Kolosov’s Best Stops Syracuse

Newcomers Arrive and Thrive in 4-1 Win

March 13, 2026

Syracuse, NY – Aleksei Kolosov had possibly the best game of his career in a career-high 39-save performance to backstop the Phantoms to a hard-earned 4-1 victory at the Syracuse Crunch on Friday night. Kolosov faced 22 shots in the first period, the most allowed in a single period by Lehigh Valley this season, and never looked back as he repelled one point-blank chance after another after another.

Lehigh Valley (25-26-6) trimmed its Magic Number for a playoff clinch down to 27 points with 15 games remaining on the strength of goals by Tucker Robertson (12th), Brett Harrison (9th), Lane Pederson (19th) and Jacob Gaucher (16th) with an empty-netter to cap the night.

The game marked the pro debut of 21-year-old rookie Noah Powell. The Flyers’ fifth-round selection in 2024 out of Arizona State arrived on the scene and disrupted several Syracuse breakouts while offering a couple strong passes to his new teammates in a solid effort for a player who only had just one practice with his new team the day before.

Brett Harrison made his Lehigh Valley debut a memorable one with a goal in his first game with his new team following three seasons with the Providence Bruins before he joined exactly one week ago via trade.

Boris Katchouk enjoyed his homecoming to Syracuse, where he began the season, with a two-assist effort in just his fourth game with Lehigh Valley as the big-bodied winger extended his point streak to three games.

And David Jiricek also performed capably in just his second game with his new team following his first actual practice with the Phantoms.

But Kolosov was the story. And deservedly so. Of his 39 saves against the frenetic Crunch attack, perhaps 10 of them were dazzlers or point-blank denials. Returning Matthew Peca had a couple of those great chances right on top of him as did sniper Dylan Duke and AHL scoring leader Jacob Pelletier who is a former Flyer from last year. They came in wave after wave. And, in the first period especially, never seemed to stop.

Lehigh Valley somehow raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first 7:32 of the game despite being largely outplayed by the high-octane offense of the Crunch.

Max Guenette recorded the first of his two assists on a stretch-pass that connected with Robertson who buried his backhand, breakaway beauty past the right pad of Ryan Fanti at 2:32 to give the Phantoms the initial 1-0 lead.

Kolosov was challenged on a shorthanded try by Peca and fought it off to help send the Phantoms rushing back the other way. Brett Harrison powered through a one-timer from beneath the right dot exactly five minutes after Robertson’s goal to make it 2-0. The game marked Harrison’s debut with the Phantoms after the Boston third-rounder from London, ON had spent three seasons going up against the Phantoms as a member of the Providence Bruins.

Mitchaell Chaffee (20th) converted on a powere-play one-timer late in the first to get the Crunch on the board but Kolosov was otherwise perfect and preserved the 2-1 lead to the intermission.

Kolosov made several dazzlers as well in the second although the Crunch were slowed down somewhat by active defending sticks in passing lanes as well as some blocked shots. It was a perfect 12-for-12 performance in the second frame to keep it at 2-1. And the Phantoms had to kill a power play at the end of the second and into the beginning of the third but, by that time, the Phantoms had started to put the brakes on the Crunch attack at least some of the time.

A centering pass midway through the third was knocked from the slot by Anthony Richard down to the net-front for Katchouk before bouncing over to Pederson on the left of the cage to bury a backhander for his team-leading 19th of the year and some precious breathing room at 3-1 with 10 minutes left.

Syracuse (35-19-4) pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker with 4:30 left but the Phantoms held strong with several pass disruptions and clears. Eventually, Richard connected with Gaucher down ice to finish the night with an empty-netter. Gaucher is on a career-best four-game goal streak which is now tied with Oscar Eklind fo rthe longest on the team this season.

The Phantoms return to action Saturday at 6:05 at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and then the two teams will rematch at PPL Center on Sunday at 3:05. The Phantoms are also at home next Wednesday, March 18 against the first-place Providence Bruins.

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