Game 62 Recap: Phantoms Split Home & Home Series With Bridgeport
BRIDGEPORT - In the back half of a home and home series, the road team won for the second straight when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms made their final visit to the Webster Bank Arena in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut Saturday night.
A pair of Greg Carey goals in the second period broke a 1-1 tie, and although the Sound Tigers outshot the Phantoms 17-1 in the final frame the orange and black were able to add an empty net tally from Cole Bardreau to seal the deal on the 4-1 win behind a strong 39-save performance from John Muse. Danick Martel opened the scoring for Lehigh Valley, while Mikhail Vorobyev and Phil Varone tallied two assists each in the win for Lehigh Valley.
Kyle Burroughs recorded the lone goal for Bridgeport in the loss, while Kristers Gudlevskis stopped 14 of the 17 Phantoms' shots he faced in a losing effort.
Looking Ahead: The Phantoms finish their second consecutive three-in-three weekend Sunday back on home ice at the PPL Center in downtown Allentown, Pa. when they host the Binghamton Devils.
Playoff Update: New for the stretch run! Lehigh Valley's regulation win, combined with Bridgeport's regulation loss, lowers the Phantoms' magic number to 14 points to clinch a 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs berth with 14 games remaining on their schedule. In the North Division Saturday night, the Toronto Marlies became the first AHL team this season to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Phil Varone - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Danick Martel - Mike Vecchione -Tyrell Goulbourne Cole Bardreau - Mikhail Vorobyev - Chris Conner Alex Krushelnyski - Radel Fazleev - Colin McDonald
T.J. Brennan - Mark Friedman Will O'Neill - Max Lamarche James de Haas - Phil Myers
John Muse - Dustin Tokarski
