Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! (12/11/21)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (4-11-5) got back into the win column Saturday night, snapping an eight-game winless skid in a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters.

Saturday night's game story -> https://insideahlhockey.com/article/game-story-cleveland-2-at-lehigh-valley-4-121121

Three Things

1. Teddy Bear Toss Night

The Phantoms got the crowd into the game early on Teddy Bear Toss Night, as they fired the first five shots on net and later took a 1-0 lead 9:01 into the contest - with Gerry Mayhew tapping in a rebound of Wade Allison's shot attempt at the net-front off a centering feed from Cam York to initiate the fans throwing stuffed animals onto the ice.

The annual Teddy Bear Toss Night game allows fans to bring stuffed animals to be thrown on the ice after the team's first goal. The toys are then collected and donated to various children's organizations in the area for the holidays.

"It's that time of the year," head coach Ian Laperriere said after the game. "You're just thankful for your family around Christmas. I have two boys and to see all that out there is just great. It's a great time of the year, and it's going for a great cause."

"Yeah, it felt good," Mayhew said of opening the scoring and sending the teddy bears and stuffed toys flying onto the ice. "We had a little bet going on with the guys. It was a good play by Allison, he kind of put it up front for a rebound. I just tapped it in."

Betting against Mayhew to score on Teddy Bear Toss Night is a sucker's bet if I ever heard one.

"I think I've had four out of five teddy bear toss games I've scored [in], so it's kind of jy niust good luck for me," Mayhew said post-game last night.

2. Nagle Saves The Day

Felix Sandstrom got the start in net, but it was Pat Nagle who emerged from the locker room and manned the Phantoms' net in the final 40 minutes. Laperriere said after the game he had pulled Sandstrom after the first period due to a non COVID-related illness.

"He's a little bit under the weather. He's got [problem] with his sinuses. He said he couldn't see the puck," Laperriere said. "I would rather have that than another injury. He can take care of a sinus problem, and he'll be back soon."

Lapperriere told Nagle after the first period he would be going in in the 2nd, which allowed the goalie to get at least a little bit of a warmup in during the 18-minute intermission.

Nagle was pressed into action right away, too, stopping Carson Meyer on a penalty shot 1:46 into the middle frame which kept the game even at 1-1 at that juncture.

"It was good. [The penalty shot] got me in the game," Nagle said after the game. "You can kind of take it one way or the other, and so it was nice to come up with a save and kind of build off of that."

Nagle was stellar, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced including some timely saves in the third period after his team broke the 2-2 tie in order to preserve the two points.

3. Ustimenko Will Be Called Up, But.....

An interesting development and something to watch when the Phantoms are back at it Sunday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. ET against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

With Sandstrom out, the Phantoms had to recall goaltender Kirill Ustimenko from their ECHL affiliate Reading Royals.

Here's the thing: Reading was scheduled to play a home-and-home series against the Adirondack Thunder Friday and Saturday. After Friday night's game in Glens Falls, NY was played, it was determined a player from Adirondack tested positive for COVID - subsequently postponing Saturday's rematch in Reading.

"Goalies.. they do need to be tested too, but you can have a backup goalie in a different room. At least that's the way I understand it," Laperriere said, adding that he had to talk to management to confirm that that was the proper procedure. "But that's that's the plan right now. "Probably going to call up Usti, but because of that situation he's going to be in his own locker room."