Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! Game 28: Syracuse - 3 at Lehigh Valley - 2 (SO)
ALLENTOWN, PA -- A much tougher matchup for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (16-9-3) Friday night against not only a talented Syracuse Crunch squad (16-8-2) but an unfamiliar opponent. It was the Crunch's first and only visit to the PPL Center scheduled for the regular season. Lehigh Valley travels to Syracuse on Friday, March 1st to complete the two-game season series.
"Yeah, that's a good hockey team," head coach Kerry Huffman said after the game. "Regardless of where they are in the standings, they play the game the right way - they're fast. We knew going into it that it was going to be a real good test for us, and it turned out to be a hell of a hockey game."
That it did.
In a battle of teams that play a similar style, it made for one of the most entertaining hockey games the 6,999 fans in attendance at PPL Center Friday night could have asked for. End-to-end action, offensive chances exchanged, incredible saves by two goalies who brought their A-game and ultimately - after 65 minutes of high-paced hockey - the game had to be decided by the shootout. And even then, it required extra rounds to finally determine a winner.
Tonight's Gameday 'Live Blog' has a full recap of the action -> http://insideahlhockey.com/article/gameday-game-28-syracuse-15-8-2-at-lehigh-valley-16-9-2-715-pm-et
THREE THINGS
1. High-Octane Offense(s)
The Phantoms and Crunch played at such a pace that made for entertaining hockey. The players acknowledged it after the game (see Greg Carey's video interview below). There were long stretches of play without a whistle and just six minor penalties called all night, which might have helped both teams roll four lines and get everyone into a rhythm. It showed in the on-ice product - truly one of the more exciting regular season matchups I've seen in my 20 years of watching AHL hockey.
2. Gutsy Goalie
While the forwards and defensemen surely enjoyed the pace and the amount of offensive chances exchanged throughout the game, it was the goalies - Alex Lyon and Connor Ingram - standing tall between the pipes and needing to come up big on several occasions to keep the game both low-scoring as well as close - it was either tied, or a one-goal game the entire way.
The Phantoms put up a season-high 42 shots on Ingram, including a ridiculous glove save in the final minute of the second period to keep the game tied heading into the third period. Connor Bunnaman couldn't have played the pass across any better, firing a quick shot at the open half of the cage. Ingram was just somehow able to swallow it with his glove. Phantoms' head coach Kerry Huffman said at the time he wasn't sure that Ingram's glove wasn't over the line, but the play was never reviewed.
Ingram appeared to injure himself or cramp up terribly after making a save late in the third period, with all the side-to-side movement and overextending causing an apparent left leg injury. One that would linger throughout the rest of the game, and noticeable enough to see the Crunch goaltender favoring it when the puck was down the other end of the ice.
3. The Captain
Colin McDonald is the epitome of a leader, and a team player. He's fine with his role in the bottom-six and routinely matches up against the opposition's top line. He understands where he's at in his career. None of that changes the way he plays the game, and it was nice to see the team's usual sniper Greg Carey set up the captain with a mini-breakaway that McDonald was able to make a nice move and beat the goalie on to open the scoring.
McDonald, for those who missed yesterday's announcement by the American Hockey League (AHL), will be representing the Lehigh Valley Phantoms as the playing captain for the Eastern Conference All-Stars at the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic to be held in Springfield, Mass. on January 27-28. More on that later.
POST-GAME REACTION
KERRY HUFFMAN
Frustrating that good of a back-and-forth game having to be decided in the shootout?
"They are what they are. It turns into a skills competition a little bit. A lucky team if you look at those two goals they score - they hit bars and go in. A quarter of an inch either way and it's a different thing. Just have to accept it and move on."
On the appeared injured Syracuse goalie Connor Ingram's gutsy performance.
"I don't know if [Ingram] was hurt, or tired or whatever. We were putting it on them pretty good there for quite awhile, and [Ingram] made some great saves. Both of them did. Alex was real good too. If your guys compete that hard and play the right way like they did I can't ask much more from them we'll win a lot of hockey games if we play that way."
