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Phantoms Top Providence
Philadelphia Finishes Weekend With 5-3 Win

Sunday, January 29, 2006

By Brian Smith
Philadelphia Phantoms Correspondent

PROVIDENCE, RI - The Philadelphia Phantoms came roaring back from a 1-0 deficit with four consecutive goals and then held on to beat the Providence Bruins 5-3 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Sunday afternoon.

After a scoreless first period, Nathan Robinson started things up for the Bruins at 3:24 of the second. Robinson came down the right side, beat a man and cut across the top of the crease before tucking it past Phantoms goaltender Martin Houle for the 1-0 lead.

That lead stood until Philadelphia fired off three goals in just over four minutes time. First it was Tony Voce, who was on the right-side doorstep to jam home the rebound of a Marc Cavosie blast from the left point, which tied the game at 1-1 with eight minutes left in the period.

Three minutes later, Stephen Wood scored his first American Hockey League goal on the power play at 15:12. Wood fired a perfect wrist shot from the left side circle into the upper right hand corner, just above the outstretched glove of goaltender Jordan Sigalet. It then took less than a minute for Brent Kelly to pick up the fourth goal, doing so at 16:03 on a one-timer off a pass from Blake Bellefeuille.

Pat Kavanagh made it a 4-1 game at 6:18 of the third period. He was hanging around the left-side post and slammed home a puck that Josh Gratton slid across the top of the crease from the right side.

But Providence did not go down quietly. At the 7:46 mark, Nathan Robinson fired a turnaround shot from the left circle that beat Houle. Then at 16:16, Eric Healey threw a puck on net to the short side that found a hole and went in, making it a 4-3 game. However, Josh Gratton was able to finish things off with an empty-netter with 26 seconds remaining.

Wood, Gratton, Voce and Kavanagh all finished with two points on the night after assisting on other goals in addition to scoring their own. Cavosie also had a two-point evening with a pair of helpers. Houle took the win with 23 saves on 26 Providence shots, while Sigalet stopped 26 of the 30 opportunities he faced. Meanwhile, the best game of Wood's AHL career came in his own backyard - Wood is from nearby Framingham, Mass. and played his college hockey for the Friars of Providence College.

The Phantoms now head into the all-star break and are off until Friday. Feb. 3 when they host the Hershey Bears at the Wachovia Spectrum.


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