GAME STORY: 2019-20 Season - Bridgeport at Lehigh Valley 3/06/20

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (24-26-8) kick off another three-in-three weekend with a Friday night home tilt against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (20-32-7) in what is Cole Bardreau's return to the PPL Center. The forward joined the team on an amateur tryout during the Phantoms' inaugural season in Lehigh Valley and amassed 226 games in a Phantoms' uniform before signing with the New York Islanders organization over the summer.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Lines/Pairings:

Andy Andreoff - Morgan Frost - David Kase Greg Carey - Cal O'Reilly - Isaac Ratcliffe Carsen Twarynski - Connor Bunnaman - German Rubtsov Kurtis Gabriel - Connor Bunnaman - Max Willman

Tyler Wotherspoon - Andy Welinski Mark Friedman - Nate Prosser Chris Bigras - Reece Willcox

Kirill Ustimenko - Alex Lyon

Phantoms' Scratches: James de Haas, Maksim Sushko, Gerry Fitzgerald and Chris Stewart

GAME STORY

1st Period

Friday night's contest began with a bang.

Cole Bardreau, getting the start in his return to Allentown, was whistled for cross-checking in the opening shift of the hockey game - allowing the Phantoms' power play to get in some early work.

Lehigh Valley made quick work of the ensuing man advantage, with Chris Bigras settling a puck down at the center point before dishing to the left wing wall for Morgan Frost. Frost, with a quick flick of the wrist, put the Phantoms ahead 1-0 just 1:23 into the game.

Former Phantoms' forward Colin McDonald tied the game up for the visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the 3:35 mark, starting a forecheck and forcing a turnover before getting to the front of the net and tipping Seth Helgeson's shot from the left point past Phantoms' goalie Kirill Ustimenko.

Bridgeport seemed to have the better of play from there, getting a go-ahead goal 7:36 into the first frame after Sound Tigers' goalie Chris Gibson made a strong stop on a Max Willman chance. The rebound went to Sound Tigers' defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, who turned on the jets from his defensive zone and took it the distance up the left wing - side-stepping a Phantoms' defender at the blue line and centering at the net-front for a tap in goal from Oliver Wahlstrom.

The Phantoms proceeded to take a pair of penalties from there, though the penalty killers prevented Bridgeport from extending their lead any further.

Morgan Frost was handed his second goal of the evening on a silver platter after Andy Welinski's decision to pinch at the right point and keep a puck in the offensive zone. Welinski got the puck down to the corner, where a Sound Tigers' defenseman flubbed a backhanded clearing attempt right onto the stick of Frost in the slot.

Frost's second of the period and 13th of the season momentarily tied the game at 1-1, but a goal on the next shift by Bridgeport's Nic Pierog allowed the Sound Tigers to take a 3-2 lead into the first intermission.

2nd Period

Things slowed down considerably in the middle frame, with both teams failing to convert on a power play chance in the opening half of the period before Bridgeport cashed in on a Mikhail Vorobyev hooking minor to extend their lead to 4-2 with under six minutes left before the second intermission.

Kieffer Bellows finished a one-timer from the right-wing circle off a feed from Sebastian Aho to give the Sound Tigers a two-goal lead, but the Phantoms answered before the second intermission - once again making it a one-goal hockey game heading to the third.

Kurtis Gabriel hustled to beat out an icing call, and nudged a puck behind the net where Connor Bunnaman was able to fling one in front for a quick shot by Carsen Twarynski that hit the back of the net for Twarynski's sixth of the season.

3rd Period

The Phantoms went to work in the third, trying to find an equalizer.

Oddly enough, it came after what appeared to be a kicked puck into the net. Morgan Frost centered for Andy Andreoff, who appeared to lunge forward and direct a loose puck into the net with his skate. The play was reviewed and deemed to be a good goal, tying the game at 4-4 with 9:48 remaining.

Unfortunately for Lehigh Valley, a bad defensive zone turnover right onto the tape of Kieffer Bellows' stick spelled trouble for the Phantoms as the Sound Tigers' forward quickly buried it for his 20th of the season to give Bridgeport a 5-4 lead with 7:19 to play.

Robert Carpenter added an empty net goal with 1:23 left to complete the 6-4 final score, but things did not end quietly after a big open ice hit by Chris Bigras was deemed a match penalty for head contact - drawing the two teams to a near line brawl at center ice. Bridgeport's Kubiak attempted to get to Bigras, but instead tussled with Andreoff.

Kubiak will be suspended for one game as a result of his game misconduct in the final five minutes of the third period came for instigating a fight, which constitutes an automatic suspension. Bigras, on the other hand, is subject to supplemental discipline as well as a match penalty for head contact constitutes an automatic review from the league to deem if a suspension is worthy.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

0:55: BST - (PP) Bardreau, minor (cross-checking) 1:23: LV - PPG Frost (12) - Bigras, Carey 3:35: BST - McDonald (5) - Helgeson, Hutton 7:36: BST - Wahlstrom (9) - Wotherspoon, Gibson 8:00: LV - (PP) Bunnaman, minor (hooking) 14:13: LV - (PP) Kase, minor (slashing) 19:19: LV - Frost (13) - unassisted 19:35: BST - Pierog (2) - unassisted

2nd Period

1:52: LV - (PP) Welinski, minor (interference) 5:47: BST - (PP) Kubiak, minor (boarding) 13:58: LV - (PP) Vorobyev, minor (hooking) 14:04: BST - PPG Bellows (19) - Aho, Denis 18:37: LV - Twarynski (6) - Bunnaman, Gabriel

3rd Period

0:45: LV - (PP) Gabriel, minor (goaltender interference) 10:12: LV - Andreoff (11) - Frost, Kase 12:41: BST - Bellows (20) - unassisted 15:54: LV - (PP) Vorobyev, minor (slashing) 18:37: BST - ENG Carpenter (3) - Kubiak, Burroughs 19:20: BST - Kubiak, minor (instigating) 19:20: BST - Kubiak, major (fighting) 19:20: BST - Kubiak, game misconduct (instigator last 5:00) 19:20: LV - Andreoff, major (fighting) 19:20: LV - (PP) Bigras, match penalty (head contact)

BOXSCORE

Bridgeport 3 - 1 - 2 = 6 Lehigh Valley 2 - 1 - 1 = 4

Shots

Bridgeport 12 - 9 - 14 = 35 Lehigh Valley 11 - 13 - 10 = 34

Goalies

BST - Christopher Gibson (30 saves - 34 shots) LV - Kirill Ustimenko (29 saves - 34 shots)

Power Play

BST: 1-for-7 LV: 1-for-2

Penalty Kill

BST: 1-for-2 LV: 6-for-7