Lycksell Hat Trick Drives Phantoms Win
October 20, 2023
Springfield, MA – Olle Lycksell registered his first career hat trick, and the 18th all-time for Lehigh Valley, as the Phantoms won their first away game of the season with a 5-2 victory at the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night.
Garrett Wilson (1st) and Alexis Gendron (2nd) also scored for Lehigh Valley while Elliot Desnoyers, Tanner Laczynski and Samu Tuomaala all registered a pair of assists. Cal Petersen denied 31 Springfield efforts in the come-from-behind rally. Lycksell and Gendron struck rapid-fire style in the second period with goals just 10 seconds apart to turn a 2-2 deadlock into a 4-2 lead.
It was the first away game of the season for the Phantoms and also the team’s first divisional battle.
Lehigh Valley (2-1-0) fell into a 2-0 deficit in the first period with Adam Gaudette striking twice for the T-Birds. Petersen was especially strong in the first period with several tremendous saves to keep the Phantoms within range.
Lycskell sparked the comeback with his first goal of the season with 3:12 remaining in the first shortly after an important penalty kill. Desnoyers drove to the net from the left corner and put the puck off the pad of goaltender Malcolm Subban. Lycksell appeared to get a chance at his own rebound in mid-air to get the Phantoms on the board.
Springfield carried the play in the first with the Phantoms working through three penalty kills and also getting timely 5-on-5 saves from Petersen while facing a 15-11 shots disadvantage.
But the second period was a different story. Tilted ice and puck possession domination were on display as the Phantoms scored thrice in the frame while enjoying a 21-6 shots advantage.
Lehigh Valley equalized with 11:00 left in the second on a deflection at the net-front from the captain, Garrett Wilson. Helge Grans cranked up a bomb from center-point to set up his teammate while Ronnie Attard received a secondary assist on the play.
The Phantoms took their first lead of the night on a play started by Tuomaala back in the Phantoms zone. Matthew Peca couldn’t turn the corner on the Lehigh Valley speedster who caught up to the Springfield veteran captain to steal the puck. Tuomaala quickly connected up ice with Desnoyers for an odd-man rush and Lycksell blasted the saucer pass perfectly off a short-hop and into the net for a very pretty goal to take a 3-2 lead with 5:18 remaining in the period.
Just 10 seconds later, it was the teenager, Alexis Gendron, scoring in his second consecutive game to begin his pro career. The 2022 Philadelphia seventh-rounder was right there to knock in a mid-air rebound off the shoulder of Subban from a shot by Tanner Laczynski on a play also assisted by Ethan Samson who recorded his first career pro point with the helper. The quick strike goals were not fast enough to set a Phantoms record which remains at just six seconds apart by Mark Zengerle and Danick Martel on February 8, 2017.
Lycksell completed his trifecta early in the third on a knee-drop blast from the dot on the power play on a cross-ice pass from Laczynski who had a two-assist game and now has five points in the last two contests. Lycksell’s hat trick with 17:48 left put the Phantoms ahead 5-2. Coincidentally, it was the first road hat trick for the Phantoms since Laczynski had a three-goal game against the Binghamton Devils on March 26, 2021 in Newark.
The Phantoms had to kill several Springfield power plays in the third which included a pair of two-minute 6-on-4 situations with the T-Birds pulling their goalie in efforts to climb back into the contest. Lehigh Valley had some chances to score an empty-net goal but just missed.
The Phantoms travel down I-91 for a Saturday night contest at the Hartford Wolf Pack who have begun the season with a 3-0-0 record.
The Phantoms return to PPL Center on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. for a rematch with Springfield. Sunday’s game during “Haunted on Hamilton” includes Trick-or-Treating on the concourse and a costume parade on the ice at the intermission. Fans are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes to fully enjoy all the Spooky Fun!
- All three Phantoms games this season have been decided by a score of 5-2
- The Phantoms have fallen behind 2-0 in the first period in all three of their games
- Lehigh Valley has a power-play goal in each of its three games this season
- Alexis Gendron becomes the second Lehigh Valley player to score a goal in each of his first two pro games joining Elliot Desnoyers who scored in three straight games to open the 2022-23 season
- Cooper Marody (2-2-4) has a three-game point streak
- Tanner Laczynski has consecutive games with multiple points and has scored 1-4-5 in the last two games
SCORING SUMMARY
1st 6:58 – A. Gaudette (2) (J. Duszak) (0-1)
1st 13:00 – A. Gaudette (3) (N. Walker, J. Duszak) (PP) (0-2)
1st 16:48 – O. Lycksell (1) (E. Desnoyers, S. Tuomaala) (1-2)
2nd 9:00 – G. Wilson (1) (H. Grans, R. Attard) (2-2)
2nd 14:42 – O. Lycksell (2) (E. Desnoyers, S. Tuomaala) (3-2)
2nd 14:52 – A. Gendron (2) (T. LAczynski, E. Samson) (4-2)
3rd 2:12 – O. Lycksell (3) (T. Laczynski, C. Marody) (PP) (5-2)
Shots:
LV 38 – SPR 33
PP:
LV 1/5, SPR 1/6
Goaltenders:
LV, C. Petersen (31/33) (W) (1-1-0)
SPR, M. Subban (33/38) (L) (0-2-0)
Records:
Lehigh Valley (2-1-0)
Springfield (1-2-0)
UPCOMING –
Saturday, October 21 (7:05) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Hartford Wolf Pack
Sunday, October 22 (5:05) – Springfield Thunderbirds at Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Saturday, October 28 (7:00) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Hershey Bears
Sunday, October 29 (5:05) – Hartford Wolf Pack at Lehigh Valley Phantoms
