GAMEDAY: Game 35 - Lehigh Valley (19-12-3) at Springfield (16-12-7) 3:05 p.m. ET
A New Interactive Feature To Follow All The Action Of Lehigh Valley Phantoms' Games!
Editor's Note: All of our post-game extra stories covering Lehigh Valley Phantoms road games (exclusive coverage you cannot find elsewhere!) is restricted those subscribing readers of Inside AHL Hockey. To sign up for extra access to all the latest on the Phantoms, subscribe for $3/month on Patreon or show your support of dedicated original journalism with a full-year subscription via Paypal here.
SPRINGFIELD, MA - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (19-12-3) roll into Springfield to finish a 3-in-3 weekend road trip on a positive note against a Thunderbirds team (16-12-7) right below the Phantoms in the Atlantic Division Standings entering Sunday's slate of games. The Phantoms are in the midst of their first three-game losing streak with zero points accrued since mid-February of the 2016-17 season almost two full years ago, and looking to avoid their first 0-4-0 showing since 2015-16.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes
Alex Lyon is expected back in net Sunday, after getting the middle game of the 3-in-3 off last night as Branden Komm made his AHL debut Saturday in Hartford.
James de Haas and Mike Huntebrinker, who were healthy scratches Friday, slotted into the lineup last night. Zach Palmquist and Alex Krushelnyski rotated out.
Besides the fourth line of Tyrell Goulbourne, Steven Swavely and Colin McDonald the other forward lines were rearranged. Kerry Huffman, when I asked about the line changes, said he was looking for a spark offensively. It didn't result in any goals last night, but there were definitely more chances on the attack Saturday than there were Friday in Providence. Nic Aube-Kubel mentioned the lack of scoring chances his line with Greg Carey and Connor Bunnaman had been generating lately, and didn't mind the switch to a unit with Mike Vecchione and Chris Conner.
Defensively, only the Philip Samuelsson and Phil Myers pairing - regularly assigned the tougher minutes - remained together in Hartford from what had basically been the same D-pairings most of the season.
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Mikhail Vorobyev - Tyrell Goulbourne Nicolas Aube-Kubel - Mike Vecchione - Chris Conner Carsen Twarynski - Connor Bunnaman - Taylor Leier Alex Krushelnyski - Steven Swavely - Colin McDonald
T.J. Brennan - Mark Friedman Philip Samuelsson - Phil Myers Zach Palmquist - Reece Willcox
Alex Lyon - Branden Komm
Phantoms' Scratches: James de Haas (healthy), Cole Bardreau (injured), German Rubtsov (out for season), Mike Huntebrinker (healthy) and David Kase (injured)
GAME STORY
FIRST PERIOD
The opening minutes of the game looked very much like the third game in three days for both teams.
As the period wore on, the Phantoms started to have an edge in play and started getting consistent offensive pressure on Springfield goalie Sam Montembeault.
Carsen Twarynski had an open look in the slot, but didn't get all of it on his shot and Montembeault was able to react and make the point blank save to keep the game scoreless.
Lehigh Valley was whistled for a pair of penalties in the final 2:52 that hampered their momentum and forced them to the penalty kill. After killing off Nicolas Aube-Kubel's minor, Mike Vecchione was whistled for hooking with 11 seconds left in the period - giving Springfield carry-over power play time heading to the middle frame.
SECOND PERIOD
The Phantoms killed off the carryover power play, and got a man advantage of their own just over six minutes into the middle frame.
Greg Carey, the Thunderbird killer, tallied his team-leading 17th of the season - his fifth goal against Springfield this season - to get the Phantoms on the board first. Connor Bunnaman worked a puck to Chris Conner in the slot, who quickly backhanded a pass to the right for Carey's one-timer that beat an out-stretched Montembeault with 13:05 left in the period.
Springfield responded moments later while on a power play of their own. Off of face-off, Matt Marcinew swatted at a puck and Sebastian Repo - from below the left-wing circle - got a second whack at a puck that somehow eluded Alex Lyon and went in.
Repo's 6th of the season near the midway mark of regulation evened the game back up at 1-1 until Phil Myers netted a go-ahead goal with 6:44 left before the second intermission. After some work from Taylor Leier and Carsen Twarynski got a puck back to the point, Myers' shot through traffic eluded Montemeault and put Lehigh Valley back in front.
THIRD PERIOD
Lehigh Valley's one-goal lead didn't make it out of the opening two minutes of the final frame.
Harry Zolnierczyk snapped a 12-game goalless drought 1:27 into the third, netting his own rebound attempt for his seventh of the season to tie the game back up at 2-2.
Then, a little over five minutes later, Springfield defender Josh Brown stepped into one from the point and got a bounce off the cross-bar and in to give the Thunderbirds their first lead of the hockey game with 13:10 left in regulation.
Down 3-2 in the third after dropping the first two games of the weekend, the Phantoms dug deep and clawed their way back into the game - firing 18 shots on goal in the third period. Seventeen of those 18 shots came in the opening half of the period.
On a brief 5-on-3 power play with under nine minutes left in regulation, T.J. Brennan got a puck to the center point for a big blast by Greg Carey. Carey's initial shot was stopped, but Connor Bunnaman was at the net-front for his patented greasy goal - batting a puck out of mid-air and into the night behind Montembeault to tie the game at 3-3 and eventually forcing overtime.
OVERTIME
In a Flyers-esque manner, a bad giveaway by Mikhail Vorobyev on the opening shift of the 3-on-3 gave Harry Zolnierczyk a clean breakaway from the far blue line. But Alex Lyon came up big with a timely blocker save to keep OT going.
Vorobyev more than made up for his gaffe in the second half of OT, using good poise and patience to draw two Thunderbirds players his way before slipping a pass between the circles for Mark Friedman. Friedman bared down and made the most of his open look, popping the water bottle and ending the game with what he said was his first ever overtime goal playing organized hockey.
The win snapped a three-game losing skid for Lehigh Valley, who ended the 3-in-3 road trip in New England on a positive note. They'll have a week of practice in advance of another 3-in-3 weekend next week.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
17:08: LV - (PP) Aube-Kubel, minor (holding) 19:49: LV - (PP) Vecchione, minor (hooking)
2nd Period
6:17: SPR - (PP) Ang, minor (hooking) 6:55: LV - PPG Carey (17) - Conner, Bunnaman 8:05: LV - (PP) Samuelsson, minor (cross-checking) 9:24: SPR - PPG Repo (6) - unassisted 13:16: LV - Myers (7) - Twarynski, Leier
3rd Period
1:27: SPR - Zolnierczyk (7) - McCoshen, Horvat 6:50: SPR - Brown (3) - Stillman, Thompson 8:58: LV - (PP) Goulbourne, minor (roughing) 10:06: SPR - (PP) Repo, minor (interference) 11:07: SPR - (PP) Greco, minor (tripping) 11:55: LV - PPG Bunnaman (8) - Carey, Brennan
Overtime
3:21: LV - Friedman (3) - Vorobyev, Leier
BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 0 - 2 - 1 - 1 = 4 Springfield 0 - 1 - 2 - 0 = 3
Shots
Lehigh Valley 13 - 12 - 18 - 1 = 44 Springfield 9 - 13 - 10 - 1 = 33
Goalies
LV: Alex Lyon (30 saves - 33 shots) SPR: Samuel Montembeault (40 saves - 44 shots)
Power Play
LV: 2-for-3 SPR: 1-for-4
Penalty Kill
LV: 3-for-4 SPR: 1-for-3
Attendance: 4,733
