GAMEDAY: Game 67 - Lehigh Valley (32-27-7) at Rochester (41-21-5) 7:05 p.m. ET

INSIDE AHL HOCKEY HQ -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms used a big game from Pascal Laberge (three goals, one assist) and Alex Lyon (40 saves) to net a 4-3 overtime win in Rochester Wednesday night, keeping the hope that they can storm back and make the playoffs a possibility - now six points back with a game in-hand on fourth place Providence - with nine games left on their regular season schedule.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)

Chris Conner - Mike Vecchione - Pascal Laberge Greg Carey - Connor Bunnaman - David Kase Carsen Twarynski - xxxxx - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Cole Bardreau - Steven Swavely - Colin McDonald

James de Haas - T.J. Brennan David Schlemko - Mark FriedmanZach Palmquist - Reece Willcox Philip Samuelsson

Alex Lyon - Mike McKenna

Phantoms' Scraches: Tyrell Goulbourne, Mikhail Vorobyev, German Rubtsov, Byron Froese, Jori Lehtera and Rob Michel

GAME STORY

FIRST PERIOD

The first period was a game of momentum.

Lehigh Valley had a solid start, racking up the game's first three shots, but it quickly turned into a mostly Rochester-dominated opening frame.

The Amerks fired 13 of the game's next 14 shots Alex Lyon's way, and it wasn't until there was five minutes left before the first intermission that one got past the Phantoms' netminder. Fittingly, it was ex-Phantoms forward Taylor Leier beating Lyon from the high-slot for his 20th goal on the season.

At that point, it was a 1-0 deficit for Lehigh Valley in a game where they were being out shot 13-4 through the opening 15 minutes of play. Certainly less than ideal.

But, a strong surge from the Phantoms allowed them to tie up the game on the ensuing shift after Leier's goal.

Chris Conner forced a turnover in the offensive zone, Pascal Laberge got the puck to the slot and opened up some room with a nice spin move before getting a puck to Mark Friedman for a quick shot past Scott Wedgewood with 4:18 left in the first frame to send the two teams to the first intermission even at 1-1.

SECOND PERIOD

The middle frame was the Pascal Laberge show.

Off a turnover, Laberge streaked up the right wing and sniped Wedgewood to the short side top shelf from the right-wing dot 2:20 into the period to give the Phantoms their first lead of the evening.

From there, credit Alex Lyon making the timely saves to keep the Phantoms ahead until later in the period when Laberge sniped another one past Wedgewood from the exact same spot his first one of the period came.

Laberge's second of the game, and third point of the contest, chased Wedgewood from net (14 saves - 17 shots). Adam Wilcox replaced Wedgewood with 7:33 left before the second intermission.

Eric Cornel tapped one in past Lyon on a setup from Kevin Porter with five minutes left before the intermission to cut their deficit to one, but the two teams headed to the third period in a one-goal contest.

THIRD PERIOD

Rochester came out with purpose in the third, and they were all over Lehigh Valley in the opening half of the period - drawing two power plays in the opening seven minutes and tying the game at 3-3.

With the penalty time winding down on the Phantoms' first minor of the period, Wayne Simpson got a puck ahead to Kyle Criscuolo through the neutral zone with speed, and Criscuolo fed Kevin Porter in front for a tap in past Lyon to even the game back up at three apiece.

Again, credit Lyon for making some big stops to keep his team in the game. In all, Lyon stopped 40 of 43 in regulation - getting his team to overtime in a 3-3 deadlock.

OVERTIME

In the extra session, an alert play by Zach Palmquist to avoid a sliding Rochester forward in the Phantoms' defensive zone allowed him to send Laberge and Conner on a 2-on-0 breakaway that saw Conner feed Laberge for a tap in to complete the hat trick and a huge win for Lehigh Valley.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

11:11: LV - (PP) Laberge, minor (delay of game) 15:00: ROC - Leier (20) - Asplund, Tennyson 15:42: LV - Friedman (5) - Laberge, Conner

2nd Period

2:20: LV - Laberge (2) - unassisted 12:27: LV - Laberge (3) - Vecchione, Conner 15:00: ROC - Cornel (8) - Porter, Dougherty

3rd Period

2:02: LV - (PP) Vecchione, minor (high-sticking) 4:01: ROC - PPG Porter (10) - Criscuolo, Simpson 6:54: LV - (PP) Bunnaman, minor (tripping)

Overtime

2:02: LV - Laberge (4) - Conner, Palmquist

BOXSCORE

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

Shots

Lehigh Valley  10 - 11 - 8 - 2 = 31 Rochester  14 - 14 - 15 - 0 = 43

Goalies

LV: Alex Lyon (40 saves - 43 shots) ROC: Scott Wedgewood (14 saves - 17 shots in 32:27) and Adam Wilcox (13 saves - 14 shots in 29:30)

Power Play

LV: 0-for-0 ROC: 1-for-3

Penalty Kill

LV: 2-for-3 ROC: 0-for-0

Attendance: 4,232