Phantoms Power Play Presented by Provident Bank

January 24, 2024

Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (17-15-6) return to PPL Center for their longest homestand of the season as they play the next six straight in downtown Allentown. The Phantoms begin the busy stretch this weekend with a Friday night tilt against the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins followed by a Saturday night clash against the Toronto Marlies on Racing Night and also meLVin Youth Winter Hat Night for the first 2,000 kids presented by Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.

WEEKLY RECAP
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Americans 6 – Phantoms 0
32 shots were not enough for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a 6-0 loss at the Rochester Americans to open a three-game road trip. Despite outshooting the Amerks 32-20, Lehigh Valley couldn’t break through against Eric Comrie who posted the shutout. Penn State product Brandon Biro opened the scoring with a goal and an assist in the first period. The Phantoms were still within striking distance midway through the third period but three Amerks’ goals in the closing minutes put the game away.

Friday, January 19, 2024
Monsters 4 – Phantoms 2
Samu Tuomaala and Jacob Gaucher scored the first and last goals of the evening but the Cleveland Monsters strung together four goals in between to double-up the Phantoms in the opener of a two-game weekend set. James Malatesta scored a pair of markers early in the second frame to stake Cleveland to a 3-1 advantage they would not relinquish.

Saturday, January 20, 2024
Phantoms 4 – Monsters 3
The Comeback Phantoms did it again. Trailing 3-2 into the third period, Olle Lycksell got a piece of an Emil Andrae drive to equalize and then Andrae scored the winner with 7:06 remaining as the Phantoms downed the first-place Cleveland Monsters 4-3. Rhett Gardner notched a goal and an assist early in the contest and Ronnie Attard cranked home his eighth of the season.

TRANSACTIONS
Jan 22 – Delete Olle Lycksell (F) – Recalled to PHI
Jan 22 – Add Bobby Brink (F) – Loaned to LV by PHI
Jan 23 – Delete Cal Petersen (G) – Recalled to PHI
Jan 23 – Delete Mason Millman (D) – Reassigned by PHI to Reading from LV
Jan 23 – Delete Adam Karashik (D) – Loaned to Reading by LV
Jan 23 – Delete Jordy Bellerive (F) – Traded to San Jose (AHL)
Jan 23 – Add Parker Gahagen (G) – Recalled to LV from Reading

BOBBY’S BACK!
The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned forward Bobby Brink to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms who is set to make his Phantoms’ season debut this weekend.
Brink, 22, joins the Phantoms for the first time this season after scoring seven goals with 11 assists for 18 points in 38 games played with Philadelphia. Last year with Lehigh Valley, Brink joined the team in January following his recovery from hip surgery and played in 41 games scoring 12-16-28.
He also played 10 games with Philadelphia in 2021-22 for a combined total of 48 games in the NHL.
Brink won an NCAA title in the Frozen Four with the University of Denver in 2022 and led the nation in scoring with 14-43-57 in just 41 games with the Pioneers. The 5-foot-8 forward with a right-handed shot was a Round 2 selection (#34 overall) of the Flyers in 2019.

PHANTASTIC!

• Garrett Wilson played in his 800th career pro game on Saturday at Cleveland. That includes 615 career AHL games with San Antonio, Portland, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Toronto and Lehigh Valley. This is his fourth season with the Phantoms where he has played 202 games.
• Garrett Wilson leads the AHL with 111 penalty minutes.
• Samu Tuomaala (12-20-32) rates second among AHL rookies in points and third in assists.
• Olle Lycksell (16-12-28) has already eclipsed his rookie campaign mark of 14 goals scored. The Round 6 selection of the Flyers in 2017 leads the Phantoms in goals and has been recalled to the Philadelphia Flyers where he has played in nine career games including one this season
• The Phantoms record when:
  – Score 4 or more goals: 12-0-2
  – Allow 3 or fewer goals: 13-3-3
  – Lead After 1st period: 7-1-2
  – Lead After 2nd period: 11-1-1
  – Overtime: 4-5 / Shootout: 1-1

UPCOMING
Friday, January 26, 2024 (7:05 p.m.)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Phantoms vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (21-14-5) has vaulted to third place in the Atlantic Division largely on the strength of goaltender Joel Blomqvist (12-5-3, 2.14, .921) who rates second in the AHL in GAA behind only Clay Stevenson of Hershey. Blomqvist will join fellow Finland product Samu Tuomaala of the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose.
It’s been a never-ending series of nailbiters for the Baby Pens who have played in nine consecutive one-goal decisions which is a franchise record. Defenseman Ty Smith (6-20-26) leads the Penguins in scoring. The former New Jersey first-rounder earned NHL All-Rookie Team accolades in 2021.  Jesse Puljujärvi and Vinnie Hinostroza are relatively recent additions who both have over 300 games of NHL experience.
The Phantoms won at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4-3 on January 6 with an overtime winner by Samu Tuomaala serving as the difference-maker. Tuomaala and Ronnie Attard scored back-to-back in the third to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

Saturday, January 27, 2024 (7:05 p.m.)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Phantoms vs. Toronto Marlies
Sixth-place Toronto (16-13-6) has certainly had its ups and downs in the North Division but the Marlies have won three of four since snapping a seven-game losing streak via an 8-0 thrashing of the Belleville Senators. They cruised to a road sweep of the Charlotte Checkers last weekend by 5-2 and 4-1 victories as they began an eight-game swing through the United States that takes them to Cleveland and then Allentown with future stops in Hershey, Wilkes-Barre and Utica. Former Phantom and Flyer Kieffer Bellow (16-12-28) has thrived since joining on a PTO in November and is now with the Marlies full-time on an AHL contract. Dennis Hildeby (9-6-3, 2.21, .918) is fifth in the AHL in GAA and will represent the Marlies at the AHL All-Star Classic.
Head coach John Gruden is in his first season with the Marlies and is the father of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Jonathan Gruden. Assistant coach Eric Wellwood played 164 games for the Adirondack Phantoms from 2010-13 scoring 34-32-68 and also 31 games for the Flyers scoring 5-5-10 for a combined 195 games in the Flyers organization. Wellwood’s career ended prematurely via a skate slice of his Achilles’ heel in an Adirondack Phantoms game at Bridgeport in April, 2013. Wellwood is in his first season with the Marlies after he had previously been head coach of Newfoundland in the ECHL.

Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Cooper Marody 9-25-34
Samu Tuomaala 12-20-32
Olle Lycksell 16-12-28
Tanner Laczynski 8-18-26
Ronnie Attard 8-13-21

Phantoms Tickets are available HERE