Red Hot Phantoms Host Rivals This Week
November 11, 2024
Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-3-3) look to keep it going as they carry a six-game point streak into a busy week, including a pair of rivalry showdowns at PPL Center.
Lehigh Valley hosts the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday during Military Appreciation Night presented by Netizen. After a Friday trek to Springfield, Mass., the Phantoms return to Allentown for a Saturday Night Hockey Live clash against the two-time defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears.
The Phantoms have won two straight and also four of their last five games. Lehigh Valley’s six-game point streak (4-0-2) is the longest current streak in the AHL.
LAST WEEK
November 6 – OTL – Phantoms 1 at Penguins 2
November 8 – W – Penguins 3 at Phantoms 5
November 9 – OTW – Comets 3 at Phantoms 4
THE WEEK AHEAD
Wednesday, November 13 (7:05) – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Phantoms
Friday, November 15 (7:05) – Phantoms at Springfield Thunderbirds
Saturday, November 16 (7:05) – Hershey Bears at Phantoms
WEEKLY RECAP
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Penguins 2 – Phantoms 1 (OT)
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms were the better team for most of the night but NHL goaltender Tristan Jarry, sent down on a conditioning loan, was on top of his game to stymie the visitors and backstop the Baby Pens to an overtime win on Wednesday night at Wilkes-Barre. Hunter McDonald finally broke through for the Phantoms with 12 minutes left to even the score but rookie Tristan Broz roofed the winner in overtime for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as the Penguins improved to 3-0-0 against Lehigh Valley this season.
Friday, November 8, 2024
Phantoms 5 – Penguins 3
Lehigh Valley prevailed in the Allentown rematch against the Penguins with Alexis Gendron and Oscar Eklind each scoring a pair of goals while Rhett Gardner tallied two assists. The Phantoms trailed 2-0 in the first period and only had three shots on goal but roared back in the middle frame with a four-goal explosion beginning with Louie Belpedio’s power-play strike from center point for his first of the season. Eetu Makinimi was solid in his second win of the season and Lehigh Valley knocked off the rivals for the first time in four tries this season.
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Phantoms 4 – Comets 3 (OT)
The Comeback Kids were at it again as the Phantoms overcame a deficit against the Utica Comets to rally from behind for a win for a second consecutive night at PPL Center. Olle Lycksell finally broke through with his first goal of the season when he tied the score at 3-3 with 3:29 remaining. Rhett Gardner struck in overtime as Ethan Samson chased down a bouncing pass behind the goal to set up the winning strike on a wrap-around pass. Garrett Wilson (2nd) and Samu Tuomaala (4th) also scored for the Phantoms as they kept winless Utica (0-8-3) from finding the W column.
STREAKING – Lehigh Valley is on a six-game point streak (4-0-2) since October 27. That is tied for the longest point streak in Ian Laperriere’s coaching tenure having been achieved on two other occasions including November 12-25, 2023 (5-0-1) and also April 13-23, 2022 (2-0-4). The last time the Phantoms had a longer stretch without a regulation loss was during the team’s record eight-game streak (7-0-1) February 7-21, 2018 which tied the standard first set during the team’s record eight-game win streak November 2-18, 2016. The franchise-record longest point streak and winning streak was a 17-game win streak by the Philadelphia Phantoms from October 22-November 27, 2004 that was an AHL record at the time (since eclipsed by the Norfolk Admirals 28-game win streak in 2012)
PHANTASTIC
– Defenseman Ben Gleason made his Phantoms debut on Saturday vs. Utica and recorded an assist. The AHL veteran was acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ronnie Attard last Monday. Gleason is in his seventh season in the AHL having previously played 359 games with the Texas Stars and Bakersfield Condors scoring 40-137-177 in his career including 10-22-32 last year with Bakersfield.
– Second-year winger Samu Tuomaala (4-6-10) is tied with Jacob Gaucher for the team lead in scoring. He is also first among AHL forwards in power-play points (3-5-8) and is second overall trailing only defenseman Trevor Carrick of Charlotte (3-6-9). Tuomaala scored 15-28-43 in 69 games while representing the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star Classic in his rookie season.
– Olle Lycksell finally broke through with his first goal of the season and it came in a big moment. His tying goal on Saturday against Utica with 3:29 left forced overtime and helped push the Phantoms to victory. Lycksell had a career-high 10 shots on goal in Saturday’s game and found the back of the net on his league-leading 50th shot on goal of the season. Last year, Lycksell racked up eight goals in his first nine games and was second in the AHL at the time on his way to a team-leading 19 goals on the season.
– The Phantoms are third in the AHL with 34.1 shots per game trailing only Rochester (35.9) and Iowa (34.2).
– Lehigh Valley’s power play is second in the AHL at 29.1% trailing only Charlotte (40.4%). The Phantoms are 5-for-14 (35.7%) in November through four games played.
UPCOMING
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 (7:05)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
W-B/Scranton Penguins at Phantoms
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-3-0) is in second place in the Atlantic Division with wins in four of its last five including a 5-0 thumping of Rochester last Saturday backed by Filip Larsson’s 36-save shutout, his second of the season. Rookie Tristan Broz (6-2-8) scored twice in that game and also had an overtime winner against the Phantoms last Wednesday up in Wilkes-Barre. Experienced NHL’er Emil Bemstrom (2-9-11) paces the offense. The WBS defense is tied for first in the Eastern Conference with Laval allowing just 2.27 goals per game.
First-rounder Rutger McGroaty scored his first career pro goal on Saturday. Defenseman Owen Pickering, also a rookie first-rounder, is still in search of his first pro point. Sam Poulin was recalled to Pittsburgh. Former Reading Royals head coach Kirk McDonald is the first-year bench boss in NEPA.
Lehigh Valley’s 5-3 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday was the first in four tries for the Phantoms as Alexis Gendron and Oscar Eklind led the way with two goals each. The Phantoms overcame a 2-0 deficit in that one. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has scored the first goal of the game in all four previous matchups against Lehigh Valley.
Friday, November 15, 2024 (7:05)
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Mass
Phantoms at Springfield Thunderbirds
Springfield (4-8-1) was swept in a pair of games at Hershey last weekend. Sunday evening, the T-Birds dramatically rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a pair of goals in the final 41 seconds from Samuel Johannesson and Nikita Alexandrov but Hershey still prevailed on Mike Vecchione’s overtime-winning goal.
Lehigh Valley won at Springfield on Saturday, November 2 with Jacob Gaucher recording a hat trick in a 5-2 decision. The game also featured five fights in the bruising matchup. This is Lehigh Valley’s last trip this season to the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. The T-Birds are led by 19-year-old Slovakian first-rounder Dalibor Dvorsky (6-4-10) and 24-year-old second-rounder from Russia Nikita Alexandrov (4-4-8). Captain Matthew Peca (3-3-6) is back from injury and scored a winning goal last week against Bridgeport as the T-Birds overcame an early 3-0 deficit. The 31-year-old veteran has played in 423 career AHL games recording 300 points (88-212-300) mostly with Syracuse and Springfield. He has also played in 83 NHL games with Tampa Bay, Montreal, Ottawa and St. Louis.
Saturday, November 16, 2024 (7:05)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Hershey Bears at Phantoms
The Hershey Bears (9-3-1) are up to their old tricks again as the Chocolate and White have won three straight to hold down the top spot in the Atlantic Division. The two-time defending Calder Cup Champs are aiming to become only the second team to “Three-Peat” in AHL history and the first since Springfield won three straight from 1960-62.
Head coach Todd Nelson is away from the team due to personal family reasons. Assistant coaches Nick Bootland and Patrick Wellar have taken the reigns.
Lehigh Valley picked up an exciting 2-1 win at Hershey on October 30 via Jacob Gaucher’s sharp-angle strike that beat Hunter Shepard past the shoulder. Helge Grans also scored his first of the year and Cal Petersen was especially strong in a 29-save triumph.
Ethan Frank (9-4-13) is second in the AHL in goals and had 59 in his first two seasons with the Bears. 20-year-old first-rounder Ivan Miroshnichenko (6-7-13) is pushing for a chance with Washington again. Penn State product Alex Limoges (3-9-12) is tied for the AHL lead with six power-play assists. Hunter Shepard (7-2-1, 1.89, .934) won AHL Goaltender of the Year honors (Baz Bastien Award) last season and was AHL Playoff MVP (Jack Butterfield Trophy) the year before. Five former Phantoms are on the Hershey roster including Logan Day, Garrett Roe (Adirondack), Brennan Saulnier, Matt Strome, Mike Vecchione.
The Bears will travel to Allentown three times in a three-week stretch including return visits on Friday, November 29 and Saturday, December 7.
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Jacob Gaucher 6-4-10
Samu Tuomaala 4-6-10
x Anthony Richard 4-5-9
Oscar Eklind 4-3-7
Olle Lycksell 1-6-7
UPCOMING
Wednesday, November 13 – W-B/Scranton Penguins at Phantoms – Military Appreciation Night presented by Netizen
Friday, November 15 – Phantoms at Springfield Thunderbirds
Saturday, November 16 – Hershey Bears at Phantoms – Saturday Night Hockey Live, DJ Angel B
Friday, November 22 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins
Saturday, November 23 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins
