GAME STORY: Lehigh Valley - 1 at Cleveland - 2 (OT) 2/25/22

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (18-19-10) played another hard-fought, down-to-the-wire contest Friday night in Cleveland, this time coming up short in bonus hockey in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Monsters (16-21-9).

Justin Scott broke a scoreless tie in the middle frame to give Cleveland the lead, only to have Phantoms' forward Charlie Gerard tie the game 1:05 before the second intermission after Garrett Wilson forced a turnover down low and Tanner Laczynski pounced on the loose puck and fed it into the slot for a quick shot from Gerard.

Trey Fix-Wolansky scored a highlight reel goal in the overtime to give Cleveland the extra standings point, putting in a rebound from a 2-on-1 chance from his stomach.

Monsters' goalie Cam Johnson (18/19) and Phantoms' netminder Kirill Ustimenko (18/20) both finished with 18 saves in a game that ended up being a low-shooting and extra chippy affair in the third period.

The two teams rematch Saturday afternoon at 1pm, just over 12 hours after Friday night's game concluded.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Lineup Notes

Kirill Ustimenko, fresh off his first AHL win of the season Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre, got the start Friday night in Cleveland. Pat Nagle, back from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, served as Ustimenko's backup and is likely the expected starter for Saturday afternoon's rematch between these two teams.

No changes on defense, but forwards Adam Johnson (lower body) and German Rubtsov (upper body) didn't finish Wednesday night's game and were unable to play Friday night.

Brennan Saulnier and Alexis D'Aoust re-entered the Phantoms' lineup up front.

Per Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr, Rubtsov won't play this weekend after blocking a shot in the 3rd period of Wednesday's win while injured goaltender Samuel Ersson (lower body) remains week-to-week and Felix Sandstrom is expected to resume skating next week.

Phantoms Scratches:  Samuel Ersson (inj), Felix Sandstrom (inj), Garrett Metcalf, Cooper Zech, German Rubtsov (inj) Linus Sandin (inj), Ryan MacKinnon (inj), Adam Johnson (inj), Alex Kile (inj) and Tyson Foerster (inj)

Lines/Pairings:

Connor Bunnaman - Cal O'Reilly - Hayden Hodgson Garrett Wilson - Tanner Laczynski - Charlie Gerard Maksim Sushko - Jackson Cates - Nick Lappin Brennan Saulnier - Matthew Strome - Alexis D'Aoust

Linus Hogberg - Adam Clendening Cam York - Wyatte Wylie Egor Zamula - Logan Day

Kirill Ustimenko - Pat Nagle

GAME RECAP

1st Period

The opening period began with the teams trading power plays, but neither the Phantoms or Monsters were able to do much with their power play opportunities in the opening half of the period.

In fact, on the Phantoms' lone power play opportunity of the period, they were nearly scored on - with the Monsters hitting the post on a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush.

The Phantoms looked to be getting to their game in the second half of the period, once the game shifted to five-on-five play after the three penalties to start, but they just seemed to be a half-step off or a puck would bounce and hop over a stick at an inopportune moment on the rush in the neutral zone.

They ended up with a slight edge in shots on goal for the period, 5-4,  with a Brennan Saulnier speed move to the net down the right wing to the net midway through the period serving as the team's best scoring chance.

Other than that, there was certainly energy and jump in the step of the Monsters but it was ultimately a pretty sloppy period for both teams - coming after a Wednesday game for Lehigh Valley that was also a sloppy start.

The key difference Friday night, of course, was the 0-0 score heading into the middle frame due in part to the work in the nets from Phantoms goaltender Kirill Ustimenko and Cam Johnson with a few timely stops in the opening 20 minutes.

2nd Period

The Phantoms took a third penalty 3:23 into the middle frame on a delay of game call on Matt Strome on a puck that appeared to hit the top of the glass before exiting play, but nonetheless it proved costly as the Monsters' scored just as their 3rd power play expired to break the scoreless tie.

Justin Scott pulled a puck out from behind the net and shuffled it to the net front - eluding a Phantoms defender's leaning poke check and roofing the puck in tight above Ustimenko's shoulder to put Cleveland ahead 1-0 with 14:32 left in the middle frame.

From there, Cleveland had a bit of a momentum surge you would expect from an opening goal in the second period.

Ustimenko made the necessary stops to keep the Phantoms into a one-goal game until Charlie Gerard tied it up with a just-like-that kind of goal from the slot coming off Garrett Wilson barreling into the corner and dislodging the puck from a Monsters forward. Tanner Laczynski quickly hopped on the loose puck down low from behind the net, and fired it front for Gerard who zipped a quick shot low over the pad of Johnson with 1:05 left before the second intermission.

3rd Period

Things took a physical turn in the final frame, as the intensity picked up with every passing shift.

Matt Strome took offense to a Tyler Angle hit along the benches and took matters into his own hands, causing a scrum.

Shortly after that, former Monsters turned Phantoms defenseman Adam Clendening got tangled with Monsters' tough guy Brett Gallant - taking an interference penalty and later heading to the Monsters bench after his penalty ended to have words with Gallant during a stoppage in play.

Cam York's strong play really became evident in the third period, as he had a few scoring chances and looked really good in the offensive zone - coming a day off an in-house interview on the Flyers Daily podcast with Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr talking about the Flyers wanting York to dominate the AHL, be more assertive in the offensive zone and really be an impact player at the AHL level - building his confidence along the way so he really hits the ground running in the NHL next fall.

Of course, don't rule York out of getting more NHL games in this season if he continues to play like he did in the third.

He had a nice play at the top of the offensive zone, keeping a play alive before heading down low and faking a wrap around attempt before dishing it back against the grain to Connor Bunnaman for a dangerous chance at the side of the net.

Later in the period, York joined a rush and created a late-developing 3-on-2 rush as the trailer - catching a pass and firing one just over the net from the slot trying to find the open corner of the net. Good stuff to see from York, in particular in the period.

The two teams battled it out to the third period horn still deadlocked at 1-1, with a near late scuffle breaking out before the overtime period as the physical play and temper flaring continued throughout the period.

Overtime

In the 3-on-3, it only took 17 seconds to produce - in all honesty - a pretty spectacular goal from Trey Fix-Wolansky to lift Cleveland to the win.

Tanner Laczynski got tied up on the opening face-off of the overtime period, and after skating ahead to challenge a Monsters' defenseman with the puck at the offensive zone blue line it was shuffled just past him to Fix-Wolansky along the wall at the team benches for a 2-on-1 chance that Ustimenko appeared to make an initial save on before Fix-Wolansky - from his stomach - was able to somehow corral the rebound into the net.

A bummer for the Phantoms in another hard-fought one-goal game that came down to the wire.

With how chippy it got in the third period, it'll be interesting to see how the two teams approach the rematch on a quick turnaround Saturday afternoon with a 1pm matinee.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

1:08: LV - (PP) Wylie, minor (boarding) 4:07: CLE - (PP) Berni, minor (tripping) 9:03: LV - (PP) Sushko, minor (holding the stick)

2nd Period

3:23: LV - (PP) Strome, minor (delay of game) 5:28: CLE - Scott (10) - Payne, Cassels 11:44: CLE - (PP) Mullin, minor (hooking) 18:55: LV - Gerard (5) - Laczynski, Wilson

3rd Period

5:27: LV - (PP) Clendening, minor (interference) 5:53: CLE - (PP) Fix-Wolansky, minor (slashing)

Overtime

0:17: CLE - Fix-Wolansky (11) - Schemitsch, Scott

BOXSCORE

Lehigh Valley   0 - 1 - 0 - 0 = 1 Cleveland   0 - 1 - 0 - 1 = 2

Shots

Lehigh Valley   5 - 6 - 8 - 0 = 19 Cleveland   4 - 8 - 7 - 1 = 20

Goalies

LV: Kirill Ustimenko (18  saves - 20 shots) CLE: Cam Johnson (18 saves - 19 shots)

Power Play

LV: 0-for-3 CLE: 0-for-4

Penalty Kill

LV: 4-for-4 CLE: 3-for-3