March 16, 2022
Lehigh Valley, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms continue their longest road-trip of the season when they play a pair of games at the first-place Springfield Thunderbirds this weekend. The Phantoms are at the beginning of a stretch of six consecutive away games before they return to PPL Center for their next home games on April 1 and April 2.
Weekly Recap
Friday, March 11, 2022
Phantoms 4 – Laval Rocket 3
Lehigh Valley rallied from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the Rocket in the homestand opener. Wade Allison had the game-winning power play goal plus a pair of assists in his first game back in the lineup since January. Max Willman had a goal and an assist in his return to the Phantoms from Philadelphia.
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Phantoms 6 – Hartford Wolf Pack 5
The Phantoms again rallied from a two-goal deficit to snag a W in this see-saw battle. Trailing 4-2 in the first period, Lehigh Valley pulled through on Logan Day’s game-winner with 4:08 left. Day finished with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick (Goal, Assist, Fight) and Linus Sandin again had a sharp assist on the game-winning goal. Hayden Hodgson and Cal O’Reilly both scored a pair of goals and Felix Sandstrom entered in relief to backstop the win allowing just one goal on 23 shots.
Sunday, March 13, 2022
Hershey Bears 2 – Phantoms 0
Felix Sandstrom and Zach Fucale engaged in an exciting goalie duel at Giant Center in Hershey with the Bears finally breaking the deadlock late in the second period. A long empty-netter finished the night in which only one goal combined was scored against the two goalies. Both offenses weren’t exactly struggling. Terrific chances were created on both ends but the goalies were simply on top of their respective games. The Phantoms had a hard push in the third period trying to come up with yet another comeback win but Fucale was able to hang on.
Upcoming
Friday, March 18, 2022 (7:05)
Saturday, March 19, 2022 (7:05)
Phantoms at Springfield Thunderbirds
Lehigh Valley (20-25-10) travels to Western Massachusetts for a pair of games against the first-place Thunderbirds this weekend. Springfield (31-17-7) is tops in the Atlantic Division with 69 points. The affiliate of the St. Louis Blues is 3-0-0 against the Phantoms including a 6-2 win on January 29 in the team’s only visit to Springfield this season which saw former Hershey Bears forward Nathan Walker net a natural hat trick. The T-Birds won at PPL Center 3-1 on February 20 on a solid goaltending effort by Charlie Lindgren. The fast-paced T-Birds crank up 33.3 shots per game, most in the Eastern Conference while boasting a power play with a 22.4% conversion rate which is second-best in the Eastern Conference. Veterans Matthew Peca (18-29-47) and Sam Anas (15-31-46) are the team’s scoring leaders.
Transactions:
Max Willman has been recalled to the Philadelphia Flyers after a quick three-game return to the Phantoms last weekend.
Defenseman Garrett McFadden has been returned on loan to the Reading Royals of the ECHL. He did not appear in any games with the Phantoms on his recall last week.
News and Notes:
– Cal O’Reilly is currently at 996 pro games (AHL, NHL, KHL combined) and is projected to play in his 1,000th pro game on March 25 at Laval. Two weeks ago, he became the 41st player to reach 800 AHL games.
– Cal O’Reilly has 16 goals this season and the 35-year-old captain of the Phantoms is on pace to set a new personal best for goals in a season. He had 18 goals in 2006-07 as a 20-year-old rookie with the Milwaukee Admirals. Cal had three goals last weekend.
– Wade Allison has an unusual 4-game goal streak with lamplighters in Phantoms games on Jan 14, Jan 15, Jan 16 and Mar 11. He missed almost two months from January through March on a recall to Philadelphia and an injury.
– The Phantoms have played 55 games and have 21 remaining in the 2021-22 regular season.
– Hayden Hodgson leads the Phantoms with 18 goals and has six goals in the last ten games as well as 12 goals in the last 20 games.
– Felix Sandstrom played eight out of nine periods last weekend and went 2-1-0, 2.26, .924. He allowed six goals on 79 shots although one of the goals was a long empty-netter when he was on his way to the bench for an extra attacker on Sunday. Because Sandstrom was still on the ice when the goal was scored it is officially charged against his stats.
Team Scoring Leaders
Cal O’Reilly 16-23-39
Adam Clendening 5-25-30
Hayden Hodgson 18-11-29
Garrett Wilson 11-15-26
Egor Zamula 3-17-20
x – Morgan Frost 6-13-19
Isaac Ratcliffe 5-12-17
x – Gerry Mayhew 9-7-16
Linus Sandin 6-10-16
Wyatte Wylie 4-12-16
Goaltending Leaders
Pat Nagle 7-3-3, 2.67, .899
Kirill Ustimenko 1-3-2, 2.91, .900
Felix Sandstrom 10-14-3, 3.01, .896
Upcoming Schedule:
Friday, March 18 (7:05) at Springfield Thunderbirds
Saturday, March 19 (7:05) at Springfield Thunderbirds
Wednesday, March 23 (7:00) at Hershey Bears
Friday, March 25 (7:00) at Laval Rocket
Saturday, March 26 (7:05) at Belleville Senators
Friday, April 1 (7:05) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PPL Center)
Saturday, April 2 (7:05) vs. Utica Comets (PPL Center)
Tickets for upcoming Phantoms games available HERE
Broadcast coverage of all Phantoms games, home and away, is available on the Phantoms 365 app and on 1470-WSAN. Fans can watch on AHLTV.com and can listen on their Smart Speakers at: “Play Phantoms Radio 24/7.” Join Voice of the Phantoms, Bob Rotruck, for all the action!
Service Electric Network again provides exclusive television coverage of all Phantoms home games with veteran announcer Steve Degler and Phantoms’ alum Steven Swavely on the call from the booth. Kristi Fulkerson reports from ice level and also from the Chickie’s and Pete’s studio with Dan Fremuth for pregame, intermission and postgame show analysis.
