Canada Bound
November 14, 2023
Lehigh Valley, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-6-2) head north of the border this week for three games against Canadian opponents beginning Friday night at the Laval Rocket and then continuing on Saturday and Tuesday at Belleville and Toronto.
WEEKLY RECAP
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
T-Birds 4 – Phantoms 2
Springfield jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 20 seconds into the game and then broke a late tie in the third period for a 4-2 victory against the Phantoms in a morning game in Western Mass. Wade Allison scored his first of the season as did Brendan Furry. But AHL-leading goal scorer Adam Gaudette’s pair of goals paced the Thunderbirds.
Saturday, November 11, 2023
Bears 2 – Phantoms 0
Lehigh Valley limited the visiting Hershey Bears to just 21 shots but the Phantoms were unable to break through against Clay Stevenson in a 2-0 loss before a sold-out Saturday night crowd at PPL Center. Former Phantom Mike Vecchione staked the Bears to the first-period lead despite contact with goaltender Parker Gahagen from Hershey forward Mike Sgarbossa. Wade Allison hit the post and Stevenson made several strong stops along the way in recording the shutout.
Sunday, November 11, 2023
Phantoms 4 – Bears 1
The Phantoms avenged the Saturday night decision and returned the favor with a victory on Hershey’s home ice. Garrett Wilson racked up his second career Gordie Howe Hat Trick as a member of Lehigh Valley while Nolan Maier was spectacular in goal with 29 saves in his first Phantoms’ start of the season. Rhett Gardner also contributed a goal and an assist while J.R. Avon scored his third goal of the season and Cooper Marody his fourth. The Phantoms ‘penalty kill thrived with a 7-for-7 performance. The pair of third-period tallies came right after Maier had made a terrific point-blank save on Joe Snively off a perfect tape-to-tape pass on the rush from Jimmy Huntington that would have tied the score.
WELCOME BACK CAL AND VICTOR
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have received veteran defenseman Victor Mete and goaltender Cal Petersen from the Philadelphia Flyers. Mete has been up with Philadelphia since October 26 and played in one game with the big club which was also the 247th game of his NHL career. Petersen was recalled on November 2 and started two games for the Flyers including a 37-save win against his former club in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
TRANSACTIONS
Nov 12 – Add Jacon Gaucher (F) – Recalled from Reading
Nov 14 – Add Cal Petersen (G) – Loaned from Philadelphia
Nov 14 – Add Victor Mete (D) – Loaned from Philadelphia
Nov 14 – Delete Nolan Maier (G) – Loaned to Reading
PHANTASTIC!
J.R. Avon has goals in three of his last five games- Olle Lycksell is fifth in the AHL with eight goals and is tied for second in power-play goals with four
- Samu Tuomaala (2-6-8) is tied for 11th in AHL rookie scoring and is sixth in assists
- The Phantoms are 5-0-1 when scoring three or more goals
- Lehigh Valley’s penalty kill has gone a perfect 14-for-14 in the last three games and is 24-for-26 in November
- The penalty kill is clicking at 89.5% on the road which is sixth-best in the AHL and third in the Eastern Conference
- Lehigh Valley is second in the AHL and first in the Eastern Conference in shots in the second period with 143 (Colorado has 155).
UPCOMING
Friday, November 17, 2023 (7:00 p.m.)
Place Bell, Laval, Quebec
Phantoms at Laval Rocket
Lehigh Valley’s first game against a Canadian foe is Friday night at the Laval Rocket to open a three-game stretch north of the border. Laval (3-7-1) is in last place in the Eastern Conference but is coming off a strong 6-2 win at Manitoba on Sunday. Rookie Joshua Roy (6-8-14), a fifth-rounder, is second among AHL rookies in scoring. First-rounder Logan Mailloux (3-4-7) and Harvard product Sean Farrell (3-6-9) are additional rookie talents in the Montreal system. Goaltending and defense have been problematic. Jakub Dobes (3-4-0, 4.45, .861) and Strauss Mann (0-3-1, 4.47, .853) have had a rough time leading to an AHL-worst 4.6 goals allowed per game.
Saturday, November 18, 2023 (7:00 p.m.)
CAA Center, Belleville, Ontatio
Phantoms vs. Belleville Senators
Belleville (6-4-1) lost to the Phantoms during Opening Weekend on October 15 at PPL Center when Lehigh Valley rallied from a 2-0 deficit to post a 5-2 win. The Phantoms racked up a franchise-record three shorthanded goals in that game with Cooper Marody, Adam Ginnign and Rhett Gardner all striking when a man-down. The B-Sens are led by Max Gaunette (1-9-10) and University of New Hampshire product Angus Crookshank (3-5-8) as well as 2020 second-rounder Egor Sokolov (2-8-10). Danish big-man Mads Sogaard (4-3-0, 2.35, .923) patrols the crease with his 6’7″ frame.
Tuesday, November 21, 2023 (7:00 p.m.)
Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario
Phantoms at Toronto Marlies
Former NHL defenseman John Gruden has taken the head coaching reigns for the AHL club in Toronto (7-3-2) and has led the Marlies into a first-place tie with Rochester in the early weeks of this first season. Former Adirondack Phantom and Philadelphia Flyer speedster Eric Wellwood is the new assistant coach with the Toronto Marlies after previously serving as head coach of their ECHL club in Newfoundland. Nick Abruzzese was AHL Player of the Week scoring 2-5-7 in just three games. The fourth-rounder out of Harvard has scored 3-8-11 this year. Former Phantom and Flyer Kieffer Bellows has four goals with the Marlies. Alex Steeves (8-6-14) paces the team after his 51-point campaign a year ago while 22-year-old prospect Nick Robertson has been recalled to the Maple Leafs. 33-year-old Martin Jones (2-1-0, 3.25, .864) played for the Philadelphia Flyers two seasons ago and the Seattle Kraken last year.
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Olle Lycksell 8-2-10
Cooper Marody 4-6-10
Garrett Wilson 3-6-9
Samu Tuomaala 2-6-8
Tanner Laczynski 1-7-8
Phantoms Tickets are available HERE
UPCOMING
Friday, November 17 (7:00 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Laval Rocket
Saturday, November 18 (7:00 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Belleville Senators
Tuesday, November 21 (7:00 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Toronto Marlies
Friday, November 24 (7:05 p.m.) – Providence Bruins at Lehigh Valley Phantoms – SECTV Phantoms Ballcaps
Saturday, November 25 (7:05 p.m.) – Rochester Americans at Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Flyers Night with GRITTY! Plus postgame photos with Phantoms players
