Wolf Pack Secure Extra Standings Point After Lycksell Denied
December 2, 2023
Hartford, CT – It couldn’t have been any closer. Olle Lycksell was denied with less than one second left on a sensational glove save by Dylan Garand on what would have been an incredible game-winner. The Phantoms just missed on their chance to finish a great comeback with a power-play winning goal at the end of regulation and in overtime just before the Hartford Wolf Pack finished the night with their own overtime winning strike in a 5-4 decision on Saturday night at XL Center.
Brennan Othmann (7th, 8th) scored the overtime winning goal to complete a three-goal weekend as he beat Felix Sandstrom with a monster one-timer just one second after a Wolf Pack power play had expired.
The Phantoms earned one standings point in the overtime decision after a wild, back-and-forth game. Lehigh Valley led 2-0 on goals in the first period by Wade Allison (3rd) and Helge Grans (1st) but then Hartford scored four straight in the second and third periods to take a 4-2 lead. The Phantoms rallied back on goals by Jordy Bellerive (1st) and then a tying deflection by Garrett Wilson (5th) with just 3:59 left getting a piece of a Ronnie Attard bomb from the point.
Lehigh Valley (9-7-4) raced out to an early 2-0 lead with Allison scoring at 10:36 into the game on a put-back from the side of the net following an Attard blast on the power play. Wilson got a piece of the puck before Allison stuffed it in.
The Phantoms made it 2-0 barely more than three minutes later on a sharp-angle strike from the bottom of the right circle for Helge Grans who scored his first since coming to the Phantoms from the Los Angeles Kings organization.
Hartford (14-4-2) quickly equalized early in the second period. Othmann scored on a long drive on the power play just 1:13 into the frame to trigger the flying plushies on the team’s Teddy Bear Toss Night. Just seconds after play resumed, it was Matt Rempe from the side of the net playing a bank off the back of Sandstrom for a 2-2 tie.
Karl Henriksson (3rd) nicked a Mac Hollowell center-point bomb with 3:08 remaining in the second period to provide the hosts with their first lead of the night.
Hartford’s Brett Berard (5th) cranked up a shot from the left circle which was blocked back at him but he was ready for a quick effort again and lasered a drive to the upper-right corner from the left circle with 13:31 to go providing the Wolf Pack with a 4-2 lead.
But the Phantoms answered quickly. Bellerive struck from the right circle off a snappy cross-ice pass from Emil Andrae just 31 seconds later to pull Lehigh Valley back to within a goal.
Attard’s second assist of the game was on a monster drive from right point that was tipped in at the net-front by Wilson with just 3:59 left.
The Phantoms had a power play at the end of the third and into overtime. Laczynski spotted Lycksell open on the backdoor but Garand scrambled to his right to rob the team’s leading scorer on the last play of regulation.
Hartford got a power play in overtime but the Phantoms held them off. Attard had consecutive blocks in the clutch. But Othmann’s rifle from the high slot just as the man advantage expired would become the game-winner with 1:08 remaining in the extra period.
The Phantoms wrap up the road trip on Sunday afternoon with a 3:05 p.m. tilt at the Providence Bruins.
The Phantoms are back at PPL Center on Friday, December 8 against the Providence Bruins to open a five-game homestand which includes the annual Teddy Bear Toss Night on Saturday, December 9 when the Phantoms host the Charlotte Checkers.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st 10:36 – LV, W. Allison (3) (G. Wilson, R. Attard) (PP) (1-0)
1st 13:43 – LV, H. Grnas (1) (T. Laczynski, M. Millman) (2-0)
2nd 1:13 – HFD, B. Othmann (7) (N. Brouillard, A. Belzile) (PP) (2-1)
2nd 1:37 – HFD, M. Rempe (3) (M. Pekar, B. Scanlin) (2-2)
2nd 16:52 – HFD, K. Henriksson (3) (M. Hollowell, A. Blidh) (2-3)
3rd 5:29 – HFD, B. Berard (5) (A. Belzile, B. Trevigno) (2-4)
3rd 6:02 – LV, J. Bellerive (1) (E. Andrae, J. Gaucher) (3-4)
3rd 16:01 – LV, G. Wilson (5) (R. Attard, W. Allison) (4-4)
OT 3:52 – HFD, B. Othmann (8) (N. Brouillard, M. Hollowell (PP) (4-5)
Shots:
LV 36 – HFD 39
PP:
LV 1/5, HFD 1/3
Goaltenders:
LV – F. Sandstrom (OTL) (34/39) (1-0-2)
HFD – D. Garand (W) (32/36) (7-2-2)
UPCOMING
Sunday, December 3 (3:05 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Providence Bruins
Friday, December 8 (7:05 p.m.) – Providence Bruins at Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Saturday, December 9 (7:05 p.m.) – Charlotte Checkers at Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Teddy Bear Toss presented by Big Woody’s!
Wednesday, December 13 (7:05) – Charlotte Checkers at Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Military Appreciation Night
Friday, December 15 (7:05) – Laval Rocket at Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Saturday, December 16 (7:05) – Springfield Thunderbirds at Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Hispanic Heritage Night, Los Fantasmas!!
