IceCaps Weekly Forecast | ‘Caps Host Phantoms, Bears for Four Games

Danielle Barnes

March 20, 2017

IceCaps Weekly Forecast | ‘Caps Host Phantoms, Bears for Four Games — (Photo by Amy Johnson | Rocket Sports Media)

IceCaps Weekly Forecast gives a first look of the week ahead for your St. John’s IceCaps. Staff writer Danielle Barnes maps out the schedule, provides a statistical comparison of each matchup, identifies players to watch, as well as goaltenders and notes for each team. Refer to this page as your guide for each game in the IceCaps schedule this week.

by Danielle Barnes, Staff Writer, AHL Report

(Photo by Amy Johnson | Rocket Sports Media)

ST JOHN’S, NL. — This week, the St. John’s IceCaps will face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the Hershey Bears. The team will first face the Phantoms for a pair on the 21^st and 22^nd, before facing the Bears on the 25^th and 26^th.

Calendar: March 20 – 26
MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN

	HOME	HOME			HOME	HOME

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St. John’s IceCaps
Following four consecutive wins last week, the IceCaps move up one spot in the North division ranking at fourth. While things have been looking up for the IceCaps this month, the Phantoms and the Bears have proved to be tough competitors in previous games, which may end their winning streak following this weeks matchup.
Players to Watch
Josiah Didier – Defenceman Josiah Didier has played 27 games with the IceCaps this season. His efforts in the IceCaps game against Rochester on the 18^th earned him the second star of the game. Jeremy Gregoire – Gregoire has played 50 games with the IceCaps this season, accumulating a total of 10 points.
Notes	Goaltenders
Goalie Charlie Lindgren had his fourth shutout of the season against the Rochester Americans on the 18^th.	Lindgren 21-16-5 \| 2.57 GAA \| .914 Sv% Danis 10-6-3 \| 2.94 GAA \| .905 Sv%

Tuesday and Wednesday March 21st, 22nd

Lehigh Valley Phantoms

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (40-19-4-0) rank at second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the league overall. The ‘Caps and the Phantoms first faced each other in February resulting in one win for each team. The Phantoms excel in their road games, which may work in their favour this week in attempts to defeat the ‘Caps.

Players to Watch

Greg Carey – Carey is the second overall leader in the league for goals with 26 goals in 62 games played.
T.J. Brennan – Brennan is the second defenseman leader in the league with 51 points in 62 games played

Notes

Goaltenders

According to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Twitter, they are one of the only three teams that have 40 plus wins so far this season.

Lyon 24-12-4 | 2.69 GAA | .911 Sv%
Stolarz 15-7-0 | 2.96 GAA | .909 Sv%

Matchup

March 21st, 22nd | St. John’s, NL

ICECAPS	(stats as of Mar. 19, 2017)	PHANTOMS
70 (4th)	Points (Div. Rank)	84 (2nd)
31-25-7-1	Record	40-19-4-0
14-12-4-0 (home)	Home/Away Record	20-11-1-0 (away)
.547	Winning Percentage	.667
181	Goals For	226
186	Goals Against	184
17.9%	Power-play	22.2%
79.2%	Penalty-kill	83.7%

Season Series – Recap

February 10, 2017 |STJ v LV|IceCaps – Phantoms: Special Teams Come Up Short
February 11, 2017 |STJ v LV|IceCaps – Phantoms: Getting Back to Basics Pays Off
March 21, 2017 |LV v STJ|
March 22, 2017 |LV v STJ|

Saturday and Sunday March 25th, 26th

Hershey Bears

The Hershey Bears (36-18-8-3) rank at third in the Atlantic division and seventh in the league overall. The two teams first met back in February, resulting in two wins for the Bears. The Bears are ahead of the IceCaps in both the special teams power-play and penalty kill, which may give them an edge this week despite the ‘Caps home team advantage