GLENS FALLS -- In at least one sense this season, the Adirondack Phantoms have gotten a lot out of a little. The Phantoms come into the weekend set against Hartford and Albany with three wins and seven points, good enough for third place in the East Division.
They've accomplished that solid start on just 17 goals. Only two teams in the league have scored fewer.
On Sunday, they showed flashes of breaking out, getting four goals - one empty netter - in a win over Bridgeport. More importantly, Jared Ross and Jon Matsumoto, two of the top scorers from last season, picked up their first goals of the season.
"We have a lot of depth in scoring," said Jason Ward, who also picked up his first goal on Sunday. "I think it was just one of those things were everyone got off to a rough start, but if we keep working hard and playing within our game we'll get lots of opportunities and those opportunities will turn into goals."
Getting the Ross-Ward line going was key. Midway through the Albany game on Saturday, coach Greg Gilbert moved Krys Kolanos to the left wing of that top line, looking for a spark. Kolanos responded with the game-tying goal. On Sunday, they accounted for five points, with Ross and Kolanos each notching a goal and an assist.
"(Kolanos) is a goal scorer. He knows how to put the puck in the net. He's proven that over and over again," Ward said.
Kolanos scored 31 goals in just 47 games with Houston last year, but was scratched in two of the Phantoms' first five games. Suddenly, he's in a key spot.
"He was creating things offensively, he was working hard, competing," Gilbert said. "I gave him an opportunity to fit in on that line and he's been there ever since. That's not to say (it) won't change if things go south."
Traveling to Albany on Saturday, the Phantoms get a quick chance to atone for their overtime loss last weekend. It was the one point they didn't capture on an otherwise successful weekend.
"It was a hard-fought game and we made a couple of mistakes in the overtime and obviously they capitalized on their opportunities ..." Gilbert said. "But you're going to have those games. I thought for the most part we played a pretty solid game."
Ward expects a similar type of game to that 2-1 contest.
"It's going to be another defensive battle," he said.
With the offense sluggish, that's how most of their games have gone. Four of their first six games were decided by one goal, and another was a one-goal game until a final-minute empty netter.
One way to remedy that is to start faster. The Phantoms have allowed the first goal in four of their six games. They're 2-2 in those situations.
"We've got to come out a little quicker, night in and night out and be a little more assertive from the drop of the first puck," Gilbert said.
Loose pucks: Defenseman Randy Jones, who had been suffering from the flu, practiced on Thursday ... Newcomer Stefan Legein will wear No. 9 ... The Phantoms 20th ranked power play (4 for 26) stands a chance to get on track against Hartford. The Wolf Pack are 28 out of 29 teams in the league on the penalty kill, allowing 11 goals in 34 attempts.
Posted in Sports, Hockey on Friday, October 23, 2009 12:10 am Updated: 10:04 am. | Tags: Adirondack Phantoms, Tim Mcmanus, Ahl, Hockey, Phantoms
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