Phantoms Overtime Goal Down Milwaukee

By Patrick Williams
SJSports Special Correspondent

PHILADELPHIA - Maybe the Phantoms should hit the open market more often.

The acquisition of Peter White on November 12 certainly has lent an offensive side to the once-anemic Philadelphia offense.

White's goal 2:38 into overtime put the Phantoms past the Milwaukee Admirals, 6-5, last night at the First Union Spectrum.

The goal, White's third of the game, came when Milwaukee allowed White out of their sight. White took Mark Greig's pass to the slot and caught Milwaukee goaltender Jan Lasak with a shot. But the shot glanced off Lasak's left shoulder and into the net.

White (3-1-4) and Greig (1-3-4) combined for eight points on a line that included Trenton recall, Jack Baker.

Admirals Greg Classen (1-2-3) and Cameron Mann (2-1-3) countered, while linemate Konstantin Panov added a pair of helpers. Recent signee Reid Simpson contributed his first two goals of the season.

Philadelphia surrendered three power play goals to Milwaukee.

A shade over eight minutes into the match, the Phantoms opened the scoring. Patrick Sharp beat a Milwaukee defender at center ice during a Wes Mason minor. The rookie center dished a pass at the blue line to Andre Savage on the right side. Savage then snapped a shot from the shot over Lasak’s left shoulder.

The White-Greig tandem made it a two-goal lead at 10:09. Greig’s pass from the right corner made its way to White at the top of the right circle, who beat Lasak through the pads. The goal was White’s first as a Phantom since February 18, 2000, when he scored in a 5-1 loss to Hershey.

The assist extended Greig’s point streak to eight games.

But then the Admirals would get to work. The usually steady Philadelphia penalty kill sputtered late in the first.

Milwaukee’s Simpson cut the Phantoms’ lead in half, poking a rebound in the crease past Antero Niittymaki at 16:36 with Sharp off for hooking.

The Philadelphia lead disappeared with one minute to play in the period. Classen took Panov’s pass in the neutral zone and broke past White and David Harlock before beating Niittymaki low.

A Bruno St. Jacques slash helped set up the Milwaukee lead. Forty-five seconds after the Classen goal, the tie became a Milwaukee lead. Simpson, a Flyers prospect in the early 1990s, tipped Pascal Trepanier’s shot into the top of the net for a 3-2 Admirals lead.

Sharp’s shot six minutes into the second beat Lasak but caught the crossbar to keep the score in Milwaukee’s favor.

Simpson stripped White of the puck at center ice and nearly earned his hat trick. The winger cut down the left and across the mouth of the crease. But Niittymaki stayed with Simpson, sprawling to the ice to keep the Phantoms within a goal.

Twenty seconds later, however, the game was tied again. Jim Vandermeer’s point shot beat Lasak’s outstretched glove hand, giving the sophomore defenseman his first marker of the year.

White and Greig went back to work late in the second period and regained the Philadelphia lead. White zipped a pass from deep in his own zone to Greig at center ice. Greig beat a Milwaukee defenseman before breaking in on Lasak. The Slovakian goaltender stopped Greig’s backhander but allowed Greig to have two pokes at the puck before it finally trickled over the goal line.

Lasak and Milwaukee bench boss Peter Horachek disputed the goal and picked an unsportsmanlike conduct call from referee Craig Spada.

Philadelphia’s penalty kill faltered early in the third period. Killing off Peter Vandermeer’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Phantoms allowed Panov to take Classen’s pass to the left circle and tie the game at 4-4 with a snap shot.

Milwaukee capitalized on Niittymaki’s misplay behind the Philadelphia net with under nine minutes to play. Niittymaki attempted to beat Classen to a dump-in behind the net. But the Milwaukee winger outraced Niittymaki to the puck and sent a pass to Jonas Andersson in the slot, who fired a shot into the vacated cage for a 5-4 Admirals lead.

The White acquisition continued to pay dividends. White converted a Greig pass at 16:04 that tied the game at five apiece and set the stage for White’s overtime work.

***SOUTH JERSEY SPORTS INSIDE THE GAME***

NOTEWORTHY

Goaltender Neil Little tweaked his knee in Wednesday night’s loss in Utah. The Phantoms recalled Matthew Yeats from Atlantic City of the East Coast Hockey League to back up Niittymaki…

Kirby Law sat out the second game of his three-game suspension for his role Monday night’s postgame brawl against Utah. He is eligible to return on Wednesday…

Bill Barber, now Tampa Bay’s director of pro scouting, took in the game…

Milwaukee scratched former Phantom defenseman Jason Beckett…

SCRATCHES

MILWAUKEE: D Jason Beckett; D Andrew Hutchinson; C Darren Haydar

PHANTOMS: D Dan Peters (concussion); RW Kirby Law (suspension); C Ian MacNeil; G Neil Little (knee)

THREE STARS

1. PHI – Peter White (3 goals, 1 assist)

2. MIL – Reid Simpson (2 goals)

3. MIL – Greg Classen (1 goal, 2 assists)

ON TAP

The Phantoms visit the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport tonight in a 7:05 p.m. faceoff. A busload of Phantoms season-ticket holders will be making the trip. Rochester pays a visit on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m.