Phantoms Weekly – Phantoms Welcome Rival Penguins to PPL Center This Saturday

October 10, 2017

This Week

Friday, October 13 (7:05 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ WB/Scranton Penguins

Saturday, October 14 (7:05 p.m.) – WB/Scranton Penguins @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(Fidget Spinner Giveaway to First 2,500 Kids 14 & Under in Attendance)

Sunday, October 15 (5:00 p.m.) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms @ Hershey Bears

Upcoming

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-0-0-1, 3 pts., 3rd Atlantic Division) return to action with three games this weekend as they renew their heated rivalries with a pair of in-state foes.

Lehigh Valley’s weekend begins with a home-and-home series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Phantoms first invade Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, October 13 before the Penguins visit PPL Center on Saturday, October 14. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (0-1-0, 0 pts., T-5th Atlantic Division) dropped its only game last weekend with a 5-2 setback at the hands of the Charlotte Checkers. Friday and Saturday’s games will mark the first two of 12 total meetings during the 2017-18 regular season between the Phantoms and Penguins after Lehigh Valley posted a 5-6-1 mark in 12 head-to-head gatherings a year ago.

Saturday’s game in downtown Allentown features a Fidget Spinner Giveaway FREE to the first 2,000 kids 14 and under in attendance. Only a limited number of tickets remain for Saturday’s game and can be purchased online HERE.

The Phantoms then cap this week’s action on Sunday when the team visits Giant Center in Hershey for the first time this season for a road collision with the Bears. Hershey (0-1-0, 0 pts., T-5th Atlantic Division) was handed a 7-2 loss by Lehigh Valley in its only game last weekend and will host the Belleville Senators on Saturday before welcoming the Phantoms Sunday.

  • Phantoms By The Numbers
  • Forward Danick Martel netted four goals last weekend, including his third career hat trick in a 7-2 win over the Hershey Bears. Martel joined Mike Maneluk as the only Phantoms in franchise history to record three hat tricks and is the only player in franchise history with a hat trick in three separate seasons.
  • Forward Mikhail Vorobyev and defenseman Phil Myers both made their professional debuts in Saturday’s victory over Hershey and each registered an assist in their first pro games.
  • Lehigh Valley’s leading scorer a season ago, defenseman T.J. Brennan picked up right where he left off with a team-high three assists in Saturday’s win over Hershey. In 521 career AHL outings, Brennan has compiled 134 goals, 248 assists and 382 total points.
  • Goaltender Alex Lyon put together an impressive opening weekend posting a 1-0-1 mark in back-to-back starts to go along with a 1.44 goals-against average and 0.955 save percentage (64 saves/67 shots).

Last Week

Saturday, October 7: Hershey Bears 2 – Lehigh Valley Phantoms 7

Danick Martel netted his third career hat trick and defensemen T.J. Brennan (3 assists) and Reece Willcox (goal, 2 assists) each chipped in three points as the Phantoms opened the 2017-18 regular season with a convincing 7-2 victory over the rival Hershey Bears in front of 8,648 fans inside PPL Center. Greg Carey, Phil Varone and Nic Aube-Kubel also found the back of the net for Lehigh Valley in front of goaltender Alex Lyon who earned his first win of the season with an impressive 29-save performance.

The 8,648 fans on hand Saturday marked the Phantoms’ largest Opening Night crowd since PPL Center opened its doors in the Fall of 2014.

Sunday, October 8: Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1 – Hartford Wolf Pack 2 (SO)

Danick Martel tallied his fourth goal of the weekend and Alex Lyon turned in a herculean 35-save performance as the Phantoms earned a critical standings point in a 2-1 shootout decision with the Hartford Wolf Pack at XL Center. With a goal in Sunday’s first period, Martel converted once in each of the season’s first four periods while Lyon’s outing capped an impressive opening weekend in which the second-year netminder turned aside 64 of 67 total shots.

Hartford’s Adam Tambellini netted the Wolf Pack’s lone goal in regulation before he was the only shooter on either side to convert in the three-round shootout.

Broadcast Coverage

Service Electric’s TV2 Sports will be broadcasting live each of the Phantoms’ 37 home games throughout the 2017-2018 regular season. If you can’t make it out to the rink, be sure to catch all the exciting action live in HD quality with Steve Degler, Todd Fedoruk, Doug Heater and Kristi Fulkerson! Pre-game coverage begins with “Phantoms Front and Center” 30 minutes before puck drop.

Be sure to also catch each and every Phantoms game this season live on 1470-AM WSAN, 790-AM WAEB or via the iHeartRadio app and Phantoms365 app! Join Voice of the Phantoms, Bob Rotruck, for all of the heart-pumping action of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey whether the team is at home or on the road. “Countdown to Faceoff” begins 45 minutes prior to puck drop.

Ticket Information

Tickets for each and every Phantoms home game throughout the 2017-18 season are available online at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX [8499] or in-person at the QNB Box Office [7th & Hamilton].