Marching into March
February 28, 2024
Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (22-20-7) are heading into March with a busy weekend including a pair of big home games at PPL Center on Saturday and Sunday. The Phantoms have 23 games remaining in the regular season as they contend for a Calder Cup Playoff spot.
Saturday’s game against the Bridgeport Islanders is Hockey is For Everyone Night celebrating inclusivity and diversity in hockey.
Sunday’s rivalry tilt against Hershey is meLVin’s Birthday with all his mascot friends! Fans can also bring their skates to the game to join the players on the ice in our Postgame Skate presented by NJM Insurance.
LAST WEEK
February 21 – Phantoms 3 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2 (OT)
February 24 – Phantoms 6 – Charlotte Checkers 5 (OT)
February 25 – Charlotte Checkers 6 – Phantoms 3
THIS WEEK
Friday, March 1 (7:05) – Phantoms at Utica Comets
Saturday, March 2 (7:05) – Bridgeport Islanders at Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Sunday, March 3 (3:05) – Hershey Bears at Lehigh Valley Phantoms
WEEKLY RECAP
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Phantoms 3 – Penguins 2 (OT)
Cooper Marody tied the game with 8:36 left in the third period before winning scoring the overtime winner in another comeback rally against the Penguins. Lehigh Valley trailed 2-0 in the game before Bobby Brink’s goal at the end of the second period got the Phantoms on the board. The Phantoms largely dominated the contest and kept the Penguins on their heels all night.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Phantoms 6 – Checkers 5 (OT)
Lehigh Valley exploded for four goals in the third period as they rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits to dramatically win in North Carolina against the Charlotte Checkers. Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell each had a pair of goals. Lycksell tied the game with a 6-on-5 strike with just 42 seconds left. After an overtime penalty kill, the Phantoms picked up the winner on Brink’s goal with 15 seconds remaining in the extra frame. Ronnie Attard scored a key shorthanded goal in the third period.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Checkers 6 – Phantoms 3
The Sunday afternoon rematch in Charlotte was not as kind to the Phantoms as Lehigh Valley mustered a record-low 13 shots on goal in dropping the weekend finale 6-3. Ethan Samson scored his first career pro goal on a blast from the right circle in the first period while Adam Brooks and Brendan Furry’s goals kept the Phantoms within striking distance. Former Phantom Gerry Mayhew scored two power-play goals and Cam Morrison also converted a pair.
MOVING UP
Bobby Brink was recalled to the Flyers after playing 11 games with the Phantoms beginning January 26. He scored five goals with six assists for 11 points in his stretch with the Phantoms including his first career overtime goal on Saturday at Charlotte.
Brink celebrated his return to the big club in style scoring the first goal of the game in Philadelphia’s win over Tampa Bay.
Olle Lyckell was recalled back to the Flyers after a quick one-game stint with Lehigh Valley last weekend. Lycksell scored his team-leading 17th and 18th goals of the season as part of a four-point night.
IT’S MORE FUN BACK-TO-BACK
Lehigh Valley won consecutive games in overtime for only the second time in team history. The Phantoms also won back-to-back overtime contests on November 28 and November 29, 2019 with a 6-5 win against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on T.J. Brennan’s winning strike and a 2-1 victory over Hartford with Andy Welinski scoring the winning goal.
It was the sixth time in franchise history for the Phantoms to win consecutive games in overtime with the Philadelphia Phantoms having achieved the feat four times between 1997 through 2007.
This is the first time in 20 years for the Phantoms franchise to win consecutive overtime games on the road. The Philadelphia Phantoms also did it in November 2004 at the Albany River Rats and at the Providence Bruins with back-to-back 4-3 decisions.
Only once in franchise history have the Phantoms won three straight games in overtime. In December, 1997 the Philadelphia Phantoms won in extra time against Hartford, Providence and Kentucky in back-to-back-to-back games.
MORE OVERTIME MANIA
The Phantoms are third in the AHL with 16 overtime games.
Lehigh Valley is 6-5 in overtime decisions and 3-2 in games that advance to a shootout for a combined record of 9-7 after regulation.
Samu Tuomaala (2), Ronnie Attard, Tanner Laczynski, Cooper Marody and Bobby Brink have all struck for overtime winners for the Phantoms.
Samu Tuomaala is the first-ever Lehigh Valley rookie and also the first-ever forward for Lehigh Valley to score two overtime goals in a season. Tuomaala’s two overtime goals is also tied for the AHL Rookie lead along with Brett Berard (Hartford) and Joe Carroll (Syracuse). He’s the first rookie in franchise history to accomplish the feat since Kyle Greentree of the Philadelphia Phantoms had two OT goals in 2007-08.
COMEBACK MOJO
Never count out the Phantoms!
Lehigh Valley has won six times when trailing at the second intermission which is tied for most comeback wins in the AHL with Grand Rapids and Manitoba. Additionally, the Phantoms have points in 10 games when trailing after two periods including four losses in overtime or shootout. That is second-highest in the AHL.
UPCOMING
Friday, March 1, 2024 (7:00)
Adirondack Bank Center, Utica, NY
Phantoms at Utica Comets
Utica (21-21-7) is trying to climb out of the cellar in the North Division and is coming off a 5-2 win at Syracuse on Sunday entering a Wednesday night clash at Belleville. Graeme Clarke (19-18-37) paces Kevin Dineen’s crew. Former Phantoms Kyle Criscuolo (11-19-30) and Max Willman (11-8-19) are also among the team scoring leaders. Willman has also played in 13 games with the New Jersey Devils this season in his first year outside the Flyers organization. Willman played in parts of four seasons for the Phantoms and Flyers encompassing 142 games with the Phantoms where he scored 32-35-71 plus 50 games for Philadelphia scoring 4-2-6 as well as 20 games with Reading in the ECHL where he scored 9-16-25. Willman in the Flyers organization with all three teams combined played in 212 games scoring 45-53-98. Lehigh Valley topped Utica 5-4 on December 27 in Allentown.
Saturday, March 2, 2024 (7:05)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Phantoms at Bridgeport Islanders
Last-place Bridgeport (16-28-7) is showing improved play including a 4-3-2 in the past month. This is the second of six meetings this season between the Phantoms and B-Isles. Popular Phantoms alum Cole Bardreau scored 3-2-5 in three games in early February to earn Howie’s Hockey Tape AHL Player of the Week Honors. The 30-year-old Bardreau is in his fifth season with Bridgeport after playing in parts of five seasons for the Phantoms where he scored 41-57-98 in 226 games. Bardreau rates 7th in games played and 10th in assists in Lehigh Valley history.
2018 second-rounder Ruslan Ishakov (15-22-37) paces the team’s scoring in his second season in the AHL. Otto Koivula (9-20-29) is in his sixth season with Bridgeport under new head coach Rick Kowalsky. Another former Phantom, Carsen Twarynski (2-0-2), returned from Europe to sign an AHL contract with Bridgeport on January 8. Twarynski played in parts of four full seasons with the Phantoms from 2018-21 totalling 107 games while scoring 18-20-38. Goaltender Jakub Skarek (4-18-5, 3.30, .885) has had a rough season.
The Islanders have the worst record in the league and their offense scores a league-worst 2.24 goals per game. Their 13.6% power play is also at the bottom. The Phantoms eeked out a 2-1 shootout win at Bridgeport two weeks ago on a third-round shootout winner for Wade Allison and a magnificent 34-save performance for Parker Gahagen.
Sunday, March 3 (3:05)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Phantoms vs. Hershey Bears
Hershey (41-9-3) is on a record pace with a league-leading .802 points percentage which would break the old mark of .775 by the Binghamton Rangers in 1992-93. The Phantoms are 3-4-2 against Hershey and are the only team to have defeated the Bears three times this season, including twice in regulation. Hershey enters the weekend on a five-game point streak and the Bears are led by Joe Snively (10-33-43). Mike Sgarbossa (7-36-43) has been recalled to the Washington Capitals as has Pierrick Dube (24-10-34) and Ivan Miroshnichenko (9-16-25). All-Star goaltender Clay Stevenson (18-7-1, 1.89, .930) is the leading candidate for the AHL’s Red Garrett Award for the top goaltender as the Dartmouth College rookie leads the circuit in GAA and Save Percentage and also tops the league with six shutouts, including two against the Phantoms.
Lehigh Valley clobbered Hershey 4-1 in the last matchup on February 2 at PPL Center. Both teams have had strong penalty kills in the season series. Lehigh Valley and Hershey are an identifcal 4/35 (11.4%) so far. This is Hershey’s last visit to PPL Center this season. The Phantoms make two more treks to Chocolate Town.
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Cooper Marody 13-30-43
Samu Tuomaala 13-24-37
x – Olle Lycksell 18-14-32
Emil Andrae 4-23-27
Tanner Laczynski 8-18-26
Ronnie Attard 10-15-25
Phantoms Tickets are available HERE
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, March 1 (7:05) – Phantoms at Utica Comets
Saturday, March 2 (7:05) vs. Bridgeport Islanders—Hockey is for Everyone, SNHL ft. DJ Brad Scott
Sunday, March 3 (3:05) vs. Hershey Bears—meLVin’s Birthday, Post-game skate with players presented by NJM Insurance, Faith Night
Friday, March 8 (7:05) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – Berks Dollar Dogs. How many hot dogs this time?!?!
