March 20

When the AHL releases it schedule each year in August I look for a suitable date for our annual trip north to Allentown for a Phantoms game at PPL Center. I always try to find a Sunday game at a point in the season when the Royals are away and weather should not be an issue, on the very first day they were on sale in September I got our tickets for the game on March 20. The Flyers' AHL affiliate has played under the Phantoms name since 1996, the first thirteen seasons in Philadelphia at the old Spectrum before a five-year stay in Glens Falls, New York from 2009 to 2014. The club is in its second season in the Lehigh Valley and in the second year of association with the Royals, on this day the Portland Pirates (the Florida Panthers' AHL club) was the opponent. Jenny got a picture with Phantoms mascot meLVin (the spelling and capitalization are accurate, the LV is for "Lehigh Valley" and he wears #55 which is LV in Roman numerals). Before the game there was a brief video presentation spotlighting a local eight-year-old who was recently diagnosed with an incurable disease, it was very emotional when he came into the ice for the ceremonial puck-drop. Portland scored twice in the first period, they led 3-0 early in the second before once-and-maybe-future Royal Adam Comrie lit the lamp for the Phantoms. Late in the third period former NHLer Chris Conner made it 3-2 but a Pirate empty-netter ended the comeback, veteran goaltender Jason LaBarbara took the loss for the Phantoms. Comrie, Joe Rehkamp and Martin Ouellette were the only Phantoms in uniform who have also played with the Royals, Ouellette was serving as LaBarbara's backup. The game started at 5:00 and wound down around 7:30, it was almost 10:00 by the time we were home. It's not a terrible trip since it's just about all highway but eighty miles one-way is not something I would want to do regularly, once a season is good enough for me. At least the weather cooperated, early in the week the Sunday forecast was ominous but we never saw a drop (or a FLAKE) all day. Take care, thanks for reading.