WEEKLY RUNDOWN: 12-29

The Flames had an up and down weekend, as they followed up Friday’s 2-1 loss in Utica with a dominating 5-0 win over the Bulldogs in Hamilton. Sunday, however, the Flames proceeded to be shutout 2-0 by the Toronto Marlies. Despite a 1-2-0-0 weekend, Adirondack still sits at fourth place in the Western Conference, and second place in the North Division.

Friday 12/26/14: Adirondack Flames 1 – Utica Comets 2 (Utica Memorial Auditorium)

The Adirondack Flames dropped another nail-biting decision to the Utica Comets, a 2-1 final at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Joni Ortio was stellar between the pipes with 32 saves in defeat, while Bryce Van Brabant had the lone goal for the visitors, his seventh of the season. Van Brabant’s goal now places him tied for third on the Flames in total goals with teammate Garnet Hathaway.

Saturday 12/27/14: Adirondack Flames 5 – Hamilton Bulldogs 0 (FirstOntario Centre)

The Adirondack Flames snapped a three game losing skid in a big way as they defeated the Hamilton bulldogs 5-0 on Saturday evening at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Flames were powered by the forward line of Emile Poirier, Bill Arnold and Sven Baertschi, which combined for four goals and nine points in the victory. Baertschi led the way with a season high four points (1-3-4), while Poirier added two goals and an assist. Arnold also chipped in two points (1-1-2), while goaltender Joni Ortio turned aside 23 shots as he earned his third shutout of the season, tied for second in the AHL.

Sunday 12/28/14: Adirondack Flames 0 – Toronto Marlies 2 (Ricoh Coliseum)

The Adirondack Flames ended their weekend on a down note, as they dropped a 2-0 decision to the Toronto Marlies on Sunday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum.

The Flames were shutout for just the second time this season. Brad Thiessen made 18 saves in defeat for the Flames, who ended their weekend with two points from three games.

Flames Quick Hits

• In Saturday’s 5-0 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Flames power play was clicking, as they scored on two of their five opportunities with the man-advantage.

• The Flames have killed off 35 of their last 36 penalties, dating back to their Dec. 7 contest with the Albany Devils.

• Joni Ortio’s 15 wins this season has him tied for second place in the league with Anton Forsberg, sitting just two behind of Jean-Francois Berube of the Manchester Monarchs, who has 17.

Adirondack Flames Team Leaders

Goals: Ben Hanowski (11)

Assists: Ryan Culkin (14)

Points: Emile Poirier (19)

Games: Bill Arnold (34)

PP Goals: Ben Hanowski/Garnet Hathaway (4)

SH Goals: Corban Knight (1)

+/- Rating: Michael Ferland (+6)

PIM: Mathieu Tousignant (64)

GAA: Brad Thiessen (2.48)

SV %: Brad Thiessen (.922)

Wins: Ortio (15)

Losses: Ortio (7)

GPI: Ortio (24)

Minutes: Ortio (1390:30)

Adirondack Alumni

• Markus Granlund, who started the season in Adirondack, made his 2014-15 debut with Calgary on Oct. 31. The Finnish forward has accumulated 12 points (4-8-12) in 26 games thus far with Calgary.

• In 28 games this season with Calgary, Josh Jooris has now recorded 13 points (8-5-13). After playing two games with Adirondack at the start of the season, Jooris was called up to the NHL when David Jones was sidelined due to a lower-body injury.

• On Saturday (12/13/14), defenseman Corey Potter was recalled to Calgary. Potter, 30, played in 19 games with Adirondack, during which time he recorded five points (0-5-5). He has yet to make his 2014-15 Calgary debut.

Flames Milestones

• Sunday’s game against Toronto was Nolan Yonkman’s 700th AHL game. Over his career, Yonkman has played for six different AHL organizations, and has been the Captain on three of those teams.

• Flames center Max Reinhart currently has 95 AHL points. He is just five away from reaching the 100 point plateau. He has nine total points this season (4-5-9).

Western Conference Standings

Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA

1 * Utica Comets 31 21 5 5 0 47 0.758 89 66

2 * Oklahoma City Barons 31 20 7 2 2 44 0.710 99 86

3 * Rockford IceHogs 33 19 10 3 1 42 0.636 95 78

4 Adirondack Flames 34 19 13 1 1 40 0.588 93 93

5 San Antonio Rampage 30 17 10 3 0 37 0.617 95 92

6 Chicago Wolves 32 17 12 3 0 37 0.578 98 81

7 Texas Stars 31 13 10 8 0 34 0.548 87 94

8 Milwaukee Admirals 29 15 11 0 3 33 0.569 79 72

9 Grand Rapids Griffins 29 15 11 3 0 33 0.569 93 78

10 Hamilton Bulldogs 32 14 13 5 0 33 0.516 88 89

11 Lake Erie Monsters 30 13 12 2 3 31 0.517 84 103

12 Toronto Marlies 32 13 15 4 0 30 0.469 68 87

13 Charlotte Checkers 31 11 16 3 1 26 0.419 69 91

14 Rochester Americans 32 12 19 1 0 25 0.391 89 99

15 Iowa Wild 31 10 19 1 1 22 0.355 78 106

*Denotes Division Leader

The Week Ahead

Wednesday vs. Toronto (12/31/14) – 5:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Flames and Marlies will meet for an early evening New Year’s Eve showdown at the Glens Falls Civic Center. This will be the third meeting of the season between these two teams, as the Flames and Marlies have each earned wins in their respective arenas.

While things haven’t gone quite as the Marlies may have hoped thus far this season, their recent 6-2-2-0 run has them headed back in the right direction. Rookie right winger Connor Brown has led the way offensively to this point for the Marlies, as his eight goals and 24 points (8-16-24) currently has him atop the Toronto stat sheet.

In net, rookie netminder Antoine Bibeau has split the workload with Finnish goaltender Christopher Gibson. Bibeau and Gibson are both tied with six wins, but Gibson’s .919 save percentage, and 2.52 goals against average has him leading the way statistically between the pipes. Also joining the Toronto goaltending rotation on Sunday was Garret Sparks. In his 2014-15 debut, Sparks made 23 saves in a 2-0 shutout over the Adirondack Flames.

Friday vs. Utica (1/2/15) – 7:00 p.m.

Two days later after their tilt with Toronto, the Flames will kick off 2015 on Friday when the Utica Comets come to town. This will be the sixth meeting of the season between Utica and Adirondack, with the Comets having won all five of the contests thus far.

The Comets have had a very strong start to the season, as their 47 points have them in first place in not just the Western Conference, but the American Hockey League as a whole. Cal O’Reilly has been the leading point getter for Utica up to this point, with 28 (3-25-28), but Brandon DeFazio’s 12 goals (12-7-19) has him leading in that department.

Swedish native’s Joacim Eriksson and Jacob Markstrom have become one of the strongest goalie tandems in the AHL for the Comets. Eriksson’s 12 wins has him leading the team in wins, while Markstrom’s 1.63 goals against average, and .939 save percentage has him atop the Utica goaltending stat sheet.

Saturday vs. Rochester (1/3/15) – 7:00 p.m.

The next day, the Rochester Americans will visit the Glens Falls Civic Center for a Saturday night tilt with the Flames. In six prior meetings, both the Flames and Americans have won three times, with one of those wins for Rochester coming via a shootout.

Rochester is entering this week near the bottom of the Western Conference standings in 14th place. Through 32 games, the Americans are owners of a 12-19-1-0 record, good for 25 points, and have won just three of their last 10 outings. The Americans have been led offensively by center Phil Varone. Varone, 24, has amassed 29 points (8-21-29) through 32 games this season, while Tim Schaller is currently the team leader in goals, with nine.

Between the pipes, rookie Andrey Makarov has taken command, as his eight wins, 2.74 goals against average, and .910 save percentage is a team best.

Upcoming Events and Promotions

The Flames return home on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve tilt with the Toronto Marlies. In addition to being a Great Meadow Federal Credit Union Wednesday, the Dec. 31 game will also feature an indoor fireworks show following the game, as well as a Gingerbread House raffle presented by Scoville Jewlers.

On Friday, when the Flames will take on the Utica Comets, it will be a Flames Friday’s! Presented by Labatt Blue Light. Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light 24oz Bombers will be discounted to $8.00 (from $10.00). This offer will be available until alcohol sales are cut off with 10 minutes left in the third period. Bombers are available at beer ports on the concourse, Hot Dog Nation, Pizza Hut, the Craft Corner and the Golia Ice Lounge. There will also be a Remote appearance from the ESPN 104.5 promotions team.

Saturday’s game against the Rochester Americans will be Saturday Night is Hockey Night in Glens Falls, presented by Bud Light. It will also be “Reverse Sweater Night”, where the Flames will wear their official “road” red uniforms. Pre-game specials available at Lawrence Street Tavern from 5-6 p.m.

Tickets are available now for all home games through a full season, 22 game, 12 game, or a flex pack. Visit the Flames box office, call 518-480-3355, or order online now at glensfallscc.com.