Game 25 Recap: Phantoms Open Up 5-1 Lead, Survive With 5-4 Win Over Hershey
ALLENTOWN - Through 41 minutes and 24 seconds, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (15-7-3) looked to be well on their to a blowout victory over rival Hershey (11-11-3) - up 5-1 and dominating their opponent. Instead, they had to squeak out a 5-4 victory as the Bears finished the game with three unanswered goals and nearly a game-tying goal in the final seconds of play.
But as they say in hockey, two points is two points.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel stood out in a big way Friday night at PPL Center, tallying three assists - all primary helpers - to lead the Phantoms offensive attack. Lehigh Valley got goals from five different skaters - Tyrell Goulbourne (5th), Adam Comrie (1st), Mike Vecchione (7th), Phil Varone (8th) and Greg Carey (13th) - and 19 stops from Dustin Tokarski to improve to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Looking Ahead: These two teams rematch tomorrow night in Hershey at Giant Center to finish the week for the Phantoms, who are inching closer and closer to claiming first place in the Atlantic Division.
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Phil Varone - Chris Conner Tyrell Goulbourne - Corban Knight - Colin McDonald (C)Oskar Lindblom - Mikhail Vorobyev - Matt Read Danick Martel - Mike Vecchione - Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Will O'Neill - Mark Friedman James de Haas - Max LamarcheAdam Comrie - Frank Hora
Dustin Tokarski - John Muse
Scratches: Anthony Stolarz (out indefinitely - knee surgery), Sam Morin (injured), Phil Myers (lower body), Cole Bardreau (upper body), Radel Fazleev (healthy), T.J. Brennan (veteran scratch) and Reece Willcox (injured)
Hershey Bears Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Chris Bourque - Travis Boyd - Riley Barber Matthias Bau - Zach Sill - Wayne Simpson Liam O'Brien - Jeremy Langlois - Dustin Gazley Mason Mitchell - John Albert - Anthony Peluso
Aaron Ness - Tyler Lewington Jonas Siegenthaler - Colby Williams Hubert Labrie - Lucas Johansen
Pheonix Copley - Vitek Vanecek
Scratches: Connor Hobbs, Garrett Mitchell (Veteran), Tyler Graovac, Hampus Gustafsson and Tommy Hughes
Lineup Notes
Dustin Tokarski got the start in net for the second straight game for the Phantoms. Up from ECHL Reading, John Muse backed up Tokarski for the second time in three days.
The Flyers loaned defenseman T.J. Brennan back to Lehigh Valley Friday, but Brennan did not play for the Phantoms Friday night - instead serving as the team's veteran scratch.
There were no lineup changes from Wednesday night for Lehigh Valley Friday against Hershey, but with back-to-back games and a veteran issue it's possible there are some changes in Saturday's game.
RECAP
For the fourth straight game, the Phantoms got on the board first Friday night against the Bears.
Colin McDonald worked along the boards on a forecheck and forced a turnover, nudging the loose puck from the wall into the right-wing face-off circle for Tyrell Goulbourne who skated toward the middle before beating Bears goalie Pheonix Copley five-hole to give Lehigh Valley the 1-0 lead 4:09 into the contest.
The goal marked Goulbourne's third goal in his last four games while also extending his points-scoring streak to a career-high four games (three goals, one assist).
The Bears responded to the Phantoms' early pressure, tying the game up with 2:43 left before the first intermission.
Hershey's fourth line of Mason Mitchell, John Albert and Anthony Peluso out-worked the Phantoms' defense behind the net - grabbing a loose puck in a board battle and converting into a goal. Peluso got the puck out in front to Albert, whose quick shot beat Tokarski to the top shelf for Albert's second tally of the season.
Not to be outdone, the Phantoms re-gained the lead in the final minute of the first frame on another seemingly harmless shot that eluded Copley.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel gained the offensive zone and sent a cross-ice pass for Adam Comrie, who let loose a quick shot that again beat Copley to the five-hole with just under 60 seconds left before the second intermission. It was Comrie's first goal of the season with Lehigh Valley.
The Phantoms got right back to work in the middle frame, controlling the play and extending their lead to 3-1 just 4:13 into the period on a ridiculous snipe from Mike Vecchione.
Aube-Kubel, on a play similar to Comrie's goal moments earlier, got a puck across the blue line and fed Vecchione on a 2-on-1 down low. Vecchione chose to hesitate on the shot, faking and then sniping one over Copley's shoulder to the top shelf from below the circle in the right wing. The goal ended Copley's night, and brought on backup Vitek Vanecek.
Lehigh Valley kept their foot on the pedal in the middle frame, not allowing Hershey a shot on goal until there was about six and a half minutes left in the period.
In fact, they made it 4-1 with 4:13 left before the second intermission on another strong play from Aube-Kubel to set up Phil Varone with his eighth of the season. It marked Aube-Kubel's third primary assist of the night, with all three coming in succession.
The Phantoms looked to be in cruise control to start the third, making it a 5-1 game just 1:24 into the final frame on a pretty play from Greg Carey who passed it back to the trailer on an odd-man rush before receiving the puck back and firing a one-timer past Vanecek for his 13th of the season.
From there, however, Hershey answered right back 30 seconds later to cut the deficit on what seemed - at the time - to be a relatively unimportant goal in a blowout. What ensued in the final 18 minutes proved to make a blowout turn into a very interesting game.
Matthias Bau tallied his eighth of the season to make it a 5-3 game with 13:50 left in regulation, and you could see the momentum swing heavily into Hershey's favor.
The Bears made it a one-goal game with 2:28 left on an Aaron Ness goal on a shot from the point, but luckily for Lehigh Valley their final push with the extra attacker proved unsuccessful.
POST-GAME REACTION
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
4:09: LV - Goulbourne (5) - McDonald 17:17: HER - Albert (2) - Peluso 19:02: LV - Comrie (1) - Aube-Kubel, Martel
2nd Period
4:13: LV - Vecchione (7) - Aube-Kubel, Friedman 5:22: HER - (PP) O'Brien, minor (holding) 10:18: HER - (PP) Peluso, minor (hooking) 13:12: LV - (PP) Lamarche, minor (hooking) 15:47: LV - Varone (8) - Aube-Kubel, de Haas 16:56: LV - (PP) Lamarche, minor (interference)
3rd Period
1:24: LV - Carey (13) - de Haas 1:54:HER - Johansen (4) - Simpson, Sill 6:10: HER - Bau (8) - Simpson, Sill 17:32: HER - Ness (2) - Bourque, Simpson 19:06: LV - (PP) Varone, minor (kneeing)
BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 2 - 2 - 1 = 5 Hershey 1 - 0 - 3 = 4
Shots
Lehigh Valley 13 - 7 - 6 = 26 Hershey 9 - 4 - 10 = 23
Goalies
LV - Dustin Tokarski (19 saves - 23 shots) HER - Pheonix Copley (11 saves - 14 shots in 24:13) and Vitek Vanecek (10 saves - 12 shots in 32:25)
Power Play
LV: 0-for-2 HER: 0-for-3
Penalty Kill
LV: 3-for-3 HER: 2-for-2
Attendance: 7,046
