Carey Scores Twice in Last Eight Minutes Setting Up Laughton OT Winner
November 18, 2016
Providence, RI – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms had a flair for the dramatic in an incredible comeback win at the Providence Bruins on Friday night running the team’s win streak to eight. Greg Carey scored a pair of power-play goals in the final eight minutes forging a 3-3 tie thus providing the opportunity for Scott Laughton to bury the overtime winner.
Greg Carey took over sole possession of the AHL lead in goals scoring his ninth and tenth of the seasons. Both of his third-period strikes came on the power play as have a majority of his lamplighters on the whole season; Carey has eight goals coming during the man-advantage to also lead the league.
The Phantoms appeared to be on their way to their first loss in the month of November when they trailed 3-1 while time was ticking away. But the team rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period for the second time on the win streak in the heartstopping finish. Lehigh Valley had trailed 4-2 against Springfield on November 5 but similarly rallied in the third period for a 6-4 win in that one.
The eight-game win streak is the longest for the Phantoms in over a decade and the third-longest in franchise history. The Philadelphia Phantoms won 17 games in a row in 2004-05 in a season that culminated with a Calder Cup Championship. And the Phantoms won nine straight early in the 1997-98 season in a campaign that also concluded with the team hoisting the Calder Cup.
Providence struck for a pair of power play goals early in the contest for a 2-0 lead before the first promotional timeout. Tommy Cross from the right dot at 3:57 and Wayne Simpson on a wrap-around at 6:49 provided the hosts with the early advantage.
Max Lamarche scored on the power play late in the period on a fine give from the opposite corner by Danick Martel. The fourth year pro scored just his second-ever goal in the American Hockey League with a blast from the left circle through Bruins netminder Malcolm Subban at 18:02 of the first.
Providence again stretched their cushion to a pair just past the midway point of the match when Colby Cave was first to a free puck in the crease after some quick transition on the rush following a defensive-zone faceoff win by the Bruins.
The Phantoms and goaltender Alex Lyon were faced with a critical 5-on-3 penalty kill for over a minute late in the second period but were able to scramble their way through and stay within a couple to preserve their comeback chances.
Lehigh Valley cranked up their comeback efforts in the third with a potent 18-shot barrage on Malcolm Subban. But the deficit was still at 3-1 when Providence would get tagged for a couple of key penalties in the concluding minutes of the game. Martel and Chris Conner had Subban handcuffed and scrambling after a series of passes and shots that allowed Carey to get his nose dirty and dive into the crease for the first goal of the comeback at 12:36 into the third period.
On the next power play with 4:24 remaining, Carey accepted a lead pass from Will O’Neill and did all the rest himself. Somehow hanging onto the puck and powering through a pair of Providence defenders flying up the right wing, Carey drove straight at Subban and ran his puck right through the pads for the equalizer with just 2:33 to go.
The 3-on-3 overtime session saw a series of incredible opportunities and denials in only a couple minutes. Jordan Szwarz had a quality chip in the slot that Lyon was able to repel.
Chris Conner eventually knocked a puck free from his own line and found himself in the clear on a breakaway but his backhander was denied by Subban as was the rebound opportunity by trailer T. J. Brennan.
Providence later had secured possession in their zone but Taylor Leier alertly anticipated a cross-ice pass for a smart steal. His quick drop to Travis Sanheim appeared to set up the Phantoms rookie defenseman for a possible game-winning strike but instead of going for his first of the year, Sanheim neatly slid one over to an open Laughton on the right dot who sniped home the decisive tally.
The night marked the first overtime victory of the season for the Phantoms who improved their overall record to 10-3-1. Lehigh Valley went an incredible 3-for-4 on the power play. The Phantoms have scored 11 power-play goals on the win streak.
Alex Lyon won his fourth in a row with 33 saves. Lehigh Valley out shot the Providence Bruins 38-36.
The Phantoms aim for their ninth straight victory on Saturday night at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 7:00. Broadcast coverage on the Phantoms Hockey Radio Network begins with the Countdown to Faceoff at 6:20. Listen on 1470-WSAN and on the iHeartRadio app and website and on the Phantoms Radio 24/7 channel available on TuneIn.com and the TuneIn website. The Phantoms conclude their stretch of three straight away games on Wednesday night at the Binghamton Senators.
Lehigh Valley is then back at PPL Center for a pair of games following the Thanksgiving holiday. First, on Friday, November 25, it’s the Go Birds Tailgate with Eagles legend, Ron Jaworski, along with the Eagles Cheerleaders, on hand to meet fans and sign autographs before the Phantoms’ 7:05 p.m. clash with the Binghamton Senators. That is followed by a rivalry showdown with the Hartford Wolf Pack at PPL Center on Saturday, November 26.
Tickets for both games are available now and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 (OT) at Providence Bruins 3 – Status: Final OT
Friday, November 18, 2016 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Lehigh Valley 1 0 2 1 – 4
Providence 2 1 0 0 – 3
1st Period-1, Providence, Cross 2 (Grzelcyk, Cave), 3:57 (PP). 2, Providence, Simpson 3 (Szwarz, Cross), 6:49 (PP). 3, Lehigh Valley, Lamarche 1 (Martel, Leier), 18:02 (PP). Penalties-Lamarche Lv (hooking), 2:32; Bardreau Lv (slashing), 5:17; O’Neill Lv (high-sticking), 9:22; Szwarz Pro (hooking), 16:06.
2nd Period-4, Providence, Cave 2 (Simpson, Bartkowski), 10:58. Penalties-Willcox Lv (holding), 0:43; Bartkowski Pro (hooking), 15:23; Aube-Kubel Lv (hooking), 17:47; Sanheim Lv (holding), 18:36.
3rd Period-5, Lehigh Valley, Carey 9 (Conner, Martel), 12:36 (PP). 6, Lehigh Valley, Carey 10 (O’Neill), 17:27 (PP). Penalties-Szwarz Pro (hooking), 10:49; O’Gara Pro (slashing), 16:36.
OT Period-7, Lehigh Valley, Laughton 2 (Sanheim, Leier), 2:41. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Lehigh Valley 8-9-18-4-39. Providence 15-12-5-4-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Lehigh Valley 3 / 4; Providence 2 / 6.
Goalies-Lehigh Valley, Lyon 4-1-1 (36 shots-33 saves). Providence, Subban 1-6-2 (39 shots-35 saves).
A-8,784
Referees-Mike Langin (90), Pierre Lambert (47).
Linesmen-Kenneth Gates (91), Chris Millea (33).
RISE UP! Another thrilling season of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey at PPL Center is underway! Reserve your season tickets and group outings for the 2016-2017 season of Phantoms hockey today. For more information on how to reserve your seat at PPL Center to the hottest ticket in town, call the Phantoms front office today at 610-224-GOAL [4625]!
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The Phantoms are thrilled to host the 2017 Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic at PPL Center January 28-30. The Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic weekend includes a Phan Fest during the day on Saturday, January 28 and a Tailgate Party that evening, followed by the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 29 and the 2017 AHL All-Star Game on Monday, January 30. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event. Packages starting at just $67 for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic weekend are on sale now and include admission to Saturday’s Phan Fest & Tailgate Party, Sunday’s AHL All-Star Skills Competition and Monday’s All-Star Game. To purchase tickets, please visit www.phantomshockey.com or www.pplcenter.com.
The Phantoms are coming off their 20th Anniversary Season and second campaign in the Lehigh Valley playing at the state-of-the-art PPL Center. Established in 1996, the Phantoms spent their first 13 seasons at the Spectrum in Philadelphia before re-locating to Glens Falls, New York in 2009 where the team spent the next five seasons as the Adirondack Phantoms. A new era of Phantoms hockey began in the fall of 2014 when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms began play at the state-of-the-art PPL Center. Through 19 incredibly successful campaigns, the Phantoms have captured two Calder Cup Championships (1998, 2005), two Conference Championships (1998, 2005), two Regular Season Titles (1996-97, 1997-98) and four Division Championships (1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2003-04).
