Phantoms dismiss Voce after fight with coach

Phantoms forward Tony Voce was dismissed from the club this week by general manager Paul Holmgren after instigating a fight with coach Kjell Samuelsson following an argument at practice.

"They had a disagreement on the ice over how the practice was going," Holmgren said yesterday. "Most of it was on the ice. Sammy tried to say, 'Hold on and I'll talk to you in my office' and it never got to that point."

Holmgren met with the 26-year-old left wing to discuss the matter and then sent him home. A native of the Far Northeast and a graduate of Archbishop Ryan High, Voce has not been reassigned.

"He won't be back to the Phantoms," Holmgren said, adding that Voce was frustrated at sitting out a number of games. "He was boiling over, but at the end of the day, he had crossed the line with the coach. My belief [comes from] a Fred Shero rule.

"Rule No. 1: The coach is always right. Rule No. 2: When in doubt, refer back to Rule No.1. He messed up. I said, 'I'm sorry, you crossed the line and I want you to go home and I'll call you when I figure out what we're going to do.' "

Voce played three seasons for the Phantoms with 58 goals, 57 assists, for 115 points in 181 career games. This season, he had 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 41 games.