TREADING WATER

VERSUS 

As we explained, we were unavailable to watch the Pack due to some serious issues with star alignment, too many drinks and and the birth of a son who would grow up to adore and report on the Rangers and their number one farm team.

We were glad we decided to skip this one since it sounded like the Pack had  another one of those, "we're shooting, but we're not scoring" kind of nights.

Bob Crawford filed this report:

Jared Ross scored two goals and added an assist, and Claude Giroux had a goal and two assists, to lead the Philadelphia Phantoms to a 6-3 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday at the Wachovia Spectrum.

The Wolf Pack lost despite outshooting the Phantoms 41-25 on the night.  Philadelphia goaltender Scott Munroe made 38 saves.  Artem Anisimov scored two of the Wolf Pack's three goals, and Michael Sauer had a pair of assists.  All of Hartford's goals came on power plays, as the man-advantage unit went 3/4, its first three-goal game of the season.

The first period was scoreless, with the Wolf Pack having the better of the play.  Hartford outshot the Phantoms 11-5, and among Munroe's 11 saves were two on Greg Moore on point-blank opportunities from the slot.

The second frame was much more wide-open, as the two clubs combined for five goals and 33 shots, 19 by the Wolf Pack.  Ross started the offense at the 1:19 mark, burying the puck behind Wolf Pack goaltender Miika Wiikman after Giroux rang a shot off the goalpost.  Anisimov tied it at 8;51, as he poked his own rebound past Munroe after receiving a centering pass from P.A. Parenteau. 

The Phantoms then opened the first two-goal lead of the game with two goals in 1:04 starting at 10:49.  Ross got his second of the game, after Matt Clackson knocked down a clearing attempt by Vladimir Denisov.  Former Wolf Pack Boyd Kane made it 3-1 at 11:53, finishing off a sharp three-way passing play with Giroux and Danny Syvret.

The Wolf Pack power play struck again at 18:20.  Brodie Dupont backhanded in a rebound after Sauer's shot from the left-wing circle was stopped by Munroe.  Anisimov then tied on another Hartford man-advantage at 6:43 of the third.  He deflected a shot by Patrick Rissmiller at the post to Munroe's right.  Anisimov has a three-game goal-scoring streak, tying a Wolf Pack season high, and has scored four times during the run.

The Phantoms would respond with three goals in a span of 4:38 after that, though, starting with a Giroux tally at 9:18.  Giroux snapped in a loose puck from the slot, off assists from Kane and Ross.  David Laliberte made it 5-3 at 11:51, sliding a shot along the ice underneath a prone Wiikman's right arm, and Jonathan Matsumoto completed the scoring on a penalty shot at 13:56, after being dragged down on a partial breakaway by Bobby Sanguinetti.  That was the first penalty shot that the Wolf Pack have been involved with this season.

The loss dropped the Wolf Pack back to the .500 mark, 10-10-1-2 for 23 points.

Good friend and sometime contributor to Howlings, Laurie Carr took in the game and comments in her Beyondtheblueshirts blog. For the Philadelphia perspective, what little there is, check out Philly.com.

GAME SUMMARY and SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

* While the Wolf Pack managed to come up short in the scoring department, we managed to score some choice gifts from our friends including a magnificent steak knife set, chopping knives, hot chocolate maker, carving knife set, wine and some terrific other items. For the young developing gourmet chef, the was the best. Okay, not quite the best, but damn close to it. The best gift is the love and affection of my two boys who made special birthday cards for me, my wife, who was a wonderful host and friend and the best for me was the kind emails and well wishes on this my 47th birthday. Thank you all.

* Charlotte took one to the jaw falling to the visiting South Carolina Stingrays  a 5-1 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Jeff Jakaitis had a rough night. Read more about it at gocheckers.com.

* In other AHL news, the Detroit Red Wings' Chris Chelios, who at 46 years of age, became the oldest player in the 73-year history
of the AHL to take to the ice in a game/ Chelios on a conditioning loan from Detroit, earned an assist midway through the third period but it wasn't enough as the Grand Rapids Griffins dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

* Since we're looking at the news from all over, this in from the "WHEW, that-was-a-close-one" department, according to MSNBC, Oprah Winfrey doesn't quite want to ruin the country any more than she already has, just yet.

THREE STARS:

1. PHI – 18 Jared Ross
2. PHI – 19 Claude Giroux
3. HFD – 42 Artem Anisimov

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Kyle Rehman (37), Referee
Paul Carnathan (93), Linesman
Matt McNulty (26), Linesman

NEXT GAME:

Saturday night in Hershey versus the AHL's overall first place team, the Hershey Bears. Game time is 7pm.