacker on the ice.
Lines from last night (mostly)
28 Lycksell – 9 O’Reilly – 71 Foerster
17 – Wilson – 91 Desnoyers – 42 Hodgson
48 Kile -15 Bellerive – 14 Wisdom
19 Ratcliffe – 39 Gerard – 20 Willman
45 York – 29 Wylie
44 Connauton – 12 Attard
37 Ginning – 6 Hogberg
30 Ersson (1 Grosenick)
Scratches
3 Karashik
7 Zech
13 Fitzgerald
24 Brooks
25 Marody
OFFICIALS For Sunday:
Referee Peter Schlittenhardt (#12)
Referee Dre Barone (#55)
Linesperson Bill Lyons (#27)
Linesperson Richard Jondo (#55)
See you at the arena–we’ll be back at it Friday for dollar dogs and Penguins,
@Kram207