GAMEDAY: Game 56 - Lehigh Valley (27-22-6) at Syracuse (33-16-5) 7:00 p.m. ET

SYRACUSE, NY -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms(27-22-6) kick off yet another three-in-three weekend with their lone regular season visit to the War Memorial Arena Friday night against the Syracuse Crunch (33-16-5). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

The Phantoms' roster did change a little bit between their last games last weekend in Charlotte and now, though largely unrelated to Monday's trade deadline.

The Flyers assigned Justin Bailey to the Phantoms Monday, adding to an already large group of forwards.

In subsequent moves, the Phantoms loaned forwards Alex Krushelnyski and Mike Huntebrinker to Reading (ECHL) though the Phantoms later traded Krushelnyski to Binghamton for future considerations.

Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)

Connor Bunnaman - Mikhail Vorobyev - Nicolas Aube-Kubel* Justin Bailey - Byron Froese - Mike Vecchione Tyrell Goulbourne - Jori Lehtera - Colin McDonald Carsen Twarynski - Steven Swavely - Pascal Laberge

T.J. Brennan - James de Haas Phil Samuelsson - Mark FriedmanZach Palmquist - Reece Willcox

Phantoms' Scratches: David Schlemko (veteran), Cole Bardreau (injured), Greg Carey (injured), German Rubtsov (out for the season), Chris Conner (veteran) and David Kase (healthy)

GAME STORY

FIRST PERIOD

A scary start to the hockey game tonight as on the opening shift Nicolas Aube-Kubel appeared to lose an edge heading into a windup for a shot a few feet out from the corner boards. The result was Aube-Kubel's skates being kicked out from under him and falling backward hard - whipping his head/neck and laying motionless on his back for several seconds.

Fortunately, the stretcher was not required as Aube-Kubel was helped to his feet and guided to the visitors' tunnel to the locker room.

When play resumed, the Crunch were the first team to get in on the attack - firing five of the game's first six shots on net toward Alex Lyon. The Phantoms' netminder stood tall in the opening frame, stopping all nine shots that came his way.

The Phantoms had some chances of their own to open the scoring, but Crunch netminder Eddie Pasquale was equal to the task - preventing all 12 Phantoms' first period shots from hitting twine.

Aube-Kubel never returned to game action in the first period, and will certainly be something to keep an eye on moving forward. Let's just hope Aube-Kubel is OK.

SECOND PERIOD

When you get to this point in the season, things tighten up. Goals get harder to score. Offensive chances aren't typically as dime-a-dozen as they were in October. You need your best players to be your best, your grinders need to finish a check just as the scorers need to finish a grade-A chance.

That's exactly what the Crunch did to start the middle frame, and it gave them a 1-0 lead in the opening minute of the period.

Alex Barre-Boulet got a puck from Ben Thomas in the neutral zone and, with plenty of open ice, turned on the jets entering the offensive zone - creating a 3-on-2 rush and leaving a drop pass in the middle for Carter Verhaeghe. Verhaeghe skated to the top of the left-wing circle before wristing one past Lyon to give Syracuse the lead 48 seconds into the middle period.

After killing off a Phantoms' power play, Andy Andreoff exited the penalty box at the exact moment the Phantoms turned the puck over in the offensive zone.

Barre-Boulet got the puck up ice quickly to Andreoff at the far blue line, who went to his backhand on the mini-breakaway before lifting a backhander over Lyon's glove to extend the Crunch's lead to 2-0 with 12:12 left in the stanza.

The Phantoms got to their game from there, but were unable to get one past Pasquale before the second intermission.

The final 30 seconds of the period saw the Phantoms' buzzing in the offensive zone, but a cross-checking penalty at the net-front was whistled on Pascal Laberge - killing the Phantoms' attack and sending them to the third period down 2-0 and shorthanded for the opening 96 seconds of the final frame.

THIRD PERIOD

Not for lack of effort, but the Phantoms simply couldn't generate enough dangerous chances - or finish one off - to get on the scoreboard and get back into the game.

Cory Conacher sealed the deal for Syracuse with 5:31 left, taking a pass from Cameron Gaunce and firing one under Lyon's armpit from the slot for his 19th tally on the season to make it 3-0. Andreoff added an empty netter for his second goal of the contest to complete the 4-0 final score.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

14:05: SYR - (PP) Katchouk, minor (interference) 14:35: LV - (PP) Friedman, minor (holding)

2nd Period

0:48: SYR - Verhaeghe (25) - Barre-Boulet, Thomas 5:40: SYR - (PP) Andreoff, minor (high-sticking) 7:48: SYR - Andreoff (20) - Barre-Boulet 19:35: LV - (PP) Laberge, minor (cross-checking)

3rd Period

14:29: SYR - Conacher (19) - Gaunce, Stephens 19:39: SYR - ENG Andreoff (21) - unassisted

BOXSCORE

Lehigh Valley   0 - 0 - 0 = 0 Syracuse  0 - 2 - 2 = 4

Shots

Lehigh Valley  12 - 9 - 8 = 29 Syracuse  9 - 10 - 6 = 25

Goalies

LV: Alex Lyon (21 saves - 24 shots) SYR: Eddie Pasquale (29 saves - 29 shots)

Power Play

LV: 0-for-2 SYR: 0-for-2

Penalty Kill

LV: 2-for-2 SYR: 2-for-2

Attendance: