Weekend With The Wotherspoons

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Entering the weekend, brothers Tyler Wotherspoon (Lehigh Valley Phantoms) and Parker Wotherspoon (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) had never faced off against each other at any level hockey. That changed Saturday night in Bridgeport, when Tyler's Phantoms and Parker's Sound Tigers met for a pair of games to finish the weekend.

"We haven't really talked about it, but I know we both circled it on our calendars," Parker told Alan Fuehring, the Sound Tigers' media relations and radio play-by-play broadcaster. "It's been a long time waiting for sure."

Parker mentioned that he and Tyler nearly played against each other while the two played junior hockey in the WHL, but a late scratch in one of their meetings prevented the two Wotherspoons from playing against each other. The two nearly played against each other earlier this fall in NHL preseason action in Long Island, but a similar situation arose that delayed their first game against one another.

Saturday night in Bridgeport, both Wotherspoons played a huge factor in deciding the outcome of the contest. With the game tied in the third period, Tyler - the Phantoms' veteran blueliner - fired a shot from the left-wing wall that Nicolas Aube-Kubel re-directed in.

It turned out to be the game-winning goal, but a late-game chance saw a rebound dart out to Parker for a near game-tying goal in the final minutes of play. Fortunately for the Phantoms, goaltender J-F Berube came up with a big right pad save to preserve the win for Lehigh Valley.

"For sure, yeah, anything helps right," A smiling Tyler said after the game. "I'll ride that one for awhile. I'm glad we got the win. I got a one-up on him right now," he added half-jokingly.

While Parker is the younger brother, by four years, he's beginning his third full season of pro hockey - all with the New York Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. Tyler, 26, entered his seventh pro season this fall but with a new organization in the Philadelphia Flyers.

"It's been an easy transition for me, just kind of come in and get my bearings and really just focus on my game," Tyler told InsideAHLHockey.com, mentioning how welcoming the team and staff have been since his arrival in camp earlier this fall. "I've really enjoyed it here so far, they treat us really well, and I'm excited for the rest of the year."

Assistant coach Kerry Huffman handles the defense for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and likes what he has seen from Tyler's through the team's first 10 games.

"Even from preseason on, he's been real rock solid for us," Huffman said of the Phantoms' defender. "Real steady, a real calming presence. We notice the difference when he's not in the lineup," Huffman added, explaining the team's veteran situation has called for a rotation for the team's veteran scratch through the first five weeks of the season.

Tyler has played primarily with Reece Willcox this season, and the two are similar players which Tyler said has further eased him in to transitioning to a new team.

"We're great compliments to each other," Tyler said of Willcox. "I think we are both kind of defense-first defensemen but we move the puck well. We think similarly and he's an easy guy to play with, so moving forward we just have to stick to what we've been doing and we'll have a lot of success."

While Tyler had a big impact in the Phantoms' win Saturday, Parker contributed the primary assist in Sunday's game-winning third period goal - finishing the game with two assists on the night and evening the regular season series between the Wotherspoons - and the Phantoms/Sound Tigers.

"It was a cool experience - a lot of fun," Tyler said of playing against his brother Parker. "You just kind of treat it like any other game though. Go out and play your game. I'll be able to look back and remember this night, so it was a cool experience."