The Lehigh Valley Phantoms and PPL Center are thrilled to bring the Phantoms Cup Scholastic Hockey Championship tournament to Lehigh Valley and help grow the game of hockey. The scholastic based league in the Lehigh Valley consists of 10 clubs from the area including Central, BECA, Emmaus, Easton, Northampton, Parkland, Nazareth, Phillipsburg, Southern Lehigh, and BASD. As part of the organization’s continued drive to continue building hockey in the community, this is a FREE HOCKEY EVENT and all games are open to the public.
Phantoms Cup Recap Day Six
(1) Emmaus 1 | (2) Northampton 2
Raudabaugh’s Two Goals Lifts Northampton to JV Championship
Northampton JV defended their JV Phantoms Cup Championship with a 2-1 victory of Emmaus on Tuesday night. In a tight game which saw scoring chances coming few and far between for both teams, Derek Raudabaugh was able to open the scoring just over 5 minutes into the contest to give the Kids a 1-0 lead. The Kids would hold onto their lead going into the first intermission but Emmaus would level the score just a minute into the second period with a goal by Grayson Schmidt. Just five and a half minutes later the Kids would reclaim the lead on the eventual game winner when Raudabaugh scored his second of the night. Both teams would have limited scoring chances the rest of the game but Emmaus would pull the goalie with 90 second remaining with the hopes of tying the game up. Northampton would do a fantastic job blocking shots in the final minute as well as clearing all rebounds to the corner to hold on to a hard fought 2-1 victory over Emmaus and claim the 2023 Phantoms Cup JV Division Championship.
(1) Northampton 6 | (3) Southern Lehigh 2
Kids Kings of Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey
Northampton and Southern Lehigh faced off in a winner take all Game 3 on Tuesday night to decide the Varsity Champions. Just like games one and two, Northampton would jump out to an early 1-0 lead just eight seconds into the game when Lorenzo Tita would take the opening faceoff down the ice and beat Southern Lehigh goalie Blake Benner. Southern Lehigh who came back last Thursday from being down three goals to win would level the score half way through the opening period with a goal by Eric Kloss. A minute and a half later Southern Lehigh would then claim the lead with a goal by James Phenneger. With just over three minutes to play in the first period, the Kids were able to level the score at two when Blake Schache was able to find the back of the net. The first period would end tied at two. The game would remain tied until the late stages of the second period when it looked like Southern Lehigh was going to have a chance to take the lead on the power play after a Northampton penalty, but it was the Kids that were able to take the lead when Tita was able to sneak behind the Southern Lehigh defense and secure a pass from Gaven Mollenkof and Tita was off to the races and giving the Kids a 3-2 lead going into the final period of play. Southern Lehigh would continue to pressure the Kids but were unable to beat Bailen Smargiassi in the early parts of the final period when Tita was able to score his third goal of the game with just under 12 minutes to play to give Northampton a 4-2 lead. Southern Lehigh continued to pressure but got caught in the offensive zone when Hayden Lambert was able to break free and give the Kids a 5-2 lead with under seven minutes to play. Northampton would add an empty net goal in the final minutes of the game to claim the 2023 Phantoms Cup Varsity Championship with a 6-2 victory over Southern Lehigh. Smargiassi of Northampton would finish the game with 35 saves, 16 of which came in the final period.
Phantoms Cup Recap Day Five
(2) Emmaus 7 | (4) Parkland 3
Emmaus Repeats as Phantoms Cup Middle School Champions
Defending middle school champions Emmaus knew what it would take to win this year’s Phantoms Cup, strong team defense, explosive offense and timely goaltending, they had all three on Monday night as they defeated Parkland 7-3 in the Championship game. Emmaus would jump out to a 1-0 lead with a goal by Brennan McClafferty. Parkland was able to level the score at one just over a minute later with a goal by Mason Klement. Grayson Schmidt of Emmaus would then add his first of three goals on the night to give Emmaus a 2-1 lead after one period of play. Schmidt would then add his second of the night just 35 seconds into the second period but again Parkland was able to cut the lead to just one with a goal by Brody Philips. With just under three minutes to play in the second period, Ben Brooks of Emmaus would score the ultimate game winning goal and Schmidt would cap of the hat trick with just 28 seconds remaining in the second period. The Trojans of Parkland would not give up in this one and would push back as hard as they could which would see them put 15 shots on goal in the final period but were only able to find the back of the net one time with just under 90 seconds remaining in the game. Erik Stufflet of Emmaus would finish the game with 26 saves as Emmaus repeats as Middle School Champions and win the 2023 Phantoms Cup.
(1) Parkland 9 | (2) Northampton 6
Mantz and Messa Lead Parkland to Phantoms Cup Championship
Colton Mantz and Reid Messa of Parkland each had a hat trick in the Championship game of the Phantoms Cup Youth Division. Parkland jumped out to an early lead just 59 seconds in when Mantz tallied his first of the night. The Kids of Northampton were able to regroup when Blake Flowers scored his first of three goals on the night just 3 minutes later. The Kids would add a second goal Logan Pile to give them a 2-1 lead half way through the first period. However, with 1:22 remaining in the opening period Luca Caricari leveled the score at 2. Parkland was able to take control of the game in the second period which saw them score 3 goals in 23 seconds (Phantoms Cup Record). The second period would come to a close with Parkland leading Northampton 7-3. The Kids would come out fast in the third period to claw their way back into the game when Sawyer Repetz scored 43 second into the third period and then Flowers would add his second of the night just 3 minutes later to cut the Parkland lead to just 2 goals. Parkland would then come back with an offensive explosion again when Messa netted his third of the night and Mason Kelment would score with just over 4 minutes remaining. Flowers would add a later goal to cap off his hat trick but Parkland offense was simply too much for Northampton to handle as they would go on to win the Phantoms Cup Championship of the Youth Division 9-6. This is Parkland’s second consecutive Youth Division Championship in the Youth Division and also finished the season undefeated.
Phantoms Cup Recap Day Four
(1) Emmaus 6| (4) Bethlehem 4
Top Seed Emmaus Advances to JV Final
Emmaus outlasted Bethlehem in the first game of the JV Semi Finals Wednesday night. Ryan Nytz of Emmaus started the scoring 7 minutes into the game to give Emmaus a 1-0 lead. Under 4 minutes later Bethlehem was able to even the score up at one with a goal by Logan Ritter who finished the night with a goal and two assists. The game only remained tied for 57 seconds, as Noah Holschwander put the Hornets up 2-1 at the end of the first period. Bethlehem was able to tie the game up early in the second period with a goal by Rolland Hillier. Emmaus would control most of the second period after Hillier’s goal which saw them score two goals in the second half of the second period to take a 4-2 lead, the first by Luke Patterson and the second by Greyson Schmidt. Emmaus would add an insurance goal early in the final period of play when Ryan Nytz recorded his second goal of the game. Emmaus would go on to defeat Bethlehem 6-4 and advance to the JV Final next Tuesday at 7:20PM.
(2) Northampton 4 | (3) Nazareth 2
Northampton Holds off Nazareth in Second JV Semi Final
Nicholas Kotsch and Derek Raudabaugh each scored two goals for Northampton as they defeated Nazareth in the second Semi Final game of the JV Division 4-2. Kotsch would get the scoring started for the Kids with the only goal of the first period. Raudabaugh would add his first of the night early in the second period to give Northampton a 2-0 lead through two periods of play. Both Kotsch and Raudabaugh would score early in the final period of play but Nazareth was able to make a push of their own late in the game. Nazareth was able to get on the board with a goal by Colin Tiers, shortly after Nazareth would score again this time with a goal by Porter Fegley. The late push would not be enough as Northampton advances to the JV Final and will face Emmaus in the Championship game. Northampton will have a chance to defend their JV Division title from last season.
(1) Northampton 3 | (3) Southern Lehigh 4
Edwards OT Goal Forces Deciding Game 3
Similar to their last game on Monday, Northampton jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the Varsity Final Series with a goal by Lorenzo Tita just 36 second into the game. The story this time was that would be the only early goal as Southern Lehigh would then control most of the first period which saw them put 18 shots on goal but again were unable to solve Bailen Smargiassi of Northampton. Northampton would then take advantage of their opportunities in the second period when Hayden Lambert made it 2-0. Similar to Mondays Game 1 the Kids would go up 3-0 late in the 2nd period when Tita netted his second of the game. The three goal lead would short lived as less than a minute later Eric Kloss would get the Spartans on the board and we would go into the second intermission with the Kids leading 3-1. The third period saw the Spartans come together as a team and played a team game which saw them have multiple scoring chances early in the final period when James Phenneger was finally able to break through and cut the lead to just one half way through the final period. Matthew Edwards would then add the game tying goal with about 5 minutes remaining in the game. Tita had a chance shorthanded with under two minutes remaining on a breakaway which could have provided the Kids a 4-3 lead but rang his shot off the crossbar and for the first time in Phantoms Cup history we were going to overtime. Four minutes into overtime saw a puck battle on the blue line and Matthew Edwards was able to sneak behind the Northampton defense for a breakaway, Edwards would rip a wrist shot five hole to give the Spartans a crazy come from behind victory and force a winner take all deciding Game 3 next Tuesday at 8:40PM. Smargiassi of Northampton finished the game with 58 saves.
Phantoms Cup Recap Day Three
(1) Northampton 4 | (4) Parkland 7
Parkland upsets Northampton to Advance to Championship
Parkland scored three goals in the first and third periods to advance past Northampton in the first game of the Middle School Division Semi Finals Tuesday night. Northampton would jump on the board early with a goal by Deegan Berry just 3 minutes into the game but Parkland was able to respond less than 2 minutes later when Chase Carl was able to find the back of the net for the Trojans. Parkland would add two more goals in the first period, the first by Jonah Spengler and the second by Bryce Haas to put Parkland up 3-1. With 1:21 remaining in the first period, top seed Northampton was able to cut the lead to just one goal with a goal by Shane Grube. The second period would see each team score one goal, the first was by Parkland’s Matthew Torress but the Kids of Northampton would respond again when Carson Rader cut the lead to just one goal going into the final period of play. Pierce Brundage of Parkland would score early in the final period to again help put his team up two goals but the Kids of Northampton would hang tight and score under two minutes later. Northampton would have multiple scoring chances late in the game but were unable to solve Eli Kolb who made 35 saves in the game for Parkland. Haas would add an empty netter late in the game and follow that up with his third goal of the game just 27 seconds later. Parkland now advances to the Phantoms Cup Championship in the Middle School Division next Monday at 7:20PM.
(2) Emmaus 8 | (3) Nazareth 4
Hornets Offense was Buzzing
Emmaus’ offense came to play Tuesday night and simply was too much for Nazareth to handle in the second game of the Middle School Division Semi Final. The Hornets offense was led by Greyson Schmidt who had two first period tallies. Nazareth was able to hang in the game through one period of play as Zac Durkin was able to tie the game up at one early in the first period and Colin Tiers was able to cut the lead to 3-2 Emmaus with just 14 second remaining in the first period. The second period is where Emmaus was able to find their offense which saw them outshoot Nazareth 16-2 with goals by Sean Robinson, Greyson Schmidt who completed the hat trick and Tucker Farnand. Nazareth was able to cut into the Hornets lead early in the final period when Tiers was able to find the back of the net for the second time in the game but Ben Brooks of Emmaus would respond just 46 seconds later. Emmaus would add another goal later in the third period to defeat Nazareth 8-4. Emmaus will now face Parkland in the Middle School Phantoms Cup Championship where they will have a chance to defend their Middle School Division title on Monday night at 7:20PM.
Phantoms Cup Recap Day Two
(1) Parkland 10 | (4) Nazareth 1
Parkland Advances to Phantoms Cup Championship in Youth Division
Parkland cruised to a 10-1 Semi-Final Phantoms Cup victory over Nazareth in the first game of the day. Reid Messa and Luca Caricari each had two goals in the game which saw the Trojans score 4 first period goals. Liam Tiers of Nazareth provided the loan goal for the Eagles who, not for the lack of trying, were unable to find the back of the net often enough. Parkland looks to defend their Phantoms Cup Championship in the Youth Division next Monday at 6:00PM.
(2) Northampton 3 | (3) Easton 2
Flowers Blossomed at Phantoms Cup
Blake Flowers of Northampton scored all three goals for the Kids in a tight 3-2 victory over Easton in the second Semi Final of the Youth Division. Flowers got the scoring started early in the second period and would add his second of the night with 59 seconds remaining in the second period to give Northampton a 2-0 lead going into the final period of play. Easton was able to cut the lead to just one in the early part of the third period but again Flowers would answer for the Kids to give them a two goal advantage halfway through the third period. With just over 5 minutes remaining in the game, Owen Beckel would score for Easton to cut the lead to just one. In the final seconds of the game, Easton threw everything they could at Northampton goaltender Grayson Dolan, including one that rang off the post with just 2 seconds left. Tyler Connaughton of Easton would finish the game with 26 saves and Northampton will now face Parkland in the Youth Division Championship Monday night at 6:00PM.
(1) Northampton 5 | (3) Southern Lehigh 1
3 Goal First Lifts Northampton over Southern Lehigh
Penalties hurt Southern Lehigh in the first period which saw Northampton score 3 goals, 2 of them coming on the man advantage. Anthony Greco of Southern Lehigh was called for interference early in the first period which allowed the Kids power play to get to work. Ryder Ault would net the first goal of the game just over 3 minutes in for the Kids. Gaven Mollenkof would add an even strength goal, his first of three on the night just 3 minutes after the Kids took an early lead to give Northampton a 2-0 lead. Lorenzo Tita would add Northampton’s second power play goal of the first period half way through the first period to give the Kids a 3-0 lead just 9 minutes into the game. Southern Lehigh would settle into the game after this but was unable to find the back of the net. Just 30 second into the second period Eric Kloss of Southern Lehigh would get the Spartans on the board and cut the lead to 3-1. Just a few minutes later it looked the Southern Lehigh was about to score again as the puck bounced off the back boards to a wide open net but Northampton goaltender Bailen Smargiassi who made 34 saves on the night made an incredible diving play back across the net to glove the puck and keep the score as is. Mollenkof would add two more goals in the third period as Northampton defeats Southern Lehigh 5-1 in the first game of a best of three series to crown a Phantoms Cup Champion in the Varsity Division. Northampton now has a chance to claim the Phantoms Cup Championship on Wednesday night at 8:40pm in Game 2 of the Championship Series.
Phantoms Cup Recap Day One
(1) Northampton 2 | (4) Nazareth 1
Northampton Advances to Varsity Phantoms Cup Championship
Tyler Matute scored with 3:14 remaining in the game to lift top seed Northampton over fourth seed Nazareth in the first semifinal game of the 2023 Phantoms Cup. Northampton jumped out to a 1-0 lead half way through the second period with a goal by Lorenzo Tita who was finally able to beat Ryan Murphy of Nazareth who had 18 saves in the first period. The game would remain 1-0 until 9:32 of the 3rd period when Tyler Glenn was able to tie the game for Nazareth. Mutute’s goal late in the final frame secured a 2-1 win for the Kids of Northampton who will now play Monday night in the first game of a best of three Championship at PPL Center to crown a Phantoms Cup Champion in the Varsity Division. Ryan Murphy of Nazareth finished the game with 44 saves.
(2) BASD 5 | (3) Southern Lehigh 6
Southern Lehigh Beats Bethlehem With Late Goal
Anthony Greco of Southern Lehigh scored with 51 seconds remaining to lift the Spartans over Bethlehem in the second semifinal game of the 2023 Phantoms Cup. The first period of a physical hockey game saw Southern Lehigh jump out to an early 1-0 lead with a goal by Eric Kloss. Bethlehem was able to settle into the game scoring two goals in less than a minute late in the first period, the first by Brady Roche followed by Dominic Natosi which gave Bethlehem a 2-1 lead after the first period. Bethlehem added to their lead early in the second period with a goal by Chris Fanning but Southern Lehigh was able to bounce back and cut the lead to only one just 43 seconds later. Bethlehem would add another with under 6 minutes remaining in the second period to again go up by two goals. Southern Lehigh would control the final two minutes of the second frame which saw them score two goals in 22 seconds to tie the game up at 4 before the end of the second period. The back and forth game would continue when Nick Moniz of Bethlehem scored 6 minutes into the final frame but again the Spartans of Southern Lehigh were able to tie the game up just 19 second later with a goal by Jack Cacace. The game looked destine for overtime but Anthony Greco was able to find the back of the net to lift the Spartans to a wild 6-5 victory over Bethlehem. Blake Benner of Southern Lehigh would finish the game with 46 saves. Southern Lehigh now advances to face top seed Northampton in the Phantoms Cup Championship which will be a best of three series starting Monday night at 8:40pm.
