Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! (1/23/22)

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (11-13-8) got the better of the Charlotte Checkers in the rematch Sunday afternoon.

Sunday afternoon's game story -> https://insideahlhockey.com/article/game-story-lehigh-valley-5-at-charlotte-2-12322

Three Things

1. Interesting Start

The Phantoms got off to as good as start as you could hope for, drawing themselves a power play on the second shift of the game and converting 1:20 into the contest to take an early 1-0 lead on Cal O'Reilly's sixth of the season.

But for the most part, Charlotte controlled play in the first period Sunday, scoring back-to-back goals and putting the Phantoms on their heels shortly after that opening goal.

"Well, for whatever reason, in the first we didn't have our legs," head coach Ian Laperriere told InsideAHLHockey.com after the game. "We didn't play the right way."

The Checkers out-shot Lehigh Valley 15-7 in the opening 20 minutes and took a 2-1 lead into the middle frame.

"I think we struggled in the first getting bodies to the net" Phantoms' defenseman Wyatte Wylie said after the game, adding, "as well as working hard in our end and battling for those one on one battles to get those pucks out, so we could go the other end."

2. Second Period Dominance

The Phantoms responded in a big way in the middle frame, firing a season-high 20 shots in the period and dominating play on their way to turning the tides and shifting momentum back into their favor.

"A couple reminders and the guys were right back on it. They went back to the structure that we've been talking about all year, like the style of play - the identity that those guys are building - that's what they did in the second."

The Phantoms' surge was finally rewarded just past the midway mark of the period after Wylie kept a puck in at the right point and slipped it past a few Checkers' skaters caught heading the wrong way and cheating up ice, landing it right to Connor Bunnaman's tape for a goal that tied the game.

A few minutes later, Wylie's shot from the right point was redirected in front to give the Phantoms the lead.

"We just had a good forecheck there," Wylie explained of the lead up to what turned out to be the game-winning goal. "I saw an opening to get over to the wall and be an option for Isaac behind the net. He got it up to me, I saw someone going to the net so I tried to get it there as fast as I could. it's nice when you have that  net-front presence. There's there's always confusion down there and good stuff happens," he added.

It was initially credited to Wylie and would have been his first of the season, but instead it was Matt Strome getting a piece of Wylie's shot and later credited with the goal.

3. Wylie's Big Game

It ended up being a three-point night for Wylie, a new career-high for him in his first full season of pro hockey after 24 games with the Phantoms in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. His third assist of the game came on a play similar to Strome's goal, in that he got the puck after a teammate won a battle down low and was able to get it through for Hayden Hodgson to tip home.

"When they do the work down low, and they get it up to you, you have to make a good effort to get the pucks through," Wylie explained. "I tried to get it to [Hodgson] there and he had a nice tip that ended up going in."

Had a great chat with Wylie via phone after Sunday's game in Charlotte, and hope to have more on his progression with the Phantoms in an extended player feature next week!