Frost and Ratcliffe Score in Homecoming

Toronto Marlies Rally for 3-2 Overtime Win

November 20, 2021

Toronto, ON – Morgan Frost and Isaac Ratcliffe returned north of the border for their first AHL game in Canada in almost 700 days and both posted goals in the first period. But the host Toronto Marlies overcame a 2-0 deficit to notch a 3-2 overtime triumph on Josh Ho-Sang’s winner in the closing seconds of the extra session.

It was the second overtime game in a row for Lehigh  Valley and its third extra-session game in the last four outings.

The game also marked the debut of 34-year-old veteran Pat Nagle who was recalled from the Reading Royals of the ECHL earlier in the week. Nagle is the active winningest goalie in the ECHL with 196 wins to his credit.

The Phantoms charged out of the gate and raced away with a 2-0 lead in the first period while outshooting the Marlies 11-4 in a dominating opening 20 minutes.

Morgan Frost connected from the left circle to the upper far corner as he found daylight through various bodies to convert on his third goal of the season and second goal of the weekend. Frost leads the Phantoms with 15 points. Garrett Wilson found Frost for the shooting opportunity and Cam York also assisted on the play which came just three seconds after a power play had expired.

Lehigh Valley kept up the pressure and emerged with a 2-on-2 with Isaac Ratcliffe and Jackson Cates. Ratcliffe’s pass to Cates was chipped onto Toronto goalie Michael Hutchinson who allowed a rebound to his left as Ratcliffe continued for the net. The big winger chipped it home at 16:13 into the first period for a 2-0 lead.

Toronto started to push back more significantly in the second period but still only had eight shots on goal at the midway point of the game. Three minutes later it was a backdoor conversion for Marc Michaelis that got the Marlies on the board.

Early in the third period, Josh Ho-Sang’s shot from the right circle was tipped at the net-front by Rich Clune for a tie game.

Both teams had some great chances in some back-and-forth exchanging in the sceond and third periods. Hayden Hodgson was robbed at the net front by Hutchinson with a sparkling save off the left pad on a tremendous chance in the second period that would have put the Phantoms up 3-1 at the time. Hodgson later hustled back wit just three minutes remaining in the third period to knock the puck away from Ho-Sang who appeared to have a breakaway.

Garrett Wilson similarly had a breakaway of his own with about two minutes left but he was disrupted from behind and his shot went wide and was potentially deflected.

The Phantoms had the puck for the majority of overtime but Toronto came closest to scoring before the eventual winnner when Pavel Gogolev cut to the slot and fired off the post with his blast bounding off the upper-left corner of the goal.

Earlier in the overtime, Gerry Mayhew was open at the net front after Cam York drew two defenders to him in the corner. But a Marlies defender recovered just barely in time to deflect away Mayhew’s almost point-blank try.

Ho-Sang displayed a great individual effort in stick-handling around a Phantoms defender and going left to right across the slot with a quick burst of speed while shooting the winner past Nagle.

The Phantoms return to action on Friday night at the Syracuse Crunch.

The next home game for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms is Saturday, November 27 with a Thanksgiving weekend clash against the Bridgeport Islanders on Hockey Fights Cancer Night also featuring LIQUID-A as the featured guest in the Saturday Night Hockey Live concert series.

Tickets for upcoming Phantoms game available HERE

 

Scoring Summary:

1st 3:50 – LV, M. Frost (3) (G. Wilson, C. York) 1-0
1st 16:13 – LV, I. Ratcliffe (2) (J. Cates, H. Hodgson) 2-0

2nd 13:01 – TOR, M. Michaelis (3) (J. Duszak, B. Seney) 2-1

3rd 3:34 – TOR, R. Clune (1) (J. Ho-Sang, C. Douglas) 2-2

OT 4:20 – TOR, J. Ho-Sang (8) (J. Duszak, B. Seney) 2-3

Shots: LV 26 – TOR 19
PP: LV 0/4 – TOR 0/4

Goalies:
Lehigh Valley – Pat Nagle (OTL) (0-1-1) (16/19)
Toronto – Michael Hutchinson (W) (2-1-1) (21/23)

Records:
Lehigh Valley (3-8-5)
Toronto (8-4-1)

Upcoming Home Games:
Saturday, November 27 vs. Bridgeport Islanders – Thanksgiving Weekend! Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Saturday Night Hockey Live featuring LIQUID A.
Family Value Packs, 3 tickets and Mystery Bobblehead for $48 Upper Level or $63 Lower Level.

Wednesday, December 1 vs. Hershey Bears
Friday, December 3 vs. Charlotte Checkers – WFMZ Coat Drive. $2 Miller Lites pregame.
Saturday, December 4 vs. Hershey Bears – Service Electric Phantoms Ballcap Giveaway Night
Saturday, December 11 vs. Cleveland Monsters – Teddy Bear Toss Presented by Dan’s Camera City. Bring your new teddy bears and stuffed animals to throw onto the ice after the Phantoms score the first goal!

Phantoms tickets available HERE