GAMEDAY: Game 68 - Lehigh Valley (33-27-7) at Cleveland (33-26-8) 7:00 p.m. ET
INSIDE AHL HOCKEY HQ -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (33-28-7) hit a lull in the middle frame Friday night in Cleveland, and it cost them dearly in a 6-3 loss to the Monsters in a game that provided the Phantoms a chance to move within four points of the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
Instead, the loss - combined with Providence defeating Syracuse in regulation - has the Phantoms six points behind fourth place Hershey with one fewer game remaining than their heated rival.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Chris Conner - xxxxxxxxx - Pascal Laberge Greg Carey - Connor Bunnaman - David Kase Carsen Twarynski - Byron Froese - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Cole Bardreau - Steven Swavely - Colin McDonald
James de Haas - T.J. Brennan David Schlemko - Mark FriedmanZach Palmquist - Reece Willcox Rob Michel
Mike McKenna - Alex Lyon
Phantoms' Scraches: Philip Samuelsson, Tyrell Goulbourne, Mikhail Vorobyev, German Rubtsov, Jori Lehtera & Mike Vecchione
GAME STORY
FIRST PERIOD
An action-packed first period saw the Phantoms and Monsters combine for 35 (!) shots on goal and two goals apiece.
First, Cleveland put the home team ahead 1-0 early after Adam Clendening got a puck ahead to Dillon Simpson with an easy entry into the Phantoms' defensive zone. Veteran forward Zac Dalpe got open in the slot, received the feed from Simpson and sniped Mike McKenna for his 27th of the season 3:29 into the period.
On the ensuing shift, a ferocious fore-check by Greg Carey and Nicolas Aube-Kubel set the stage for Byron Froese to pick the pocket of a Monsters' forward and fling a quick shot past Brad Thiessen to tie the game just 36 seconds after Dalpe's game-opening goal.
Both goalies - McKenna and Thiessen - were busy and equal to the task from there until the final four minutes of the period.
A smooth sequence which saw T.J. Brennan in the corner of the defensive zone chip a puck off the boards ahead to David Kase, who also chipped the puck ahead in similar fashion to Froese at the defensive zone blue line and a subsequent floating pass from Froese sprung Carsen Twarynski for a mini-breakaway he was able to convert on to give the Phantoms their first lead of the night with 3;45 left before the first intermission.
The lead, similar to Cleveland's earlier in the period, was short lived.
Dalpe had his second of the night with under a minute to play in the period, beating McKenna for his 28th season and sending to the two teams to the first intermission deadlocked at 2-2.
SECOND PERIOD
The Phantoms got an early power play in the middle frame, but it was Dalpe and the Monsters taking advantage - with Dalpe completing his hat trick 5:28 into the middle frame on another snipe of McKenna to put Cleveland ahead 3-2 shortly after the Phantoms' power play had expired.
Just as things really began to slow down, the flood gates opened in the second half of the period to the tune of three goals in a span of 2 minutes and 45 seconds.
Kevin Stenlund got a step on Phantoms newcomer Rob Michel - making his pro debut - and the Monsters' rookie forward converted on the mini-breakaway beating McKenna five-hole to extend Cleveland's lead to 4-2 with 6:27 left in the 2nd period.
Colin McDonald answered with a snipe over the shoulder of Thiessen for his ninth of the season with 4:40 left, but Cleveland responded on the following shift with an unlikely marker from Monsters enforcer Brett Gallant - his 12th career AHL goal in his 353rd game - to put the Monsters back in front by two goals heading to the third period.
THIRD PERIOD
Derek Barach beat McKenna early in the third to put Cleveland comfortably in front, 6-3, and the Phantoms were unable to recover - falling by that same score and seeing their already fading playoff hopes take another major blow.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
3:29: CLE - Dalpe (27) - Simpson, Clendening 4:05: LV - Froese (18) - unassisted 4:29: CLE - (PP) Collins, minor (cross-checking) 4:51: LV - (PP) Laberge, minor (hooking) 8:56: CLE - (PP) Cross, minor (tripping) 16:15: LV - Twarynski (7) - Froese, Kase 19:08: CLE - Dalpe (28) - Clendening
2nd Period
3:20: CLE - (PP) Thurkauf, minor (roughing) 5:28: CLE - Dalpe (29) - Clendening, Simpson 10:24: LV - (PP) Aube-Kubel, minor (hooking) 13:33: CLE - Stenlund (14) - Letestu 15:20: LV - McDonald (9) - Bardreau 16:18: CLE - Gallant (2) - Vigneault, Somerby 18:00: CLE - (PP) Cross, minor (high-sticking)
3rd Period
3:45: CLE - Barach (2) - Dalpe, Sherwood 13:01: LV - (PP) Carey, minor (slashing)
BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 2 - 1 - 0 = 3 Cleveland 2 - 3 - 1 = 6
Shots
Lehigh Valley 15 - 6 - 8 = 29 Cleveland 20 - 12 - 9 = 41
Goalies
LV: Mike McKenna (35 saves - 41 shots) CLE: Brad Thiessen (26 saves - 29 shots)
Power Play
LV: 0-for-4 CLE: 0-for-3
Penalty Kill
LV: 3-for-3 CLE: 4-for-4
Attendance: 10,278
