GAMEDAY: Game 26 - Lehigh Valley (14-8-2) at W-B/Scranton (13-10-4) 7:05 p.m. ET

WILKES-BARRE, PA -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms played their Atlantic Division rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Saturday night for the first time in nearly two months, but it didn't take long to re-kindle the rivalry.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Goaltender Alex Lyon was called up to Philadelphia, and subsequently the Phantoms added goalie Branden Komm from Reading.

Up front, the injuries are starting to pile up - particularly down the middle. Cole Bardreau is the latest victim to the injured list, missing Friday's game. He joins German Rubtsov (out for season), Mikhail Vorobyev (undisclosed) and David Kase (injured and suspended). Kase will serve the first of his two-game suspension Friday.

With the team short at the forward position, Alex Krushelnyski and Michael Huntebrinker were added from ECHL Reading. Krushelnyski returns after a brief stint with the Phantoms while the team was on their road trip through Canada two weeks ago. Huntebrinker has impressed at the ECHL level, getting his first glimpse of the AHL with Lehigh Valley tonight in the midst of his second year of pro hockey.

Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)

Greg Carey - Connor Bunnaman - Nicolas Aube-KubelTaylor Leier - Mike Vecchione - Chris Conner Carsen Twarynski - Radel Fazleev - Tyrell Goulbourne Alex Krushelnyski - Michael Huntebrinker - Colin McDonald

T.J. Brennan - Mark Friedman Philip Samuelsson - Phil MyersZach Palmquist - Reece Willcox

Scratches: James de Haas (healthy), Cole Bardreau (injured), Mikhail Vorobyev (injured), German Rubtsov (injured - out for season) and David Kase (suspended)

GAME STORY

FIRST PERIOD

It was all Penguins in the opening 20 minutes.

They out shot the Phantoms 13-3. They out-worked the Phantoms - getting to loose pucks first, winning one-on-one battles, etc.

Perhaps it was a rare Friday night off that had the Penguins with the extra jump to start, but it carried through the entire period.

Carter Hart was under siege early and often, but was able to stop all 13 shots he faced to get his team to the first intermission in a scoreless tie.

SECOND PERIOD

Despite being out-played in the first period, the Phantoms opened the scoring and took a 1-0 lead early in the middle frame. Alex Krushelnyski spotted Philip Samuelsson atop the right-wing circle for a quick shot that beat Penguins' goalie Tristan Jarry 1:57 into the period.

Lehigh Valley got a power play moments later and looked to extend their lead, but the Penguins' Teddy Blueger picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated past everyone on his way to a shorthanded breakaway goal that tied the game at 1-1.

Another breakdown on the Phantoms' defensive zone blue line toward the midway mark of the period gave the Pens a 2-on-0 breakaway that saw a passing display between Adam Johnson and Ryan Haggerty end up with Haggerty tallying his 2nd of the season to give the Pens their first lead of the night.

A third Penguins' goal in the second period opened things up for the home team as Haggerty finished off a rebound - getting to a loose puck in Hart's crease and tucking one in past the Phantoms' goalie to make it a 3-1 Penguins' lead with 5:37 left before the second intermission.

At that point Lehigh Valley was down a pair of goals, and with 4:52 left in the 2nd period they had managed just seven shots on goal. Not exactly a recipe for success.

Still, the Phantoms battled their way back to within one before the period came to a close. Taylor Leier went down the right-wing and centered one at the net-front where Mike Vecchione was able to get into position and nudge one past Jarry to make it a 3-2 game.

On the next shift, things got a little crazy on the ice.

Sam Lafferty dropped his gloves to fight T.J. Brennan, who didn't seem to accept the invitation. Mark Friedman came in and tackled Lafferty, which started a big scrum that led to the second installment of the Will O'Neill - Taylor Leier fued. You might recall O'Neill was suspended for instigating a fight with Leier the last time these two teams met back on October 20th.

This time it was O'Neill unloading on Leier while the Phantoms player was on his stomach. O'Neill left the scrum and threw his hands up in the air to rile up the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd. Both O'Neill and Leier received secondary altercation fighting majors, which results in an automatic game misconduct.

THIRD PERIOD

After everything that transpired in the first 40 minutes, the final 20 provided the Phantoms a chance to make the most out of an otherwise off-night in a one-goal game.

They had their fair share of chances early in the period, as the two teams traded power plays back and forth in the opening half of the final frame. Unfortunately for the Phantoms, they failed to convert on two power play chances they had.

Lehigh Valley had one last chance to tie things up - given their fourth power play of the period with 4:53 left in regulation - but instead it was the Penguins tallying their second shorthanded goal of the night to put the game away.

Ryan Haggerty completed his hat trick with an empty net goal in the final minute to complete the 5-2 final score.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

3:29: LV - (PP) Aube-Kubel, minor (hooking) 15:55: WBS - Sexton, double-minor (roughing) 15:55: LV - Brennan, double-minor (roughing) 15:55: LV - (PP) Brennan, minor (slashing)

2nd Period

1:57: LV - Samuelsson (2) - Krushelnyski, McDonald 3:33: WBS - (PP) Burton, minor (slashing) 5:28: WBS - SHG Blueger (9) - Di Pauli, Czuczman 10:32: WBS - Haggerty (2) - Johnson 14:23: WBS - Haggerty (3) - Cramarossa, Olund 15:51: LV - Vecchione (7) - Leier, Conner 16:09: LV - Friedman, major (fighting) 16:09: LV - Leier, major (fighting) 16:09: LV - Leier, game misconduct - secondary altercation 16:09: WBS - Lafferty, major (fighting) 16:09: WBS - (PP) Lafferty, minor (roughing) 16:09: WBS - O'Neill, major (fighting) 16:09: WBS - O'Neill, game misconduct - secondary altercation

3rd Period

0:31: WBS - (PP) Prow, minor (slashing) 4:19: WBS - (PP) Olund, minor (boarding) 6:17: LV - (PP) Brennan, minor (interference) 8:56: WBS - (PP) Erixon, minor (holding) 15:07: WBS - (PP) Blueger, minor (slashing) 15:36: WBS - SHG Lafferty (5) - Angello 19:07: WBS - ENG Haggerty (4) - Hayes, Czuczman

BOXSCORE

Lehigh Valley  0 - 2 - 0 = 2 W-B/Scranton  0 - 3 - 2 = 5

Shots

Lehigh Valley   3 - 13 - 15 = 31 W-B/Scranton  13 - 11 - 10 = 34

Goalies

WBS - Tristan Jarry (29 saves - 31 shots) LV - Carter Hart (29 saves - 33 shots)

Power Play

LV: 0-for-5 WBS: 0-for-4

Penalty Kill

LV: 4-for-4 WBS: 5-for-5

Attendance: 7,814