Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-3-3) vs. W-B/Scranton Penguins (8-3-0)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #12
TONIGHT – Old friends reunite once again at PPL Center as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-3-3) take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-3-0) for a third time in eight days and also the fifth time this season. Lehigh Valley has zoomed up the standings on the strength of a six-game point streak (4-0-2) and also has wins in four of its last five. The Baby Pens have won five of their last six with their lone loss in the stretch coming in Allentown last Friday.
The Phantoms are 1-3-0 against the Penguins this season. Tonight is Game 5 out of 12 in the season series. The two teams will not meet again until late December and the Penguins do not return to PPL Center until February.
Tonight’s game is Military Appreciation Night presented by Netizen as we honor active military and veterans from the region.
LAST TIME – The Phantoms rallied from behind for a second consecutive home win this time besting te Utica Comets in overtime 4-3. Saturday’s triumph featured Olle Lycksell’s first goal fo the season with 3:29 remaining and then Ethan Samson found Rhett Gardner on the backdoor to cap the team’s first overtime victory of the year. Garrett Wilson (2nd) and Samu Tuomaala (4th) also lit the lamp for Lehigh Valley
MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for both teams and the AHL at the following link.
https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/
STREAKING – Lehigh Valley is on a six-game point streak (4-0-2) since October 27. That is tied for the longest point streak in Ian Laperriere’s coaching tenure having been achieved on two other occasions including November 12-25, 2023 (5-0-1) and also April 13-23, 2022 (2-0-4). The last time the Phantoms had a longer stretch without a regulation loss was during the team’s record eight-game streak (7-0-1) February 7-21, 2018 which tied the standard first set during the team’s record eight-game win streak November 2-18, 2016. The franchise-record longest point streak and winning streak was a 17-game win streak by the Philadelphia Phantoms from October 22-November 27, 2004 that was an AHL record at the time (since eclipsed by the Norfolk Admirals 28-game win streak in 2012)
PHANTASTIC
– Defenseman Ben Gleason made his Phantoms debut on Saturday vs. Utica and recorded an assist. The AHL veteran was acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ronnie Attard last Monday. Gleason is in his seventh season in the AHL having previously played 359 games with the Texas Stars and Bakersfield Condors scoring 40-137-177 in his career including 10-22-32 last year with Bakersfield.
– Second-year winger Samu Tuomaala (4-6-10) is tied with Jacob Gaucher for the team lead in scoring. He is also first among AHL forwards in power-play points (3-5-8) and is second overall trailing only defenseman Trevor Carrick of Charlotte (3-6-9). Tuomaala scored 15-28-43 in 69 games while representing the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star Classic in his rookie season.
– Olle Lycksell finally broke through with his first goal of the season and it came in a big moment. His tying goal on Saturday against Utica with 3:29 left forced overtime and helped push the Phantoms to victory. Lycksell had a career-high 10 shots on goal in Saturday’s game and found the back of the net on his league-leading 50th shot on goal of the season. Last year, Lycksell racked up eight goals in his first nine games and was second in the AHL at the time on his way to a team-leading 19 goals on the season.
– The Phantoms are third in the AHL with 34.1 shots per game trailing only Rochester (35.9) and Iowa (34.2).
– Lehigh Valley’s power play is second in the AHL at 29.1% trailing only Charlotte (40.4%). The Phantoms are 5-for-14 (35.7%) in November through four games played.
PENGUIN PANDEMONIUM! – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-3-0) is in second place in the Atlantic Division with wins in five of its last including a 5-0 thumping of Rochester last Saturday backed by Filip Larsson’s 36-save shutout, his second of the season. Rookie Tristan Broz (6-2-8) scored twice in that game and also had an overtime winner against the Phantoms last Wednesday up in Wilkes-Barre. Experienced NHL’er Emil Bemstrom (2-9-11) paces the offense. The WBS defense is fifth in the AHL and also tied for first in the Eastern Conference with Laval allowing just 2.27 goals per game.
First-rounder Rutger McGroaty scored his first career pro goal on Saturday. Defenseman Owen Pickering, also a rookie first-rounder, is still in search of his first pro point. Sam Poulin was recalled to Pittsburgh. Former Reading Royals head coach Kirk McDonald is the first-year bench boss in NEPA.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry has returned to Pittsburgh following his two-week conditioning loan and forward Sam Poulin has been recalled to the big club as well. 32-year-old veteran veteran Matt Nieto has been sent down on a conditioning loan and scored a goal in his first game in almost a year as he recovers from knee injuries. Nieto has played in 673 career NHL games since 2013, mostly with San Jose, scoring 86 goals.
Lehigh Valley’s 5-3 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday was the first in four tries for the Phantoms as Alexis Gendron and Oscar Eklind led the way with two goals each. The Phantoms overcame a 2-0 deficit in that one. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has scored the first goal of the game in all four previous matchups against Lehigh Valley.
The Penguins are 6-1-1 at PPL Center in regular-season games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons combined having a seven-game point streak in Allentown ended on Friday. The Penguins are 11-2-3 overall against Lehigh Valley in this season and last season combined but Lehigh Valley won the most important matchups of all via a two-game sweep in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs last April.
SCORING LEADERS
Lehigh Valley
Jacob Gaucher 6-4-10
Samu Tuomaala 4-6-10
x – Anthony Richard 4-5-9
Oscar Eklind 4-3-7
Olle Lycksell 1-6-7
W-B/Scranton
Emil Bemstrom 2-9-11
Ville Koivunen 3-6-9
x – Sam Poulin 3-6-9
Mac Hollowell 0-9-9
Tristan Broz 6-2-8
Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 28.9%, 2nd / PK 82.0%, 17th / PP vs. WBS, 3-12, 25.0%
W-B/Scranton – PP 17.4%, 17th / PK 85.7%, 10th / PP vs. LV, 3-17, 17.6%
SERIES LEADERS
Lehigh Valley
Oscar Eklind 3-0-3
Alexis Gendron 2-0-2
Jacob Gaucher 1-1-2
W-B/Scranton
x – Sam Poulin 1-3-4
Boris Katchouk 3-0-3
Emil Bemstrom 1-2-3
SEASON SERIES
10/18/24 Away – Loss – 3-4
10/19/24 Home – Loss – 0-3
11/6/24 Away – OT Loss – 1-2
11/8/24 Home – Win – 5-3
11/13/24 Home
12/21/24 Away
12/27/24 Away
1/26/25 Away
2/14/25 Away
2/16/25 Home
3/14/25 Home
3/16/25 Home
COMING UP – The Phantoms take a quick trip to Western Mass to tangle with the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday and then will return to PPL Center on Saturday night as they welcome the two-time defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears for the first time this season.
UPCOMING
Wednesday, November 13 – W-B/Scranton Penguins at Phantoms – Military Appreciation Night presented by Netizen
Friday, November 15 – Phantoms at Springfield Thunderbirds
Saturday, November 16 – Hershey Bears at Phantoms – Saturday Night Hockey Live, DJ Angel B
Friday, November 22 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins
Saturday, November 23 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins
