Phantoms Rally for Another Shootout Win

Take Down Rival Penguins 4-3

December 28, 2025

Allentown, PA – Tucker Robertson (4th) blasted home a power-play goal in the second period and later scored his third shootout goal of the season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (15-11-3) overcame an early 2-0 deficit to post a hard-earned 4-3 shootout win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday evening. It was Lehigh Valley’s first win of the season against their Pennsylvania rivals and it was well-deserved.

Lane Pederson (9th) scored for a second consecutive game and Oscar Eklind (1st) also found the back of the net while Aleksei Kolosov (26/29) backstopped the win. Rafael Harvey-Pinard (6th, 7th) led the attack for the visiting Penguins with his second multi-goal game of the season against Lehigh Valley.

The Phantoms have won consecutive games in the shootout and lead the league with four shootout victories. Lehigh Valley also improved to 7-3 in post-regulation decisions including a 4-2 shootout record while also going 3-1 in overtimes.

“For the most part, everybody was contributing in some sort of way tonight,” head coach John Snowden said. “Even if they didn’t have their best, they were defending the right way. We were physical. I liked our effort tonight. It was a much better effort. The good thing for us as a group is that some players are getting some opportunities that they haven’t had yet this year and I thought there were some players who really stepped up tonight.”

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-7-3) got off to a strong start and benefited from a turnover to take early control just 3:01 into the game on Harvey-Pinard’s pick-off and quick give-and-go with Valttteri Puustinen.

“We were a little bit rusty (at the start) and the passing wasn’t very good,” Snowden said. “And then I think as we started to get our feet underneath us and we started to get more involved in the game. That’s when we started to really play.”

The Phantoms found their footing though and started to push back. Jacob Gaucher was robbed two different times at the net-front on some sparkling saves by Joel Blomqvist and Lane Pederson’s breakaway just missed when a Penguins defender lifted his stick right before the shot.

Lehigh Valley had early control in the second period but it was Harvey-Pinard of the Penguins who would strike again on his blast on the rush from the top of the right circle beating Kolosov low at 3:24 into the middle frame to make it 2-0.

But then the Phantoms’ power play went to work with a pair of strikes in the middle frame to even the score.

Lane Pederson’s sharp-angle one-timer from the bottom of the right circle was pretty close to a similar set-up as is Teddy Bear Toss goal one week ago which was identically set up by Egor Zamula and Cooper Marody. That got the Phantoms on the board at 6:24.

Both teams traded close calls after that included an exchange in which Tristan Broz hit the crossbar on the power play for the Penguins followed just seconds later by a Zayde Wisdom shorthanded breakaway for Lehigh Valley that was fought off by Blomqvist.

Pederson helped with the second power-play goal as well. His hard work kept the Penguins from finding clean clears and then his speedy carry up ice had the Penguins on their heels allowing the veteran center to play a nifty drop for Robertson who cut from the top of the left circle into the high slot to find an opening for the equalizer with just 16.9 seconds left in the period. His almost buzzer-beater gave the Phantoms momentum into the locker room following a period in which Lehigh Valley largely dominated while outshooting the Penguins 14-4.

The Phantoms took the lead early in the third period with Karsen Dorwart finding an opportunity to push a wicked shot from the left boards which handcuffed Blomqvist allowing an onrushing Eklind to pounce on the rebound and lift his first of the year to the upper-left corner for Lehigh Valley’s first lead of the game at 3-2 with 17:10 remaining.

That lead would last just 31 seconds. A point-shot would bound out to newcomer David Breazeale at the top of the left circle whose quick rebound try beat Kolosov to again even the count, this time at 3-3.

Late in the third, Kolosov stood on his head to preserve the tie. First, he held off Tristan Broz on a steal at the net front and then Kolosov fought off a point-shot by Phil Kemp after he had lost his paddle. His pair of tremendous denials got the Phantoms past one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s hardest pushes of the night.

The Phantoms largely dominated the overtime but six saves by Blomqvist got the Penguins through the siege. Robertson almost scored on a turnover and Guenette hjad a mighty chance as well. Marody had a steal right on top of the goalie to almost score a dramatic winner somewhat reminiscent of his overtime winner on November 1 at Hartford when he took the puck away from the goalie. The last minute of the overtime was Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s chance to come back but Lehigh Valley’s penalty kill came up big in the extra period for a second consecutive game, including a sequence in which Kolosov dove out to knock the puck away from Harvey-Pinard on a point-blank chance.

“The power play did a really good job in the second period of grabbing some momentum for us,” Snowden said. “Scored a big goal and scored another one towards the end of the period. Penalty kill did a good job. Killed one off early and then killed another one at the end of the game.”

Robertson opened the shootout with a backhand dipsy-do lifted upstairs. He is tied for the AHL lead with three shootout goals. Marody scored in the second round on a shootout goal reminiscent of his fourth-round winner last week against Hartford, scoring past the glove of Blomqvist to the upper-right corner. Kolosov clinched the win with his denial of Phil Tomasino’s backhander.

The Phantoms are back on Monday night hosting the Charlotte Checkers in a makeup of Saturday’s postponed contest.

Before the World’s Largest Puck Drop takes place on New Year’s Eve outside PPL Center at the corner of Seventh and Hamilton, the puck drops inside as the Phantoms take on the rival Hershey Bears with a special 3:05 p.m. start time on Wednesday, December 31. Family-friendly activities fill the concourse as we ring in 2026 in glowing fashion!

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