The Rivalry Is On
In a brawl-filled contest, the AHL's Phantoms and Senators combine for 379 penalty minutes and force an early end to the game.

Jonathan Roybal
MinorLeagueNews.com

01.15.04 - Anyone who thinks that there is no more fighting in hockey obviously wasn't in attendance at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA on December 29, 2003.

In a game that featured a combined 379 penalty minutes - including 11 fights and 16 game misconducts - the Binghamton Senators posted a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phantoms.

The fisticuffs on the ice were so prevalent toward the end of the game, the referees had to end the contest with time still left in the third period.

The Senators were leading 4-1 when the first of four major brawls broke out with 3:50 remaining in the game.

Binghamton goaltender Ray Emery and Philadelphia right wing Mike Peluso were the main combatants initially, until everyone else on the ice joined in, including Philly goalie Neil Little, who skated the length of the ice and literally jumped onto the pile of fighters.

"I saw Pistol (Peter Vandermeer) going at it and I got speared in the head (by Emery)," said Peluso about the first brawl. "The guys were mad he got a cheap shot in. Everybody on the team stuck up for each other. A team that sticks together - whether scoring, fighting, or winning - is going to be a hard team to play. The next time they come in here, it's going to be a different story."

After order was restored, both goaltenders were replaced and play resumed, the next melee erupted seven seconds later. Binghamton backup goalie Billy Thompson was involved and received a game misconduct, forcing Emery back on the ice despite earlier being assessed 17 minutes worth of penalties.

The teams waited a whole 37 seconds of play until the third brawl occurred at the 16:54 mark, as Phantoms left wing Craig Berube wound up receiving three game misconducts in the fracas. When play resumed again, Philadelphia was left with one player on the bench and Binghamton two.

The final brawl began with eight seconds to play and forced the referees to end the game at that point due to a lack of players.

When all was said and done, Philadelphia established franchise records for most penalty minutes in a game (210) and most combined penalty minutes (379). Peter Vandermeer, already the league leader in PIM, also set an individual Phantoms record with 44 PIM.

Three Phantoms players were suspended by the AHL for their roles in the brawl.

Forward Mike Siklenka was suspended for six games; forward Peter Vandermeer was suspended for four games and goaltender Neil Little was suspended for two games.

The league office refused to comment as to why no B-Sens were suspended for their part in the melee, though reportedly both teams were assessed undisclosed fines.

"It's a division rivalry and we're trying to gain points on each other," said Phantoms head coach John Stevens. "The rivalry is certainly on."

Philadelphia and Binghamton only had to wait a couple of weeks for the highly anticipated rematch on Jan. 10 in Binghamton.

As expected, the game started off physical, as Jim Vandermeer and Binghamton's Mike Brown dropped the gloves just 47 seconds into the first period.

Peter Vandermeer, who days earlier completed a four-game suspension from the last Binghamton game, and Brian McGrattan also fought early in the opening period.

There were no more fights after the first period. The teams finished with a combined 34 PIM, as the Phantoms left town with a 2-1 victory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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