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Ice Hockey Spotlight:
Phantoms Shock Flyers 10-6

Friday, October 3, 2003

By Al Cohen
Philadelphia Phantoms Correspondent

Ian MacNeil and Ben Stafford each scored twice and rookie Nick Deschenes recorded four points as the Philadelphia Phantoms surprised their parent club, the Philadelphia Flyers, 10-6 tonight at the Wachovia Spectrum.

The Phantoms outshot the Flyers, 46-29, and tallied the final four goals of the game to remain unbeaten in preseason play (3-0-1). Neil Little went the distance in goal, stopping 23 shots, and Philadelphia's version of Kane and Abel (Boyd Kane & B.J. Abel) each contributed three points.

Radovan Somik led the Flyers with four points (1G, 3A), while Robert Esche stopped 28-of-32 shots over the first two periods and Jeff Hackett made eight saves on 14 shots faced in the third. The teams were meeting for the first time since Sept. 21, 1999, when they played a benefit game in memory of Flyers defenseman Dmitri Tertyshny, who passed away earlier that summer in a boating accident. The Flyers prevailed in the game, 6-1.

The Phantoms jumped out to a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes of play thanks to a pair of goals by MacNeil. After Simon Gagne opened the scoring at the 8:23 mark, MacNeil retaliated by knocking the puck off a Flyer's skate and in with 8:58 to go in the period. Peter White gave the Phantoms a brief 2-1 lead off a pretty backhanded centering pass by Kirby Law, but Mark Recchi knotted the score 61 seconds later.

MacNeil then netted his second goal with 4:55 left when he accepted a pass from Deschenes at the blue line, skated down the far side and rocketed a shot past Esche.

Gagne made it a 3-3 game 67 seconds into the second stanza before Law and John LeClair scored 17 seconds apart midway through the period. The Flyers' Eric Chouinard then put his team on top 5-4 heading into the second intermission.

Phantoms rookies Deschenes, Randy Jones and Abel executed a perfect 3-on-1 at 4:44 of the final period to make it 5-5 before Stafford beat Justin Williams to a puck at center ice and scored on a breakaway at 6:53. Somik capped his four-point night with 10:08 remaining to make it 6-6, but the Phantoms tallied the last four goals to claim victory.

Jones netted the game-winner at 10:52, with assists going to Abel and Deschenes. Stafford widened the gap to 8-6 at 13:15 off a feed from Boyd Kane before Mathieu Brunelle and Deschenes finished the scoring.

Phantoms Notes: Philadelphia Daily News beat reporter Ed Moran served as head coach of the Phantoms tonight. He was assisted by Bucks County Courier Times beat reporter Wayne Fish and former Flyer and current 610-WIP radio announcer Keith Jones. ... There were no penalties called in the game. ... The teams played 4-on-4 during the entire third period. ... Earlier in the day, defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Jeff Woywitka were assigned from the Flyers. ... Mike Peluso, Andre Savage and Antero Niittymaki did not play due to minor injuries. ... The Phantoms will conclude their exhibition slate on Monday afternoon against the Albany River Rats. The teams will be meeting for the third time this preseason.

The Phantoms open the 2003-04 regular season on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:05 p.m., when they host the Binghamton Senators at the Wachovia Spectrum. Tickets to all Phantoms home games are $19, $18 and $14 for adults, and $8 for all children 14 and under, and are available now at the Wachovia Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations throughout the Delaware Valley. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling (215) 336-2000, (856) 338-9000 or (302) 984-2000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Contact the Phantoms office at 215-465-4522 or log on to www.phantomshockey.com for information on group discounts, birthday packages and the Family Four Pack.

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