GAMEDAY: Game 8 - Lehigh Valley (4-2-1) at Binghamton (4-4-1) 7:00 p.m. ET
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BINGHAMTON, NY - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (4-2-1) continued on in their season-high six game road trip with a trek up into southern New York to face North Division foe Binghamton Devils (4-4-1).
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes
Carter Hart got the start in net Saturday night in Binghamton, with Anthony Stolarz serving as the team's backup.
The rotation in net as well as the rotation of rookies continued, with Carsen Twarynski returning to the lineup and David Kase taking his turn as a healthy scratch. Connor Bunnaman remained a healthy scratch up front, but did take the warmup as the 13th forward - a sign he might be returning back into the lineup tomorrow evening in Hershey.
On defense, James de Haas remained the seventh defenseman and a healthy scratch.
Phantoms Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Phil Varone - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Carsen Twarynski - Mike Vecchione - Chris ConnerTaylor Leier - German Rubtsov - Colin McDonald Tyrell Goulbourne - Radel Fazleev - Cole Bardreau
T.J. Brennan - Philip Samuelsson Zach Palmquist - Phil MyersMark Friedman - Reece Willcox
Carter Hart - Anthony Stolarz
Phantoms' scratches: Alex Lyon, James de Haas, Connor Bunnaman and David Kase
GAME STORY
FIRST PERIOD
There wasn't much flow to the opening five minutes - several icings, stoppages in play, etc. - but the two teams exchanged quick goals shortly after and the pace picked up for the rest of the period.
After a strong shift by the Phantoms' 4th line saw Lehigh Valley gain some extended offensive zone chances, the Devils opened the scoring in quick transition.
Ryan Schmelzer got a puck up ice quickly to Josh Jacobs for a 2-on-1 rush with Brandon Baddock, and although Jacobs elected to shoot on Phantoms' goalie Carter Hart from the right wing the rebound darted up the middle and right to Baddock for an easy put-back goal to put the Devils ahead 1-0 just 5:53 into the contest.
On the next shift, a seemingly harmless give to the net by Phil Myers from the corner right around the goal line sneaked by Mackenzie Blackwood to tie the game up just 62 seconds later. Talk about a response.
The Phantoms' seemed to have an edge in play from that point on - getting a late 1st period power play - but the Devils killed it off with ease and started coming in waves. Luckily for the Phantoms, Hart stood tall in net as the Devils rattled off the final nine shots on net in the period.
SECOND PERIOD
Things opened up in the middle frame in terms of the two teams exchanging chances and having end-to-end action in a high-paced, action-packed period. That's not to say there were a ton of goals scored in the middle frame, though.
Hart came up big with his best save of the game to date early in the 2nd period with the Phantoms on the penalty kill. A pass from the left wing came to the middle for an open Nick Lappin, but Hart stoned him from point blank range to keep the game at 1-1.
Later in the period at the other end of the rink, Blackwood came up big several times as well. Most notably, a Phantoms' power play toward the middle part of the period that saw several good scoring chances turned aside by the Devils' netminder.
It become a bit of a goaltender's duel, but the Phantoms' power play cashed in late in the period to break the 1-1 tie.
Phil Varone drew the Phantoms the late 2nd-period power play when he was hooked down low. Then, he set up the go-ahead goal.
Varone entered the offensive zone with speed and left it in the high-slot for a trailing T.J. Brennan, who skated in and fired a quick shot past Blackwood with 4:23 left before the second intermission.
Lehigh Valley had a late period power play, but it was negated in the final seconds of the period when Chris Conner was whistled for a "Phantom" high-sticking penalty. Conner got his stick up near Devils defender Brian Strait but appeared to miss the player altogether, though Strait fell to the ice holding his face to draw the call.
THIRD PERIOD
The Phantoms killed off the brief Devils power play in the opening two minutes, and Conner more than made up for his penalty shortly after exiting the box.
Conner got a puck in the neutral zone, and flew down the left wing before lifting a perfectly placed shot past Blackwood to extend the Phantoms' lead to 3-1 just 2:12 into the period.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel, with a little nudge of the puck from Phil Myers to help him in the slot, was able to make it a 4-1 Phantoms lead moments later.
The Devils didn't quit, going to work and getting in on the attack - drawing a hooking minor on Brennan with 7:15 left in regulation and scoring on the ensuing man advantage to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Brett Seney got a puck through traffic from the left wing to the right side of the net to Blake Pietila, who was able to get it past Hart for his 2nd of the season to give the Devils hope with 6:51 left in regulation, but that's as close as they would get.
Tyrell Goulbourne added an empty netter to cap the scoring in the Phantoms' 5-2 win.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
5:53: BNG - Baddock (1) - Jacobs, Schmelzer 6:55: LV - Myers (3) - Aube-Kubel, Varone 16:21: BNG - (PP) Pietila, minor (holding)
2nd Period
6:00: BNG - (PP) Ramage, minor (high-sticking) 12:35: LV - (PP) Willcox, minor (slashing) 15:07: BNG - (PP) Jacobs, minor (hooking) 15:37: LV - PPG Brennan (4) - Varone 18:35: BNG - (PP) Jacobs, minor (high-sticking) 19:51: LV - (PP) Conner, minor (high-sticking)
3rd Period
2:12: LV - Conner (4) - unassisted 6:38: LV - Aube-Kubel (3) - Myers, Varone 7:11: LV - Twarynski, major (fighting) 7:11: BNG - Bastian, major (fighting) 12:45: LV - (PP) Brennan, minor (hooking) 13:09: BNG - PPG Pietila (2) - Seney, Quenneville 18:27: LV - ENG Goulbourne (1) - Bardreau, Fazleev
### BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 1 - 1 - 3 = 5 Binghamton 1 - 0 - 1 = 2
Shots
Lehigh Valley 6 - 12 - 6 = 18 Binghamton 14 - 10 - 7 = 24
Goalies
LV: Carter Hart (29 saves - 31 shots) BNG: Mackenzie Blackwood (19 saves - 23 shots)
Power Play
LV: 1-for-4 BNG: 1-for-4
Penalty Kill
LV: 3-for-4 BNG: 3-for-4
Attendance: 2,795
