GAME STORY: Charlotte - 4 at Lehigh Valley - 3 (11/17/21)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (3-8-3) nearly overcame a 3-0 deficit in the third period Wednesday night against the Charlotte Checkers (7-5-1), tying things up at 3-3 on goals from Max Willman, Cal O'Reilly and German Rubtsov.

Unfortunately for Lehigh Valley, it was Charlotte getting the deciding goal with 1:49 left in regulation on a power play tally from Connor Carrick to give the Checkers a 4-3 regulation win.

Scott Wilson opened the scoring 23 seconds into the middle frame, the first of two Checkers' shorthanded goals in the middle period, Max McCormick tallied a 3-on-5 goal near the midway mark of regulation and Logan Hutsko picked a corner between the circles to put the Phantoms in a 3-0 hole heading to the third.

The Phantoms didn't quit, but the comeback came up short in another frustrating loss for Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Lineup Notes

Felix Sandstrom got the start in net Wednesday night against Charlotte.

Kirill Ustimenko was assigned to Reading (ECHL), while Pat Nagle was called up to Lehigh Valley and served as Sandstrom's backup.

The only other lineup change from Saturday night was Matthew Strome back in the lineup for Hayden Hodgson, who is serving the first of a two-game suspension coming out of last Friday night's game in Providence. Hodgson will also miss Friday's game in Rochester.

Phantoms Scratches: Samuel Ersson, Mason Millman (lower body), Linus Sandin (upper body), Wyatte Wylie (upper body), Ryan MacKinnon, Hayden Hodgson & Tyson Foerster (upper body)

Isaac Ratcliffe - Cal O'Reilly - Max Willman Garrett Wilson - Morgan Frost - Gerry Mayhew Maksim Sushko - German Rubtsov - Brennan Saulnier Connor Bunnaman - Matthew Strome - Jackson Cates

Cam York - Egor Zamula Cooper Zech - Logan Day Linus Hogberg - Adam Clendening

Felix Sandstrom - Pat Nagle

Charlotte Checkers Lineup Notes

Chris Gibson got the start in net for the Checkers Wednesday night.

Riley Sheahan, who cleared waivers and was assigned to Charlotte, was not in the Checkers' lineup.

Checkers Scratches: Ryan Lohin, John Ludvig, Luke Henman and Riley Sheahan

Checkers Lines/Pairings:

Max McCormick - Alexander True - Logan Hutsko Aleksi Heponiemi - Kole Lind - Gergori Denisenko Scott Wilson - Zac Dalpe - Serron Noel Henry Bowlby - Cole Schwindt - Carsen Twarynski

Gustav Olofsson - Cale Fleury Matt Kiersted - Connor Carrick Max Gildon - Chase Priskie

Chris Gibson - Joey Daccord

GAME RECAP

1st Period

It was a rather uneventful opening period of hockey between the Phantoms and Checkers Wednesday night.

Each team had an early chance on a net-front scoring opportunity, but goalies Chris Gibson (Charlotte) and Felix Sandstrom (Lehigh Valley) were equal to the task on the few shots they faced in the first frame.

Lehigh Valley took back-to-back penalties in the final seven minutes of the period, but the PK duo of Morgan Frost and Max Willman had the better of the chances on those ensuing Checkers' power plays.

Sandstrom made two strong saves at the tail end of the Checkers' second power play opportunity of the period, and a late slashing minor on Max McCormick gave the Phantoms 1:39 of carry-over power play time to start the middle frame.

2nd Period

The Phantoms looked to get things going with the man advantage, but instead it was Charlotte scoring shorthanded 23 seconds into the period to take a 1-0 lead.

Scott Wilson finished off a 3-on-1 rush past Sandstrom off a feed from Cale Fleury. Goalie Chris Gibson was credited with a secondary assist on Wilson's shorthanded tally.

Lehigh Valley had their chance to get back in the game when Gustav Olofsson was assessed a match penalty for slew-footing, giving the Phantoms a 5-minute power play. They got an even better chance when Cale Fleury was whistled for boarding - handing the Phantoms a full two minutes of 5-on-3 power play time.

Not only did the Phantoms not score to tie the game up, they surrendered a 5-on-3 shorthanded goal against and saw their deficit double to 2-0 after Frost was unable to keep a puck in at the offensive zone blue line.

Max McCormick raced the other way and fired a shot past Sandstrom to put Charlotte ahead 2-0 near the midway mark of regulation.

The Checkers extended their lead to 3-0 a few minutes later, as Alexander True forced a turnover along the left-wing wall and centered it for Logan Hutsko. Hutsko, from between the circles, picked a corner high to the blocker side on Sandstrom for his fourth of the season.

The Phantoms went back to the power play late in the period, and thought they scored, but the referee in position behind the net ruled no-goal with 1:19 left before the second intermission.

Cal O'Reilly teed one up from the left-circle that got in behind Gibson, but the Checkers' goalie fell on the puck in his crease and prevented it from ever crossing the line.

Instead, the Phantoms took a penalty in the final minute of the period and headed to the third in a 3-0 hole despite out-shooting Charlotte 14-6 in the middle frame.

3rd Period

Lehigh Valley had their work cut out for them entering the third in a 3-0 deficit, but they made things interesting.

First, Max Willman pounced on a loose puck on Charlotte's breakout and flung a shot from the top of the left-wing circle past Gibson to get the Phantoms on the board 4:54 into the final frame.

Later, shortly after a Phantoms' power play concluded, Cal O'Reilly re-directed Cooper Zech's point shot to get Lehigh Valley within one with 10:45 left to play.

The Phantoms tied it up on a bit of a controversial play, with the puck going in off of German Rubtsov's skate with 4:02 left to play. After a lengthy review, the referees pointed to center ice.

The comeback was halted in the final two minutes of regulation, as Connor Carrick scored a power play one-timer from the left-circle to re-gain the lead for the Checkers at 4-3.

Sandstrom was pulled for the extra attacker, and the Phantoms buzzed around the Charlotte net until the final horn, but Lehigh Valley ultimately came up short.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

12:49: LV - (PP) Hogberg, minor (holding) 16:06: LV - (PP) Clendening, minor (slashing) 19:38: CHA - (PP) McCormick, minor (slashing)

2nd Period

0:23: CHA - SHG Wilson (4) - Fleury, Gibson 4:44: CHA - (PP) Olofsson, match penalty (slew-footing) 4:44: CHA - Olofsson, game misconduct (slew-footing) 7:40: CHA - (PP) Fleury, minor (boarding) 9:08: CHA - SHG McCormick (4) - unassisted 12:18: CHA - Hutsko (4) - True 16:46: CHA - (PP) Bowlby, minor (interference) 19:17: LV - (PP) Wilson, minor (interference)

3rd Period

4:54: LV - Willman (7) - unassisted 7:03: CHA - (PP) McCormick, minor (slashing) 9:15: LV - O'Reilly (2) - Zech, Ratcliffe 15:58: LV - Rubtsov (2) - Sushko, Zamula 16:54: LV - (PP) O'Reilly, minor (high-sticking) 18:11: CHA - PPG Carrick (2) - Dalpe, Hutsko 20:00: CHA - Carrick, minor (roughing) 20:00: CHA - Carrick, ten-minute misconduct 20:00: CHA - Lind, minor (roughing) 20:00: CHA - Lind, ten-minute misconduct 20:00: CHA - True, minor (roughing) 20:00: CHA - True, ten-minute misconduct 20:00: LV - Ratcliffe, minor (roughing) 20:00: LV - Ratcliffe, ten-minute misconduct

BOXSCORE

Charlotte     0 - 3 - 1 = 4 Lehigh Valley   0 - 0 - 3 = 3

Shots

Charlotte     10 - 7 - 7 = 24 Lehigh Valley   7 - 14 - 11 = 32

Goalies

CHA: Chris Gibson (29 saves - 32 shots) LV: Felix Sandstrom (20 saves - 24 shots)

Power Play

CHA: 1-for-4 LV: 0-for-5

Penalty Kill

CHA: 5-for-5 LV: 3-for-4