Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! (11/10/21)

HERSHEY, Pa. - Wednesday night in Hershey, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (3-6-2) used a strong second period - four unanswered goals - to turn a 1-0 deficit into a commanding 4-1 lead in route to their first two-game win streak of the season.

Max Willman, Gerry Mayhew (PPG), Jackson Cates (SHG) and Cal O'Reilly (SHG) tallied goals in the win, while Felix Sandstrom stopped 31 of 32 shots in his fifth straight start.

Wednesday night's game story -> https://insideahlhockey.com/article/game-story-lehigh-valley-4-at-hershey-1-111021

Three Things

1. Second Period

The Phantoms were definitely not the better team in the first period Wednesday night. But thanks to the play of Sandstrom, Lehigh Valley found themselves only down 1-0.

"Give credit to the guys in the room. They they were talking and knew it wasn't good enough - the first 20 [minutes]. And the last 40, was I was very pleased," Lapperiere told Inside AHL Hockey after the game.

Lehigh Valley came out like gangbusters to start the middle frame. The forecheck on the opening shift forced a turnover, and Cal O'Reilly flung one to the net where Max Willman re-directed one in past Pheonix Copley to tie the game 1-1 in the opening minute of the period.

2. Special Teams Were Special

Entering the game, the Phantoms' power play was dead-last in the AHL. Wednesday night, the PP gave the Phantoms a go-ahead goal.

Morgan Frost made it happen. From the right wing wall, Frost threaded the needle on a cross-ice feed to an open Logan Day. Day then shuffled it to the slot where Gerry Mayhew directed it in.

"I think special teams were great. PK was great, PP was great and give those guys all the credit in the world," Laperriere  said. "[Assistant coaches] Reilly Armstrong and Jason Smith, they've been putting a lot of work into special teams and it paid off tonight and it's something to build on."

Perhaps more impressively, the Phantoms' PK took over the game late in the 2nd period. They scored two shorthanded tallies on the same minor penalty to turn a 2-1 lead into a 4-1 game.

First, Connor Bunnaman sent Jackson Cates off to the races and Cates converted - breaking in and going five-hole for his second goal of the season. Oddly enough, both Cates' first career AHL goal and his second were scored shorthanded - a feat that hadn't been done in the AHL since the 2014-15 season when Ben Johnson scored his first two career goals shorthanded.

Then, on the next shift, Max Willman stole a puck along the right wing wall and turned on the jets - creating a 2-on-1 with Cal O'Reilly before Willman centered for O'Reilly to give the Phantoms a commanding lead.

3. Video Interviews With Cal O'Reilly and Gerry Mayhew

Hear from from the forwards for reaction from Wednesday night's win.