The Rebels have announced today that Philadelphia Phantoms legends Frank Bialowas and Dave Macissac will drop the ceremonial first puck when the Rebels take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights at the Wells Fargo Center on March 10.
Bialowas and MacIsaac were members of the Phantoms 1997-98 American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Championship team.
Bialowas, the former Winnipeg, Manitoba native was an undrafted forward who had an eleven-year professional career. He played in four National Hockey League games with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1993-94 season. Despite not scoring any goals during that time he did amass 12 penalty minutes.
The “Animal” began his professional career in 1991-92 with the Roanoke Valley Rebels of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). After playing in the Maple Leafs farm system for a few years, Bialowas found his home in Philadelphia beginning with the 1996-97 season. Bialowas played three years with the Phantoms where he had a total of 28 points in 156 games and amassed 555 penalty minutes. He finished his career with the Hershey Bears in 1999-00. He was inducted in the Phantoms Hall of Fame in 2005. His is one of only four Phantoms players in the team’s Hall of Fame (goalie Neil Little – 2006, defenseman John Stevens – 2007), and American League Hall of Famer Peter White in 2009).
Bialowas currently resides in South Jersey and can still be found playing hockey with the Flyers Alumni team.
MacIsaac was a member of the University of Maine’s NCAA 1992-93 championship season. He also was selected for the Hockey East All-Rookie team that year.
The Cambridge, MA native began his professional career with the Milwaukee Admirals of the International Hockey League. He then when onto play more than seven seasons in the AHL, including three with the Phantoms.
During his tenure with the Phantoms, MacIsaac had 67 points (16 goals and 51 assists) in 188 games and cumulated 526 penalty minutes. He was the team’s captain during the 1998-99 season.
After 14-year career, MacIsaac would move on to coaching. He led the Danbury Mad Hatters (EPHL) to a 30-18-2 record as the head coach in 2008–09. In 2009, MacIsaac would become the head coach of the Louisiana IceGators (SPHL). For the 2011–12 season, he would assume the same role for Bjorninn HC of the Icelandic Hockey League and Bjorninn HC won the league championship that season. He would be named head coach of the Icelandic National team where he led the team to a bronze medal at the World Championships.
