Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! (2/13/22)

ALLENTOWN, Pa - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (17-18-8) clawed their way to 3-2 win over the Hershey Bears Sunday afternoon to conclude their 3-in-3 weekend with a big two points.

Sunday's game story -> https://insideahlhockey.com/article/game-story-hershey-2-at-lehigh-valley-3-21322

Three Things

1. Third Game In As Many Days

The Phantoms got two sets of "fresher" legs in to the lineup Sunday in forwards Jackson Cates and Morgan Frost to finish off what was a busy four-game week for the team.

"Three games in three nights. And that's four in six for us. And yeah, you just limit the mistakes in the third - that was the message between periods," Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere told InsideAHLHockey.com after the game. "Keep it simple, wait for your chances and we found a way to win. These are two big points for our team."

The Phantoms' win moved them to 17-18-8 on the season, just one point behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for what is currently sixth place in the Atlantic Division - the final playoff spot for the best of three play-in round to the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.

2. Hodgson Continues To Do It All

Hayden Hodgson is becoming this year's Max Willman, if you will.

While different kinds of players in terms of their style and skill set, if the Phantoms needed a big hit, a big goal, a big block or a scrap to spark the team in the past two months Laperriere and the Phantoms turned to Hodgson.

"That's just part of being a pro hockey player, you know, show up every night and you know do what it takes to win," a modest Hodgson said when asked about being able to lay the body and play that hard-nosed style three straight nights. "That was a tough weekend and you know we needed those two points. We were a desperate hockey team so you know, that's sort of what it takes."

"For me, He's a Flyers/Phantoms kind of player," Laperriere said of Hodsgon's emergence this season, adding Hayden fits into "What I'm trying to build here and what they're trying to build at the next level. He's a gritty, north-south, physical hockey player that can play, obviously, he has 13 goals."

3. Scary Saulnier Collision

Attempting to lay a big hit on the forecheck in the third period, Brennan Saulnier had Marcus Vela in his sights as the Bears forward came up the right wing wall on a breakout.

Vela saw the hit coming and braced for impact, raising his arms with stick in hands - inadvertently clothesline-ing Saulnier with his stick and causing the Phantoms' spark plug to awkwardly jerk backward and fall hard to the ice - initially laying motionless while on his back his arm clenched reaching toward his chin.

Play was immediately stopped, and Saulnier later was up on his feet and helped to the bench by German Rubtsov and assisted to the locker room by the team's medical staff.

"I was just worried about the kid, Laperriere told Inside AHL Hockey after the game. "It's amazing. I've never seen a team like that with [all the] injuries. At the NHL level and our level. It's crazy. Every night somebody goes down, but the kid - he's a fighter, literally.

Saulnier didn't return, and was somehow assessed a kneeing minor on the play - leading the Phantoms to a important penalty kill that allowed them to remain in a 1-1 game until Morgan Frost broke the tie with 4:16 left in regulation.

Laperriere wasn't sure why Saulnier was assessed the kneeing minor when asked directly after the game. He hadn't seen a replay of the collision and it occurred along the bench side wall in the far end from his viewpoint on the Phantoms' bench.