Home

Remember that time last Sunday when the hockey team lost?  Let’s try that again; maybe the results will be different.

Sunday Recap

The Penguins affiliate came to town and ruined meLVin’s day as he was set to visit with many friends and give out some jerseys a few weeks before his birthday.  The Phantoms fell behind early, tried to make it a game within one point at the second intermission.  There were some nice chances as well as some abuse to the logo on the Penguins goalie’s chest.  Then the wheels came off.  Important to remember that it was the last of a 3/3 where Wilkes Barre did not have a Friday game and their only travel was down the turnpike from the Wyoming Valley.  We also noticed that they were working very quick shifts in the early part of the game.  They had the better legs in the third period, that’s for sure.  Not to mention our goalie was in his fourth city in three days after playing Friday night.

The Penguins did get two power play goals, but they happened as part of the same sequence which started with a 5-on-3.  The Phantoms killed two early penalties.  The PK is not out of the woods yet, but this wasn’t the disaster that some made it out to be, vis-a-vis the PK–or the Penguins lowly regarded power play for that matter.

The pregame assertion that this would be a Phantoms coming-out for Phil Tomasino was exactly wrong on our part.  In fact, his perfect pass to his former teammate for an “unassisted” goal early in the third could be seen as the turning point in the game.  Could he still be on the payroll up there?

Since Sunday, the Phantoms have been off, while the Pens affiliate dispatched Hershey at home on Wednesday.  Tonight, the Phantoms will have a slight travel and rest advantage, but not as large as the one against us on Sunday.

Records and Standings

Record: 21-18-2-2

Standings: Fifth place in the AHL Atlantic

Home:  11-8-1-1

Away:  10-10-1-1

Recent: 1-2 last weekend; 3-7 last 10

Overtime: 4-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-8

Saturday: 13-2-0-2

Sunday: 2-4-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-2-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February: 0-1

“Winter Semester” Xmas to All Stars: 7-7-1

White “Road” Jerseys: 9-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  4-5-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-4

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-2

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Player Update

As mentioned, Kolosov returned from his backup stint in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon in time to start for the Phantoms on Sunday afternoon.  Perets never left though, which signaled Kolosov’s return to Philadelphia.  Exactly what happened.

But, now he’s back.  And, Perets returns to Reading.  So we’re back where we started.  No other player movement this week.

Lines Last Sunday Versus Pens

22 Robertson 25 Pederson 26 Tomasino

90 Richard 23 Dorwart 20 Marody

72 Gendron 56 Gaucher 12 Kaplan

17 Wilson 74 Wisdom 36 Boulton

37 Ginning 15 Kyrou

3 Grans 59 Bonk

19 McDonald 76 Schmidt

35 Kolosov (Backup: 64 Bjarnason)

Discussion:  Don’t hate the lines, really.  Given injuries and call-ups it’s about the best we can muster right now.  Bonk had a couple of the late penalties as the game swung.  Growing pains.  We’ll get that cleaned up.

GAME DAY!

It’s a Dollar Dog Friday at the arena tonight for the rematch with the Penguins’ affiliate.

Doors: 6:00PM All Gates.  5:45PM Premier Members WFMZ and Air Products Entrances.

Show Time:  7:05PM.  Hockey: 7:15PM

Promotion:  $1 hot dogs from doors open until the end of the first period.

Tickets: Widely Available.  Early in the week there were some deals to be had on the secondary market.  Use caution, though, I’ve noticed in monitoring that market that sometimes there are listings for seats that don’t exist or that are definitely not available.  Perhaps just an honest mistake about section or seat numbers, but buyer beware.

Parking and Traffic:  It does not appear that there are any other shows going on at Symphony Hall or the Archer, so traffic and parking should be manageable.  We’re currently 12-7 in our season-long battle with the parking overlords.  Snow and associated detritus continue to get in the way in certain areas for parking and walking.

MEDIA KIT

Pens Friday

OFFICIALS

Referees: Alex Lepkowski (#44), Mike Dietrich (#15) Lines: Dylan Blujus (#57), Patrick Dapuzzo (#57)

What To Watch

• Watch for Kolosov in net again
• Watch to see if the Phantoms can score first.  Playing from behind against this Pens team isn’t easy despite the fact that they aren’t as good as they were to start the season.
• Watch to see if the Phantoms can kill the penalties.  The Pens power play is pretty poor, and the two markers they got Sunday were in the third period off both ends of the same 5-on-3.  You’ve still got to be better, but that didn’t look like the systemic problem the team has been having all season.
• Watch to see if the defense can play with some jump.
• Watch to see if the Pens cycle their lines quickly at the start of the games.  They did on Sunday and it could be one of the reasons (Phantoms at the back end of the 3-in-3 is the big one) they had the better legs at the end of the game.
• Watch to see how many hot dogs we can go through and if it is a new record.

Up Next

Off to Bridgeport tomorrow and then it’s the All Star Break.

Oh, almost forgot:  D Christian Kyrou was names the Phantoms representative for All Stars, to replace F Denver Barkey who has been up with the Flyers.  Here’s an interview:

https://x.com/DanMoscaritolo/status/2019531894350589979?s=20

 

See you at the arena, the Phantoms return Saturday 2/14 versus Cleveland and Sunday 2/15 versus Syracuse,

@Kram207

 

 

 

The red-glove penguins are in town and meLVin is giving out free jerseys to the kids.  Phil Tomasino hasn’t been as prolific on the score sheet since coming over from the Pittsburgh franchise.  Perhaps today is the day that gets going.

About Last Night

The Phantoms got back to their winning ways last night–and solved the puzzle that is 2026 Bridgeport.  The. 5-3 final was down to a 4-2 game where the empty net came into play late.  Zayde Wisdom had himself a night with two goals and an assist while Kyrou somehow surpassed him in the three-stars voting with 1 goal and 2 assists.  It was that fourth line doing work all night, whether they found a matchup they liked or just the continuity of that group while the rest of things have been jumbled due to injuries and call-ups.  Bjarnason played a nice game in net and made some key saves.  While the overall puck play was quite sloppy, the penalties were kept to a minimum and they were able to kill all three man-advantage opportunities that the Islanders were granted.  It was a step in the right direction.

Records and Standings

Record: 21-17-2-2

Standings: Fifth place in the AHL Atlantic, one point behind Hershey

Home:  11-7-1-1

Away:  10-10-1-1

Recent: 2-2 this weekend and last

Overtime: 4-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-8

Saturday: 13-2-0-2

Sunday: 2-3-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-1-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February:

“Winter Semester” Xmas to All Stars: 7-6-1

White “Road” Jerseys: 9-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  4-5-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-4

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Player Updates

-G Perets did indeed return yesterday with the afternoon call-up of Kolosov to back up in Philly.  We’re expecting those transactions to undo themselves and for Kolosov to start today versus the red-glove Penguins.

D Oliver Bonk returned to the lineup Friday in Springfield but was a scratch last night.  We’ll await his status today.

No word on F Bump.  Kinda feels like we won’t see him until after the All Star Break, at this juncture.

D Murchison is out long term with a broken arm.

Lines Last Night Versus Hamilton Bridgeport

43 Eklind 25 Pederson 26 Tomasino

90 Richard 23 Dorwart 20 Marody

72 Gendron 56 Gaucher 12 Kaplan

17 Wilson 74 Wisdom 22 Robertson

37 Ginning 82 Guenette

19 McDonald 15 Kyrou

3 Grans 76 Schmidt

64 Bjarnason ( 1 Perets)

Discussion:  Tomasino at wing on the Pederson line should free him up for plenty scoring opportunities.  He had been playing a lot of center since coming over and the defensive responsibilities of that position along with adapting to new systems and teammates probably slowed down his score sheet contributions.  McDonald did a good job protecting the front of the net and covering for Kyrou who sometimes goes on adventures.  Last night those adventures paid off.  Grans and Schmidt need to continue to play up to their size.

Red Gloves

The Penguins with the red gloves are no longer the class of the division; that belongs to Providence right now.  They are no longer the hottest team in the division; that would be Charlotte currently.  But they’re still up there and they’re getting it done after losing players to trades (ie Tomasino) and injuries and call-ups, perhaps more than other AHL squads at this juncture.

They beat Syracuse 4-1 last night at home.  Last weekend they beat Hershey in a shootout before getting blasted by Charlotte.  They have the rest advantage today, as they did not play Friday night.

Their power play has been abhorrent:  Worst in the entire AHL.  Let’s hope the Phantoms figured out some things on Penalty Kill last night and this isn’t an opportunity for the red-glove penguins to get right.  Their Penalty kill is middle of the pack, and worse on the road.

Their roster has a fair few additions from ECHL Wheeling, and they lost McGroarty to Pittsburgh this weekend.  Just today they get winger Tanner Howe back from Pittsburgh.  Murashov in net last night for them at home, so we’ll likely see Blomqvist–but he’s had good games in our building before so not a huge advantage going in.

GAME DAY!

It’s a 3:05PM show time with hockey underway around 3:15.  All Doors 2:00PM; FMZ and Air Products Season Ticket gates at 1:45PM.

Promotion:  Kids meLVin jersey giveaway.  They’ll likely have plenty.  Stick to the main gates.  If you are worried that you are late I’d use the LVHN Gate.

Tickets: Tickets are widely available but there are very few deals as this game seems to be in high demand due to the matinee and the kids giveaway.

Parking:  Leave a little extra time as some streets and sidewalks still suffer from snow removal or lack thereof.  Also, some street parking is free on Sundays, YMMV near the arena.

Pre-Game / Post-Game:  Check that your favorite pre- and post-game spots are open on Sunday, and at what time.

Media Kit:

Pen Sunday Feb 1

Officials

Referees: Liam Maaskant (#45), Sydney Harris (#9) Lines: Patrick Dapuzzo (#57), Davids Rozitis (#62)

What To Watch:

• Watch to see if it’s Kolosov in net. He’s been all over this weekend, and we didn’t see Perets return at press time, so it could really be any of the three.
• Watch to see if Bonk returns after having last night off.
• Watch to see if the Penalty Kill can continue to play good hockey against a poorly-rated Penguins unit.
• Watch to see if Tomasino is still on the wing with Pederson and if he can get on the score sheet–maybe a couple times
• Watch the lines, though, sometimes Sunday of a 3/3 can be a bit different.  It’s certainly an advantage for our visitors today.
• Watch to see the ratio of Pittsburgh jerseys to Wilkes-Barre jerseys today.  Just look for the red gloves.

Up Next

Week off, then two games next weekend to close out the “winter semester” between the holiday break and the all star break.  (Did we hear who will replace Barkey from the Phantoms?)

Friday we’ll be right back here to play a rematch of today’s game, then Saturday we’ll head to Bridgeport for a rematch of last night’s game.  Then the break.

 

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

 

 

 

 

Bridgeport is in town, and that’s a bad thing?  It’s Saturday Night Hockey Live! and it’s cold outside.  Do you feel appreciated?  Let’s do that hockey!

Story Time

Years ago when the Phantoms first came to town, my younger son was going to a game with me, early in the season.  It was nice outside and he jumped in the car wearing shorts and a T-Shirt.  I briefly explained that the arena would be chilly because of the ice.  “What ice?” he asked.  I reminded him of why they call it ice hockey.  “That’s not real ice,” he said.

Of course, it is real ice.  And the arena can be chilly.  And it’s cold outside, too, now.  Be safe out there.

The Way We Were

When we last saw the Phantoms on home ice last weekend, they took a losing streak into a game against Hershey on Saturday.  They quickly gave up two goals in the first period.  Hershey fans in my section were dancing.  Two early fights did not help us.  Then, after the first intermission, someone turned the dial to “goals.”  The Phantoms scored three in the second period to take the lead, 3-2.  Of course, they had to give up the tying goal with seconds left on the clock, but were able to pull out the overtime victory to get back in the points column and stop the losing at least for one night.

With the week off to get things together, the Phantoms headed to Springfield Mass last night.  Once again they gave up two early goals.  Both with Springfield on the power play.  The Phantoms’ PK unit is ranked 31 out of 32 in the entire AHL with but a 0.3% advantage over Abbotsford.  The Hamilton Street Heroes were able to get one goal back on a Tomasino power play goal, but could not find the equalizer and the game goes in the loss column by a 2-1 score.

Records and Standings

Record: 20-17-2-2

Standings: Fifth place in the AHL Atlantic

Home:  10-7-1-1

Away:  10-10-1-1

Recent: 4-6 in the last 10 games

Overtime: 4-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-8

Saturday: 12-2-0-2

Sunday: 2-3-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-1-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  4-6

White “Road” Jerseys: 8-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  4-5-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-4

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Player Update

G Aleksei Kolosov and D Hunter McDonald have returned from Philadelphia.  Perets and Johannes head back to Reading, while Golder gets the call up to the Phantoms.

Then today, Kolosov was called back to Philadelphia and Pederson was returned to the Phantoms.

Lines Last Night In Springfield

72 Gendron 26 Tomasino 12 Kaplan

90 Richard 23 Dorwart 20 Marody

9 Golder 56 Gaucher 43 Eklind

17 Wilson 74 Wisdom 22 Robertson

3 Grans 59 Bonk

19 McDonald 82 Guenette

37 Ginning 15 Kyrou

35 Kolosov (Backup: 64 Bjarnason)

Notes:  Bonk returned from injury.  Bump still out.  Murchison out longer term.  Rizzo also injured.  

Bridgeport, Again

It’s not just the Phantoms having problems beating Bridgeport these days, as they’ve risen to 6th place in the division and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.  The Phantoms have lost their last several games against this team, though, so hopefully they figure it out tonight.  The Islanders affiliate does not have a terribly good power play, so perhaps it’s time to get the PK going.  While not officially official, the Islanders plan to move their AHL affiliate to Hamilton, Ontario next season so look for a new team on the schedule, an extra trip or two to Canada, and a couple more renditions of O Canada.

GAME DAY!

Show time is 7:05PM but knowers know that the hockey will start at 7:16PM or so.  Gates at 6PM, but event time for Premier Members starts at 5:30PM on the concourse with some free snacks and music.

Premier Member Appreciation Game:  I wrote about “Fan Appreciation Day” promotion back during baseball season.  (Read it HERE)  If you are a “premier member” then you should have received an email about the promotions for tonight.  If not, reach out to your rep or let me know and I’ll forward mine.  There are many perks and benefits for having season tickets (or, “Premier Membership” as it were), do you think what they’re doing tonight is one of them?  Did they do enough?  Could they do more? Should they even bother? Around here, we’ve been season ticket members since day 1–and we’re not expecting to feel terribly appreciated tonight.  And that’s ok.

Parking:  Consider deck parking as lots and streets have snow.

Tickets: Widely available.  Check secondary market for folks unloading tickets so that they don’t have to go out in the cold.

Media Kit:

Bridgeport Again

Officials:

Referees: Jack Young (#24), Patrick Hanrahan (#52) Lines: Patrick Dapuzzo (#57), Ryan Knapp (#73)

What To Watch

• Watch for Bjarnason in net.  Probably Perets will return to back him up as Kolosov went to Philly this morning unless he’s up to backing up two games in one day…
• Watch the PK.  Who’s out there?  Who looks like they’re out of position, turning the puck over, or just generally incompetent?
• Watch to see if the Pederson return jump-starts the offense.
• Watch to see if Bump can make it back.
• Watch to see if we continue with those gray jerseys.

Up Next

Another Sunday matinee game, this time with Wilkes Barre, to close out the 3/3.  Don’t know if we think we’re Hershey now or something.  At least I don’t have to miss football.  Maybe out to dinner after the game?

Then Wilkes again on Friday and go to Bridgeport before the All Star Break.

See you at the arena

@Kram207

Not proof-read or edited to expedite post time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowmaggedon 2026 doesn’t start until after midnight, so get out to the hockey game and see if the Hamilton Street Heroes can regain their mojo versus the Hershey Bears.  The losing streak is at 5.

About Last Night

Sometimes it’s just one of those nights.  For young goalie Carson Bjarnason last night was that night.  Unfortunately, it came at a time when the Phantoms are trying to regain form and stop the bleeding of the losing streak.  Three of the first four shots the Checkers took ended up behind Bjarnason.  Perets came on in relief and the black and orange were able to score a few of their own, but it wasn’t enough.  The final score is down to two empty net markers at the very end.

On the bright side, the Phantoms only allowed three power plays on the night and were able to kill off all of them.  They even scored a couple power play goals themselves.  The Checkers are a fast team.  Not fast like the precision passing we’ve seen from some of the better Scranton teams or the skating and spacing of some of the best Toronto teams we’ve seen over the years; it was more frenetic.  They move their feet for sure and move along at a velocity most Phantoms players cannot match.  Beating them in the future will entail some better passing and puck handling than we saw last night, as well as some better netminding.

Hershey passed the Phantoms in the standings with their shootout loss against Wilkes last night.  They’ll come in trying to avenge the shutout loss they endured last time they took the ice at the PPL Center.  It was so satisfying to send the rude Bears fans home without even a goal to cheer for.  Hopefully that wasn’t the pinnacle of our season.

On the jerseys:  The Charcoal Gray “Forgotton Preseason” as I call them, debuted last season when we didn’t see the normal pre-season sweaters.  The assumption around here was that they didn’t come in time for the preseason games so they just used them for a couple weeks over the winter.  Then, they mostly disappeared, if perhaps one or two ended up at auction, but we didn’t see the full set.  Now, they return.  They’re pretty nice, if a bit simple, just like the preseason shirts we used to see in the first several years of Lehigh Valley tenure.

Charlotte and their travel issues:  We kid.  It’s probably Hershey that cancelled the game between the checkers and bears tomorrow in chocolatetown due to potential travel issues for fans and stadium personel and not wanting to play in an empty area.  I guess Charlotte try to catch a flight back right after their game tonight in Wilkes-Barre?  Either that, or they’ll be in Pennsylvania until at least Monday.  Also, I still recall how we got lectured over on the Noise Nation site when we suggested that weather could possibly impact hockey games.  We were admonished that it would never happen.  Golly.

Records and Standings

Record:  19-16-2-2

Standings: Fifth place in the AHL Atlantic

Home:  9-7-1-1

Away:  10-9-1-1

Recent: Lost 5 in a row

Overtime:  3-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-7

Saturday: 11-2-0-2

Sunday: 2-3-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-1-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  3-5

White “Road” Jerseys: 8-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  4-5-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-3

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 0-1

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Players

Alex Bump continues to miss time with an injury that was deemed “week to week.”  Oliver Bonk was a surprise scratch last night due to illness.

GAME DAY!

It’s Saturday Night Hockey Live! so expect some entertainment perhaps as you arrive, as well as during the second intermission.

Game Time: 7:05PM Show, 7:17PM Hockey

Doors:  6:00PM Public, 5:45PM Premier Members

Tickets: Good seats still available.  Monitor secondary market if there are folks who don’t want to come out tonight they might list their tickets.

Parking:  Could be tight as folks flock to parking decks to avoid having their cars covered in snow later tonight.

Broadcast:  In addition to the Usual Suspects of streaming audio and Service Electric, tonight’s game is on WFMZ-69 as well.

Hershey:  Nine-game point streak, but 4-1-3-2 over last 10–only 4 wins only 3 regulation.

MEDIA KIT:

Hershey Snow

OFFICIALS:

Referees: Jarrett Burton (#78), Rob Hennessey (#87) Linesperson: Kirsten Welsh (#10), Bill Lyons (#27)

What To Watch

• Bjarnason get back on the horse?
• Can we play some defense, please?
• Continue to avoid penalties and kill it when you can’t?
• Will folks stay away due to the incoming storm?
• Watch to see if injured and ill players can return.

Up Next

Off for the week, then 3/3 next weekend:  Off to struggling Springfield on Friday night; return to PPL Center for Saturday versus Bridgeport (ugh) and Sunday versus Penguins affiliate to open February.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

 

 

The Phantoms have lost four in a row by a combined score of 17-6, and return home from yet another loss to that sorry team from Bridgeport in a good old-fashioned butt whooping in a Monday matinee.  Now, hungry Charlotte and Hershey teams, who are on a combined 7-game point streak, are coming to town.  What could go wrong?  Maybe Charlotte won’t show up for the game?

“Yeah, it falls apart
And you can count on that
You can count on bad, bad weather again”

-Dog’s Eye View Everything Falls Apart

“What The #@!!’s Going On Out Here?!?”  – Vince Lombardi

The Phantoms may look like a winning team, but they are underwater on goals scored for and against, and are tied for the fewest regulation wins in the division.  The parent club has lost 7 of the last 8 and are dragging the Phantoms down with them.

The Phantoms are near the league leaders in penalty minutes.  Thankfully they make up for it by being the worst team in the division at killing penalties.

Charlotte is coming in hot, perhaps playing some of the best hockey in the division.  This leads off a Pennsylvania weekend for them, with Scranton tomorrow and Hershey Sunday.  What a great weekend for the team who can’t figure out travel plans!

Records and Standings

Record:  19-15-2-2

Standings: Fourth in the Atlantic, about to get passed by Hershey

Home:  9-6-1-1

Away:  10-9-1-1

Recent: Lost 4 in a row

Overtime:  3-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-6

Saturday: 11-2-0-2

Sunday: 2-3-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-1-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  3-4

White “Road” Jerseys: 8-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  4-5-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-3

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Player Update

D Hunter McDonald and C Lane Pederson were called up to the Flyers, along with G Aleksei Kolosov.  Perets makes the trip back from Reading, and brings with him D Artem Guryev and LW Hunter Johannes.

Currently battling injuries to some degree:  F Massimo Rizzo, F Alex Bump, D Ty Murchison (long term).

Lines Monday in Bridgeport:

90 Richard 26 Tomasino 20 Marody

43 Eklind 56 Gaucher 12 Kaplan

72 Gendron 74 Wisdom 22 Robertson

23 Dorwart 48 Johannes 17 Wilson

3 Grans 59 Bonk

37 Ginning 15 Kyrou

82 Guenette 76 Schmidt

64 Bjarnason (Backup: 1 Perets)

GAME DAY!

We don’t even get hot dogs for cheap.

Doors: 6:00PM Public, 5:45PM Premier Members

Show: 7:00PM

Hockey: 7:15PM

Tickets: Widely Available

Parking: Heard nightmares about recent events, but nothing to report for hockey

Weather:  We should be OK for both today’s game as well as tomorrow.  Charlotte will likely rush out after tomorrow’s game in Wilkes, as well as Hershey after tomorrow’s game here, to get to Hershey in advance of snow and prepare to play Sunday afternoon.

Post-Game:  They’ve discontinued the post-game raffles at Chickie’s.  Sources suggest there’s something else in the works, but no details were available.

MEDIA KIT (rosters, records, stats etc.):

Charlotte 2

OFFICIALS:

Referees: Jarrett Burton (#78), Jack Young (#24) Linesperson: Davids Rozitis (#62), Bill Lyons (#27)

What To Watch

• Watch to see if it’s Bjarnason doing the heavy lifting in net after taking the loss on Monday.
• Watch to see if any of the injured guys are available and in the lineup
• Watch special teams:  4 of the 6 goals Bridgeport scored Monday were Power Play Goals.  One was a Shortie.  They need to play better.  Let’s look at both the players and the coaching here.
• Watch the effort.  Win or lose, but are they playing hard?  Can this coach help pull them out of this funk?
• Or, is the attrition just too much at this point?  This was a fun team to start the season, but we’re not having any fun lately here at Hockey Night.

 

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

 

 

Bridgeport certainly seems comfortable playing at the PPL Center this season.  They won for a second time at the corner of 7th Street and Hamilton.  It’s a nice thing for the last-place Sound Islanders.  For the Hamilton Street Heroes though, a pattern has emerged.  Read on for an explanation–and it’s not good news for Syracuse.

“Life’s not pretty, even though
I tried so hard to make it so
Mornings are such cold distress
How did I ever get into this mess”

–Snowblind – Styx, Lyrics by Dennis DeYoung and James Young

About Last Night

The Phantoms came out pretty hot, getting a couple nice chances early on.  Then came the penalties–some legitimate and some questionable.  It bogged the team down and ultimately the Penalty Kill–already not the strongest of units–buckled to the tune of two late-period power play goals.  Again in the second, the team came out and made some nice plays to generate quality opportunities.  The puck luck wasn’t there, and soon the desire wasn’t either.  More penalties.  The Phantoms ultimately made a late push after finally getting a power play of their own.  Bonker scored the goal.  But it was too little, too late.  The team spent 25% of the game down a man.

Ultimately, the Phantoms didn’t seem to have the mental or physical fortitude to fend off the Islanders and the striped team all in one night.  A seemingly obvious goal was taken away from them, as well, which didn’t help.  Players who did not distinguish themselves include the Gaucher/Gendron line which was sloppy, Tomasino who seems like he might be still on the Wilkes-Barre payroll, and Hunter McDonald who seemed like he didn’t feel like playing hockey last night.  Bjarnason in net was fine.  He often got a good look at the puck because there were no defenders in the area.

A Pattern Emerges

Take a look at the records below, the sample sizes are starting to get to a place where we can make some observations.  The first game of a week, or weekend, is usually a Wednesday or a Friday.  The Phantoms are a combined 7-9 this season on Wednesdays and Fridays.  With a new coach, we think perhaps they’re working on things during the week of practice, which they hope to implement in the games on the weekend.  When they start the weekend they are a bit tentative, trying to make changes, and perhaps even thinking too much instead of playing loose and playing fast.  Once they get to Saturday, 11-1-0-2.  They play more naturally and they’re much more likely to win.  Let’s test our theory tonight.

Players

D Artem Guryev has been recalled to the Phantoms from ECHL Reading

Lines Last Night versus Bridgeport:

43 Eklind 25 Pederson 20 Marody

23 Dorwart 26 Tomasino 90 Richard

72 Gendron 56 Gaucher 12 Kaplan

17 Wilson 22 Robertson 36 Boulton

19 McDonald 82 Guenette

37 Ginning 15 Kyrou

3 Grans 59 Bonk

64 Bjarnason (Backup: 1 Perets)

Injury Update:  Murchison out indefinitely with a badly broken arm.  Bump re-aggravated unknown injury and is now listed as “week-to-week.”  Rizzo battling something; availability unknown.  

Records and Standings

Record:  19-13-2-2

Standings: Fourth in the Atlantic

Home:  9-5-1-1

Away:  10-8-1-1

Recent: 6-3-1 in last 10

Overtime:  3-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-6

Saturday: 11-1-0-2

Sunday: 2-3-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-1-1]

Monday:.0-0-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  3-2

White “Road” Jerseys: 8-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  4-3-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-3

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Syracuse Crunch

Old Friend Brendan Furry is on this team.  Phantom disliker Ethan Samson is on this team as well.  They are 20-14-2-1 and in second place in the AHL North.  They play very few overtime games and even fewer shootouts.  They have a very good power play, which does lose something as a road team.  And, they have a middling penalty kill home or away.   Lehigh Valley lost in Syracuse, 3-1, on Friday December 12.

GAME DAY!

It’s Air Products Night and Saturday Night Hockey Live!  Snowblind or not, we expect to play.  Charlotte is not involved in tonight’s game.

Game Time:  7:05PM  (Gates 6PM, Members 5:45PM, Hockey 7:15PM)

Tickets:  Widely available but selling fast.  There are some deals on the secondary market if you look hard enough.

Parking:  With the snow, advise use of a garage structure rather than a lot.  Wear appropriate footwear to deal with the slushy mess that will be the sidewalks.  Leave some extra time to park and walk.

Promotion:  Donate Ramen Noodles for the Air Products food drive.  Uncooked, preferably.

MEDIA KIT:

Syracuse 1

OFFICIALS:

Referees: Ben Betker (#42), Adam Tobias (#16) Linesperson: Richard Jondo (#55), John Rey (#16)

What To Watch

• Watch to see who is in net tonight.  Do they send Bjarnason back-to-back or give Perets the game and Bjarny back on Monday for rematch in Bridgeport?  Then again, perhaps Bjarnason gets a look in Philadelphia as Kolosov did not exactly distinguish himself this afternoon in the NHL.  Not in a good way, anyway.
• Watch to see how the defenders shake out.  The arrival of Guryev today suggests that it might be time for one or more blueliner to sit.
• See how the lines look compared with last night.  We didn’t think they were that effective, but perhaps give it more time and some direction?  We think perhaps McDonald could use a night off and Tomasino should head out there as a winger.
• Watch to see if those linespersons can get the puck down in a timely manner.  I know it’s a developmental league, but those guys looked overmatched and confused last night trying to conduct a simple face-off.  Rey #16 was one of them.
• Watch to see if the game is officiated a bit better.  Phantoms were sloppy last night to be sure, and you need to earn your benefit of the doubt, but golly…

Up Next

Phantoms are off tomorrow, then play a matinee on MLK Day on Monday in Bridgeport for a rematch.

Next weekend we’re home for Charlotte (if they show up) on Friday and Hershey on Saturday.

 

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

Featured Image by Jack Mitroka; it has been cropped to fit the space. 

 

Happy New Year!  After two weekend roadies, the Phantoms are back in town to begin the 2026 portion of their 2025-26 season.  Bridgeport is in town and the hot dogs are cheap!  Let’s go!

“There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go, no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone”

-Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia “Ripple”

Welcome Home!

The Phantoms went 3-1 over their four road games the past two weekends, gathering six of eight possible standings points.  All three wins were of the ‘regulation’ variety, which can be important for tiebreakers–but also is a nice sign that the team is playing well.  The roster has been coming together (see also: Phantoms Update from two weeks ago for full roster update) but there have been some footnotes (see below).  Here’s how things stack up right now:

Records and Standings

Record:  19-12-2-2

Standings: Fourth in the Atlantic as Charlotte jumped us this weeek

Home:  9-4-1-1 (Tied for fewest home games in division)

Away:  10-8-1-1 (#1 most away games in division)

Recent: 3-1 last 4 games on the road; 5-1-1 during “Winter Semester”

Overtime:  3-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-5

Saturday: 11-1-0-2

Sunday: 2-3-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-1-1]

Monday:.0-0-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  3-1

White “Road” Jerseys: 8-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  4-3-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-2

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Player Update

• D Ty Murchison broke his arm (badly, per reports) during a fight in Springfield last Saturday.  He’s month-to-month at this point.
• G Yaniv Perets made a brief roster appearance, which may mean that a goalie is nicked up somewhere in Allentown or Philadelphia, but no one has missed a start that we could see, and Perets was returned to Baseballtown. And, then he was called up again, as G Aleksei Kolosov heades to Philadelphia.
• D Adam Ginning returned from Philadelphia
• F Alex Bump returned from his injury (per ‘Phantoms Update‘) but has missed the last couple games, again.

Bridgeport

We saw Bridgeport back on Friday 12/19 at the PPL Center (Hockey Night) and the Phantoms got trounced, 5-1.  The Phantoms won by the same score on Wednesday 11/5 over at their place; the season series is tied at 1-1.  Bridgeport comes in having won both their games at home last weekend versus Hartford and Utica.  They have relinquished last place to Hartford in the Atlantic and are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.  Their goalies hail from the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Finland and Michigan.  Old friend Capt. Parker Gahagen is with this franchise, but was recently loaned to ECHL Worcester.

GAME DAY!

It’s ‘Dollar Dog Night’ at the arena for the First Friday Home game!

Game Time:  Event: 7:05PM, Doors: 6:00PM, Premier Members: 5:45PM, Actual Hockey: 7:17PM

Tickets: Widely available.  Deals on the secondary market are out there.

Parking:  No news to report.  Construction continues at 7th and Hamilton; watch your step.

Promotion:  $1 Berks hot dogs from doors until the end of the first period.

Media Kit: Bridgeport 2

Officials: Referees: Ben Betker (#42), Hayden Verbeek (#61) Lines: Luke Pye (#42), John Rey (#16)

What To Watch

• Watch for Bjarnason to get the heavy lifting with Kolosov in Philly.  We’ll see if Perets gets tomorrow’s game or not.
• Watch for orange–or black–sweaters as we’re in the second half and wearing colors at home.  They’ve been kind of inconsistent in how they used those two jerseys on the road in the first half.  The Back Out and the Keystone Faux-backs could also make an appearance from time to time.  We’ll watch for warmies or gamers for the Olympics coming up next month, too.
• Watch to see if Bump can get back into the lineup.
• Watch Tomasino.  There hasn’t been a ton written about that trade and it sure seems like it was a case of Pittsburgh screwing Wilkes-Barre.  However, is there anything about his play that makes you think he’s not a scoring asset for our team?
• Watch the defense.  It’s not that they’ve been incompetent or unable to move the puck.  It’s more just general sloppiness and occasional narcolepsy.  When they’re on point, we win.  And that includes the penalty kill.  Here at Hockey Night we’re expecting that when the revolving door of blueliners slows down a bit, more consistency will follow.
• Watch the lines.  It’s been a weeks since they played, so didn’t copy most recent above.  We’ll look at that tomorrow.

Up Next

Syracuse in town tomorrow.  Then head to Bridgeport for a Monday matinee on MLK Day.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

The Phantoms survived a period of adversity, but now things are looking up for the Hamilton Street Heroes.  Let’s see what happened, where they are, and what’s next.

What Hapened

Joking from this column aside, the Checkers had problems with their plane for the flight to Allentown last Saturday, which postponed the game until Monday.  Our “just leave earlier we’re tired of your special treatment” retort was met with AHL rules about the holiday break.

Phantoms won by shootout on Sunday afternoon versus the first-place Penguins, who have been scuffling of late–they’ve had some roster challenges we don’t envy.  More on the Penguins as we go along here.  The Phantoms came out on Monday versus the Checkers and played some of the worst hockey we’ve seen in some time around these parts.  They somehow managed to push it to overtime, where they lost, for the “much-needed standings point.”  However, following the game, Coach Snowden was having none of it; he was very critical of his team and how they played, which is good to see because they deserve that.  Sure enough, following an off-day on Tuesday, the team came out and played much, much better versus Hershey.

The 3-0 shutout win during a matinee home game on New Years Eve was a thing of beauty versus the hated Bears team.  Their horrible fans who somehow get their bells through the metal detector, had to limp home without even getting a chance to celebrate a goal scored.  Hats off to Aleksei Kolosov for the shutout, as well as the defense in front of him blocking shots all afternoon.  It was a great regulation win and a great way to close out 2025.

Off to the Great White North and a Saturday evening tilt with the Belleville Senators.  A new-look lineup (see below) played well and the blue-liners got into the scoring act.  Only a late power play goal kept Bjarnason from the shutout in a dominant 3-1 win, another of the regulation variety.

The Phantoms concluded their six-game holiday home stand 3-2-1 with seven of a possible 12 standings points.  It wasn’t great, but the roster adversity came and went without any significant damage.

Where We Are

Well, we’re in Canada.  Not the Hockey Night staff, of course.  Just the team and a couple of key fans.  They’ll play a matinee Sunday game in Toronto later this afternoon before returning home for a week of practice.

Here’s what the records look like prior to the Toronto game:

Records and Standings

Record:  17-11-2-2

Standings: Tied in points for third place in the AHL Atlantic

Home:  9-4-1-1

Away:  8-7-1-1

Recent: 2-2 on home stand; two straight shootout wins.

Overtime:  3-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 4-5

Saturday: 9-1-0-2

Sunday: 1-2-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-1-1]

Monday:.0-0-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  1-0

White “Home” Jerseys: 8-3-1-1

Black with Orange “Road” Jerseys:  4-3-1-1

Orange “Alternate” Jerseys: 4-2

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  1-2

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-0

Around The Division

Hockey Night doesn’t spend a lot of time looking at the division until the end of the season, but lately some things have been notable:

Wilkes/Barre:  The mighty Penguins have been in first place or close to it, the entire season thus far.  But the combination of injuries, call-ups and trades (see below) have left them with an inconsistent group that has been abused a bit of late.  We’ll get to Charlotte in a minute, but after they beat Hershey in Hershey they came to Allentown for the game described above, then on the third game in three days all on the road, they spanked the Penguins on Casey Plaza.  This before Syracuse crushed the Pens.  The attrition is catching up with the black and yellow at this point in the season.

Charlotte:  They are surging and may be playing the best hockey in the division right now, although they did take a loss in Cleveland last night and the magnitude of their road trip may be catching up to them.  Despite the Phantoms current point streak, they have been unable to jump them in the standings.

Providence:  Along with the fake Penguins, they’ve been the class of the division thus far.  They remain solidly in second place and are closing in on the foundering Penguins.  We’ll visit them next weekend in their place; it’ll be a Sunday matinee where the Bruins affiliate is finishing a three-in-three and the Phantoms will have the rest advantage.

Hershey: What we saw last Wednesday at PPL Center was a team that doesn’t play the same smothering defense that they have the last couple years.  They don’t play a wide-open style and are not adept at scoring, so playing in a negative game-state is not to their advantage.  They have some goalies, as usual, but don’t defend in front of them the same way.

Springfield, Hartford and Bridgeport bring up the bottom of the division.  At least one of them will be a playoff team (looking way too far ahead, third place might be a good place to finish) and as we saw last week when Springfield and Bridgeport both beat the Phantoms at home, they are not to be taken lightly.

Roster Update

• F Massimo Rizzo recalled from Reading
• G Yaniv Perets returned to Reading
• F Hunter Johannes returned to Reading
• RW Phil Tomasino* received in TRADE with Penguins, for D Egor Zamula
• F Anthony Richard returned from Spengler Cup/ Team Canada
• D Carter Berger released to pursue opportunities overseas
• F Carson Golder returned to Reading

*Tomasino is a former first-round pick of Nashville out of Juniors.  He has NHL time with both Nashville and Pittsburgh.  Over parts of four seasons at the AHL level, Tomasino has played 104 games, scored 41 goals and 97 points and accumulated +27 in the +/-.  This season, following 9 games in Pittsburgh, he was among the points leaders in Scranton and tops in +/- on the squad.  As recently as last Sunday, he was the top-line right winger for that team.  He’s not a savior for this team, but some veteran, proven talent to replace Carl Grundstrom who will not likely return from Philadelphia, one way or another.  Tomasino is just 24 years old.  While it has been notable that the Flyers/Phantoms have moved on from a few defensemen, they’ve also brought a few in and continue to remake the group.  It may raise some eyebrows, but it’s better than pounding square pegs into round holes all season and having the team suffer for it.  In this case, the Phantoms received a significant piece in the exchange.

In addition to Tomasino and the return of Anthony Richard, F Alex Bump slots back in following some time off for a minor injury.

Lines last night in Belleville:

21 Bump 25 Pederson 22 Robertson

90 Richard 26 Tomasino 20 Marody

43 Eklind 56 Gaucher 12 Kaplan

17 Wilson 23 Dorwart 74 Wisdom

4 Murchison 82 Guenette

3 Grans 59 Bonk

19 MCDonald 15 Kyrou

64 Bjarnason (Backup: 35 Kolosov)

Where We’re Going

As mentioned above, the Phantoms will return from Canada for a week of practice before heading to New England for another Saturday/Sunday weekend with Springfield and Providence.  We’ll have home games in the three following weekends to close out January.  The next home game is Friday 1/16.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207