Weekly Wrap-Up - Atlantic Division (Week 13)
A look back at the final week of 2017 in the Atlantic Division.
Providence Bruins
Record Last Week: 2-0-1
Wednesday night in Utica, the Bruins came from behind to tie the game late in the third period and eventually got the 5-4 victory in a three-round shootout. Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Adam Payerl, Justin Hickman, and Matt Beleskey accounted for Providence’s goals in regulation. In the shootout, Kenny Agostino provided the lone goal as Zane McIntyre, who had 26 saves in 64:47, preserved the victory by turning away all three of Utica’s attempts.
On Friday night, the Bruins notched a goal in each period en route to a 3-1 victory over the Comets. Connor Clifton, Austin Czarnik, and Anton Blidh each scored goals for the Bruins. Jordan Binnington made 21 saves on 22 shots.
On Saturday night in Belleville, the Senators handed the Bruins their lone set-back of the week, 3-2 in OT. Chris Breen and Blidh each scored goals in regulation, but Erik Burgdoerfer got the game-winner past McIntyre 69 seconds into the extra frame. McIntyre made 29 saves.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Record Last Week: 2-1-0
The Phantoms started off the week with a 5-4 victory on the road against in-state rival, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. T.J. Brennan, Mike Vecchione, Tyrell Goulbourne, Chris Conner, and Phil Varone all notched goals for the Phantoms. Meanwhile, Dustin Tokarski stopped 32 of the 36 shots he faced in the contest.
On Friday night in Allentown, the surging Phantoms jumped on the board early and held off the Charlotte Checkers down the stretch for a 3-1 victory. Greg Carey scored the game’s first goal and then assisted on goals by Oskar Lindblom and Brennan to help propel the Phantoms to victory. Alex Lyon’s shutout bid fell just short as the netminder made 28 saves on 29 shots.
In their final game of 2017, the Checkers exacted revenge, as the Phantoms fell 5-2 in Allentown. Will O’Neill put the Phantoms up in the first period, but three straight Charlotte goals through the second and third periods sealed the deal. Lindblom added his second tally of the week with just under two minutes to play, but they were unable to tie the game. Lyon made 39 saves on 43 shots.
Charlotte Checkers
Record Last Week: 1-2-0
Charlotte’s week in the north got off to a very rocky start with a 6-2 loss to the Binghamton Devils. Valentin Zykov and Roland McKeown provided Charlotte’s goals. Alex Nedeljkovic made 13 saves on 19 shots in the loss for the Checkers.
On Friday night in Allentown, the Charlotte Checkers fell 3-1 to the Phantoms. Warren Foegele put Charlotte on the board, but that goal only came midway through the third period after Lehigh Valley had already posted three goals. Jeremy Smith made 25 saves on 28 shots in the loss for Charlotte.
The Checkers flipped the script Saturday night with a 5-2 victory over the Phantoms. After a first period tally from Lehigh Valley, Nicholas Roy and Aleksi Saarela each added goals in the second. Then Foegele added a tally late in the third period. Another Phantom goal would make things interesting, but Andrew Poturalski notched an empty net goal and Patrick Brown added a tally with 38 seconds left for the victory. Nedeljkovic made 26 saves on 28 shots.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Record Last Week: 2-1-0
The Penguins week got off to a rough start as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms arrived in town and departed with a 5-4 victory over the Penguins. Colin Smith and Gage Quinney each scored a goal to tie the game midway through the second period, but the Phantoms responded with a pair of goals to regain the lead. Garrett Wilson’s goal later in the second pulled the Penguins to within a goal, but the Phantoms tallied an empty net goal for the game-winner. Adam Johnson added the game’s final tally with just 12 seconds left. Casey DeSmith, who has since been recalled to Pittsburgh, made 30 saves in the loss.
But the Penguins found their mojo Friday night when Hartford came to town. Daniel Sprong’s hat-trick helped propel Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a 5-1 victory. Collin Smith and Zach Aston-Reese each added goals in the romp. Anthony Peters came up one save shy of a shutout with 27 saves on 29 shots.
A depleted Penguins team arrived in snowy Hershey Saturday and emerged with a 2-1 victory in OT thanks to Derek Simon’s fourth goal of the season. Aston-Reese put the Penguins on the board first in the second period before Hershey tied it in the third. Peters earned the victory with a 20-save performance.
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Record Last Week: 2-0-0
On Wednesday night in Bridgeport, the Sound Tigers erased an early Hershey lead and cruised to a 3-1 victory over the Bears. Scott Eansor, Michael Dal Colle, and Tanner Fritz each scored for the Sound Tigers. Christopher Gibson stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced. Ryan Bourque, hero for Bridgeport last time out against the Bears, was held off the scoresheet.
The Sound Tigers thumped the visiting Binghamton Devils 5-0 to end 2017 in style. Josh Ho-Sang, Kyle Schempp, Bourque, Fritz, and Travis St. Denis all recorded goals for Bridgeport. Gibson earned the shutout with a 19-save performance
Hershey Bears
Record Last Week: 1-1-1
The Hershey Bears got on the board first in Bridgeport thanks to a Liam O’Brien tally, but the Bears were unable to secure the victory as the Sound Tigers added two first-period goals and a second-period tally to emerge with a 3-1 victory. Vitek Vanecek suffered the loss in net with 17 saves on 20 shots. Chris Bourque, who notched a pair of goals against his brother’s Sound Tigers in Hershey earlier this season, had the lone assist on O’Brien’s goal.
Despite an early goal from Springfield on Friday night, the Hershey Bears mounted a come-back and emerged with a 4-2 victory over the Thunderbirds in Springfield. Travis Boyd, Wayne Simpson, Mathias Bau, and Riley Barber all scored in Hershey’s victory. Nathan Walker, who is back with the Bears after a short stint in Edmonton, recorded his first AHL point of the season, an assist on Barber’s goal. Pheonix Copley earned the victory with 26 saves on 28 shots.
The Bears closed out a forgettable 2017 with a 2-1 loss in overtime to in-state rival, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Tyler Graovac tied the game early in the third and the Bears were denied by the post down the stretch. Vanecek all but stood on his head in net for the Bears, making 36 saves on 38 shots.
Hartford Wolf Pack
Record Last Week: 0-2-0
On Friday night, the Wolf Pack fell 5-1 in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Joe Whitney scored late in the first to tie the game, but Hartford was unable to light the lamp again. Marek Mazanec made 22 saves in the loss for Hartford.
Saturday night, the Springfield Thunderbirds dealt the Pack their second loss of the week, 5-4. Eric Selleck, Scott Kosmachuk, Whitney, and Neal Pionk each scored goals for Hartford. Alexandar Georgiev suffered the loss in net with 24 saves on 29 shots.
Springfield Thunderbirds
Record Last Week: 1-1-0
The Thunderbirds got on the board first Friday at home, but the visiting Hershey Bears responded and dealt the Thunderbirds a 4-2 loss. Maxim Mamin and Jayce Hawryluk each scored in the first period, but the Bears poured it on down the stretch for the victory. Samuel Montembeault made 18 saves on 22 shots between the pipes for Springfield.
Saturday night, the Thunderbirds earned a 5-4 victory in Hartford. Bobby Farnham recorded a pair of goals while teammates Mamin, Juho Lammikko, and Josh Brown each scored with Brown’s goal, his first of the season, coming with just 5 seconds left in regulation. Montembeault recorded a whopping 44 saves on 48 shots.
Atlantic Division Standings as of January 1st, 2018:
Providence: 32 GP, 21-8-3-0, 45 points, .703 pct Lehigh Valley: 35 GP, 21-10-2-2, 46 points, .657 pct Charlotte: 34 GP, 21-12-0-1, 43 points, .632 pct W-B/Scranton: 31 GP, 18-10-2-1, 39 points, .629 pct Bridgeport: 31 GP, 16-12-2-1, 35 points, .565 pct Hershey: 35 GP, 15-16-1-3, 34 points, .486 pct Hartford: 34 GP, 13-15-3-3, 32 points, .471 pct Springfield: 35 GP, 14-19-1-1, 30 points, .429 pct
This Week’s Atlantic Division Schedule:
Wednesday, January 3
Bridgeport at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - 7:05 PM
Friday, January 5
Lehigh Valley at Toronto - 7:00 PM Hartford at Providence - 7:05 PM Bridgeport at Rochester - 7:05 PM Springfield at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - 7:05 PM
Saturday, January 6
Bridgeport at Toronto- 4:00 PM Charlotte at Hershey - 7:00 PM Syracuse at Hartford - 7:00 PM Providence at Springfield - 7:05 PM Lehigh Valley at Rochester- 7:05 PM Belleville at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - 7:05 PM
Sunday, January 7
Syracuse at Providence - 3:05 PM Charlotte at Hershey - 5:00 PM Utica at Hartford - 5:00 PM
