PREVIEW: Phantoms at Wolf Pack, Game #20

Wednesday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms (9-8-2) at Hartford Wolf Pack (5-9-5)
XL Center, Hartford, CT

TONIGHT
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms finish a three-game road-swing tonight at the Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. Tonight is the first of four meetings between the Phantoms and the Pack.
The Phantoms are coming off a weekend split at the Charlotte Checkers. Hartford is in last place in the Atlantic Division and has gone winless in five straight.

LAST TIME
Saturday, December 3, 2022

Checkers 6 – Phantoms 4
Lehigh Valley continually rallied to either tie or pull closer but the Checkers kept pushing forward as well and eventually pulled off a wild 6-4 win in a feisty finale that earned the hosts the weekend split. Tyson Foerster (6th), Adam Brooks (2nd), Jackson Cates (5th) and Elliot Desnoyers (9th) all registered markers for the Phantoms who went 3-for-4 on the power play. Kieffer Bellows made his Phantoms debut and recorded an assist and also hit the post on a deflection of a shot by Louie Belpedio.

TRANSACTIONS
Dec 2 – Add Kieffer Bellows (F) – Loaned to LV from Philadelphia (NHL)
Dec 4 – Delete Alex Kile (F) – Loaned to Maine (ECHL)
Dec 4 – Delete Evan Barratt (F) – Reassigned by PHI to Reading (ECHL)
Dec 5 – Delete Pat Nagle (G) – Loaned to Reading (ECHL)
Dec 5 – Add Nolan Maier (G) – Recalled by LV from Reading (ECHL)

THE DESTROYER!
20-year-old center Elliot “The Destroyer” Desnoyers has certainly impressed in his rookie professional season. The Flyers’ fifth-round selection in 2020 has the led Phantoms in goals since the very beginning of the season and now has nine to his credit including four goals in the last five games and a two-game goal streak. Desnoyers also has goals in six of the last nine games.
He belatedly was credited for a goal in the team’s Friday game at Charlotte on a deflection of a Wyatte Wylie shot via a scoring change that was officially announced on Tuesday.
Desnoyers began his pro career with goals in each of the team’s first three games, the first time ever that a Lehigh Valley player had done that.
Desnoyers won a gold medal with Canada at the World Juniors in August and previously racked up 43 goals last year as captain of the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.

POWER SURGE
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms power play has gone 6-for-10 in the last four games including a 3-for-4 performance on Saturday at Charlotte. The Phantoms have vaulted all the way up to seventh overall in the AHL at 24.6%.
Tyson Foerster and Cam York have both scored 2-5-7 on the power play while Cal O’Reilly is 1-6-7. The scoring has been very even on he man-advantage with six Phantoms tied for the team lead with two power-play goals each; Brooks, Desnoyers, Foerster, Lycksell, Wilson, York.

ABOUT THE PACK
Hartford (5-9-5) is in last place in the Atlantic Division and has dropped five straight decisions (0-4-1) as well as eight of its last nine (1-5-3). The AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers is dead last in the league in offense at just 2.3 goals per game. Highly touted rookie free-agent addition Bobby Trivigno is trying to find his game at the pro level and has scored 4-3-7. Former Phantoms defenseman Andy Welinski (3-7-10) is tied for the team lead along with Tim Gettinger (2-8-10) who has played in 201 career AHL games, all with Hartford. 30-year-old veteran goalie Louis Domingue (4-4-3, 2.48, .912) brings his experience of 322 pro games to the crease, including 137 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Arizona. Domingue is keeping his team in games for head coach Kris Knoblauch who had previously been at the bench together with Ian Laperriere as Flyers assistant coaches.

PHANTASTIC!
– Rookie Elliot Desnoyers leads the Phantoms with nine goals and has a two-game goal streak. Desnoyers has four goals in the last five games as well as six goals in the last nine games.
– Lehigh Valley’s top five scorers are all rookies or young prospects: Tyson Foerster (6-8-14), Cam York (3-9-12), Olle Lycksell (4-8-12), Elliot Desnoyers (9-2-11), Ronnie Attard (4-5-9)
– The Phantoms are 6-for-10 on the power play in the last four games and are 7th in the AHL at 24.6%. Lehigh Valley’s road power play is even stronger at 26.2% (11-for-42) which is second in the conference behind only Cleveland.
– The Phantoms are 7-2-2 in one-goal games. Lehigh Valley is 6-0-2 when leading after two periods.
– The Phantoms are 3-2 in decisions after regulation having gone 2-1 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts.

Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Tyson Foerster 6-8-14
Cam York 3-9-12
Olle Lycksell 4-8-12
Elliot Desnoyers 9-2-11
Ronnie Attard 4-5-9

Hartford Scoring Leaders
Tim Gettinger 6-4-10
Andy Welinski 3-7-10
x Jonny Brodzinski 2-7-9
Turner Elson 2-7-9
Bobby Trivigno 4-3-7
Will Cuylle 4-3-7

Phantoms Tickets are available HERE

SPECIAL TEAMS 
Lehigh Valley Power Play – 24.7% (7th)
Lehigh Valley Penalty Kill – 68.3% (31st)
Hartford Power Play – 14.7% (28th)
Hartford Penalty Kill – 82.9% (9th)

UP NEXT
The Phantoms return to PPL Center this weekend for a pair of rematch encounters against the Charlotte Checkers. Friday’s game features Berks $1 Hot Dogs. Saturday is Phantoms Hat Night presented by Service Electric.

 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wednesday, December 7 (7:00) at Hartford Wolf Pack
Friday, December 9 (7:05) vs. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS
Saturday, December 10 (7:05) vs. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS

Friday, December 16 (7:05) at Providence Bruins
Saturday, December 17 (7:05) vs. PROVIDENCE BRUINS
Sunday, December 18 (5:00) at Hershey Bears

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
Friday, December 9 (7:05) vs. Charlotte Checkers – Berks $1 Hot Dogs!

Saturday, December 10 (7:05) vs. Charlotte Checkers – Phantoms Hat Giveaway Presented by Service Electric

Saturday, December 17 (7:05) vs. Providence Bruins – Teddy Bear Toss Presented by Big Woody’s

Saturday, December 31 (7:05) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – New Year’s Eve Celebration presented by Penn Community Bank. Including festivities after the game right outside the arena to ring in 2023!

 

PHANTOMS GAME TICKETS

 

Broadcast coverage of all Phantoms games with Bob Rotruck is available on the Phantoms 365 app and on Real Oldies 1470-AM in Allentown. Also available on the Listen Live button at phantomshockey.com
Fans can also watch the games on AHLTV.com or can listen on their Smart Speakers at: “Play Phantoms Radio 24/7.”