Glens Falls, NY (AP) - A smack and a thud is followed by muttering under the breath.  Another smack and a thud brings even louder muttering.  Again, a smack and a thud.

"Come on, already!" exclaims Adirondack Phantoms center Luke Pither.  The third missed shot to hit the boards brings a whistle from the coach.

"You couldn't hit the broadside of a barn today, for crying out loud," yells coach Joe Paterson.

Pither proceeds to flip a puck up with his stick, through a couple of dekes at the goalie, and stick one top shelf.

"That's nice, but you've gotta put shots on the net.  There's nobody checking you, and you're still missing the net on shots from the slot!  Shots on net, even if they don't go in, can generate rebounds and chances for our other guys charing the net," says Paterson in a teaching moment.

It's been a season full of teaching moments, not just for Pither, but the entire Phantoms squad.  The team is just 11-19-3 heading into 2012, good enough for dead last in the Northeast Division.  Still, there are some bright spots, and Pither has been one of them, for the most part, this season.

Pither is the team's leading goal scorer with 9 tallies.  His 18 points is good for third on the team.  He's also netted a game-winning goal and three power play goals.  One of the real positives is his shot selection.  Despite the earlier indication of his struggles to hit the net, Pither has actually connected on 22 percent of his shots.

Profile Card - Luke Pither
	Luke Pither | C Adirondack Phantoms
	Height: 6'0"	Handedness: Left
	Weight: 194	Age: 22 years old
	Season GP G A PTS PIMS +/- PPG S S% FO% 2011-12 30 9 9 18 7 -4 3 41 22.0% 49.9%

"He hasn't taken a whole lot of shots for us," admitted Paterson.  "But, when he does, he makes the most of his chances, and that's definitely a positive.  But, because of that, we'd like to see him shoot the puck more, hence what you saw today in practice."

Paterson is trying to get Pither to look for his shot more, especially in the slot.  He's looking to get Pither to put more one-timers on net and think and react more quickly when he gets a pass in the middle of the ice.  His function is to be more of a goal scorer and less of a play maker.

"It's been a bit of a challengen for me trying to adjust," admitted Pither.  "I know coach wants me to get more shots, and that's something any player would love to hear.  But, at the same time, I'm used to trying to look for my teammates more.  So, it's different."

Pither is one of the team's top faceoff guys, as well.  He's taken the second highest number of faceoffs, and he's also got the second best win percentage at just a shade under 50 percent.  Still, that's another place Paterson would like to see the 22-year-old improve upon.

One area Pither has certainly excelled at so far in his short career is playing defense.  His defensive awareness and discipline are highly rated, and that kind of two-way play can come in very handy if he's able to make it to the NHL level.

"He'll make it to the pros, I have no doubt," said Paterson.  "It's not a question of if, but rather when.  Luke's got plenty of work ahead of him, but he's got the work ethic and the desire to get it done."