GAMEDAY: Game 51 - Bridgeport (28-18-6) at Lehigh Valley (26-19-5) 7:15 p.m. ET

ALLENTOWN, PA -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (26-19-5) kick off another 3-in-3 weekend with a Friday night home matchup against Atlantic Division foe Bridgeport (28-18-6) at 7:15 p.m. ET.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Brian Elliott, on conditioning loan from Philadelphia, got the start in net Friday for Lehigh Valley.

Sam Morin, also on a similar conditioning loan from Philadelphia, made his regular season debut on defense paired with Mark Friedman.

Newcomers David Schlemko and Byron Froese made their Phantoms' debuts.

Friday's veteran scratches were Philip Samuelsson and Jori Lehtera. With a 3-in-3 weekend on the schedule, surely the scratches will rotate.

Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)

Greg Carey - Corban Knight - Chris Conner Carsen Twarynski - Connor Bunnaman - Mike Vecchione Tyrell Goulbourne - Byron Froese - Colin McDonaldMike Huntebrinker - Steven Swavely - Nicolas Aube-Kubel

T.J. Brennan - James de Haas David Schlemko - Reece Willcox Sam Morin - Mark Friedman

Brian Elliott - Alex Lyon

Phantoms' Scratches: Branden Komm, Philip Samuelsson, Zach Palmquist, Cole Bardreau, German Rubtsov, Pascal Laberge, Alex Krushelnyski and David Kase

GAME STORY

FIRST PERIOD

Bridgeport had the early jump to start the contest, firing the first four shots on Brian Elliott's net. The Phantoms goaltender, on conditioning loan from the Flyers, was busy early and often in the first frame - facing 14 shots in the opening 20 minutes. He looked solid early, but was beaten on two shots from the right-wing circle in the waning moments of the period.

The Phantoms, who had been out-shot 11-5 in the opening 13 minutes of play, got the game's first power play and did everything but score on the ensuing man advantage. They fired a total of six shots on net, but Bridgeport goalie Jeremy Smith was equal to the task - his most impressive stop of the sequence, perhaps, came on a rebound attempt from Mark Friedman at the side of the net. Smith was able to get enough of Friedman's put-back as the Phantoms' defender couldn't lift it over Smith's pad in-tight near the blue paint.

Instead, it was Bridgeport getting a power play shortly after killing off the first penalty of the game. They made quick work of the power play too, with Sebastian Aho's shot from the top of the left-wing circle caroming to the right-wing circle for a quick rebound snipe from Otto Koivula high and to the far side on Elliott. Koivula's 16th of the season with 3:45 left before the first intermission gave Bridgeport the 1-0 lead.

The Sound Tigers made it 2-0 on their next shot Elliott's way about a minute and a half later. This time from the right circle, Matt Lorito sniped Elliott to the short side to extend Bridgeport's lead heading into the middle frame.

SECOND PERIOD

After an early too-many-men penalty on the Phantoms, Bridgeport really settled in and made things difficult for the home team. The Sound Tigers possessed the puck and more times than not, it was the Phantoms chasing the play a bit.

As the midway mark of regulation came, the Phantoms had more icing calls (four) than shots on goal (two). Back-to-back power plays to begin the second half of regulation was just what the doctor ordered for the home team.

Lehigh Valley failed to get much of anything going on the first man advantage, but after a bench minor for too many men on Bridgeport gave the Phantoms a second crack at it they came through and made it a one-goal game with 6:09 left before the second intermission.

T.J. Brennan got a puck across from the top of the left circle to the right-circle for Greg Carey, who wound up and fired a hard shot that deflected off of Sound Tigers' defenseman Seth Helgeson before going in past Jeremy Smith. Carey's team-leading 22nd of the season was also assisted by Chris Conner.

After just managing a pair of shots in the opening half of the period, the home team was much more engaged as the second intermission drew nearer. All in all, a one-goal game heading to the third isn't the worst thing in the world.

THIRD PERIOD

The Phantoms came out ready for the third, and tied the game up in the opening minute of the period.  Chris Conner and Greg Carey ended up with a 2-on-1 down low and Conner got a puck across to Carey as he was falling to his stomach to allow Carey to smack home his second of the night and 23rd of the season.

The home team didn't stop there, taking the lead 3:11 into the period with some help from the new guys. Tyrell Goulbourne got a puck back to the left point for David Schlemko, who stepped into a low hard blast that changed directions on its way past Sound Tigers' goalie Jeremy Smith. Byron Froese (slot) and Colin McDonald (net-front) were both screening the goaltender

Bridgeport didn't pack it in and call it night. Instead, they went to work and fired 12 shots on Elliott in the period - tying the game on Travis St. Denis' 12th of the season with 4:11 left in regulation, with just one second remaining on a Phantoms' penalty to force overtime.

OVERTIME

It was a rather uneventful first two and a half minutes of three-on-three hockey before the two teams started exchanging odd-man chances. Corban Knight nearly set up David Schlemko on a mini-breakaway, and after that was stuffed Knight played a wrap-around through the crease.

Elliott only had to make one official save, but Bridgeport missed the net on several chances in the extra session before T.J. Brennan picked off a puck in the neutral zone, skated down the left wing and beat Smith to send the PPL Center crowd into a frenzy.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

13:34: BST - (PP) Holmstrom, minor (interference) 16:01: LV - (PP) bench minor, too many men (served by Aube-Kubel) 16:15: BST - PPG Koivula (16) - Aho, Lorito 17:42: BST - Lorito (1) - Wotherspoon, Burroughs

2nd Period

2:37: LV - (PP) bench minor, too many men (served by Aube-Kubel) 10:31: BST - (PP) Bellows, minor (hooking) 13:31: BST - (PP) bench minor, too many men (served by Koivula) 13:51: LV - PPG Carey (22) - Brennan, Conner 17:09: LV - (PP) Twarynski, minor (goalie interference)

3rd Period

0:34: LV - Carey (23) - Conner 3:11: LV - McDonald (7) - Schlemko, Goulbourne 13:50: LV - (PP) Brennan, minor (slashing) 15:49: BST - PPG St. Denis (12) - Vande Sompel, Smith

Overtime

3:20: LV - Brennan (8) - unassisted

BOXSCORE

Bridgeport  2 - 0 - 1 - 0 = 3 Lehigh Valley  0 - 1 - 2 - 1 = 4

Shots

Bridgeport  14 - 12 - 12 - 1 = 39 Lehigh Valley  11 - 8 - 6 - 2 = 27

Goalies

BST: Jeremy Smith (23 saves - 27 shots) LV: Brian Elliott (36 saves - 39 shots)

Power Play

BST: 2-for-4 LV: 1-for-3

Penalty Kill

BST: 2-for-3 LV: 2-for-4

Attendance: 7,827