Brooks is on a Tear
March 27, 2024
Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (27-26-8) take to the road for three straight games beginning with a Friday visit to Syracuse, NY to the North Division-leading Crunch and a Saturday rivalry rematch in northeast Pennsylvania against the Penguins.
Lehigh Valley occupies the last playoff spot in the Atlantic Division with a one-point advantage on the Springfield Thunderbirds while also holding one game-in-hand.
There are 11 games remaining in the regular season.
LAST WEEK
March 20 – Phantoms 3 – Springfield Thunderbirds 1
March 23 – Bridgeport Islanders 2 – Phantoms 1
March 24 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 3 – Phantoms 1
THIS WEEK
Friday, March 29 (7:05) – Phantoms at Syracuse Crunch
Saturday, March 30 (6:05) – Phantoms at W-B/Scranton Penguins
Tuesday, April 2 (7:00) – Phantoms at Hershey Bears
WEEKLY RECAP
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Phantoms 3 – Thunderbirds 1
The Phantoms did it again! The team’s league-leading eighth comeback rally in the third period came in an important game with playoff implications as the Phantoms distanced themselves from Sprnigfield for the last playoff spot. Trailing 1-0 at the second intermission, Adam Brooks started the comeback with his power-play strike and then Evan Polei converted on the game-winner with 8:11 left on a give-and-go with Elliot Desnoyers. Tanner Laczynski capped a multi-point effort with an empty-net goal at the end. Cal Petersen had 23 saves including a dazzler on a Springfield odd-man rush in the third to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Islanders 2 – Phantoms 1
Adam Brooks kept his goal-streak and point-streak going but, unfortunately, that was the only goal the Phantoms would get against Ken Appleby who turned in a 24-save performance in holding off the Phantoms on Margaritaville Night at PPL Center. Ruslan Ishakov scored the winner in the second period to break the 1-1 tie just a few minutes after Brooks had tied it for Lehigh Valley.
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Penguins 3 – Phantoms 1
Adam Brooks struck yet again but the Penguins broke a 1-1 deadlock in the third period with a pair of goals including the winner in the opening minute of the frame by veteran defenseman Xavier Ouellet as the Baby Pens emerged with a 3-1 triumph in Allentown. Joel Blomqvist outdueled Parker Gahagen in the goaltending matchup on Kids Takeover Day with the Phantoms.
TRANSACTIONS
Mar 21 – Delete Darren Brady (D) – Loaned to Reading from LV
Mar 22 – Add Hunter McDonald (D) – Signed to PTO
PLAYOFF FEVER
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have pushed ahead of the Springfield Thunderbirds for the last playoff spot in the Atlantic Division with just 11 games remaining.
Lehigh Valley’s Magic Number to clinch a playoff spot is at 20 points.
The top six teams in the Atlantic qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The first round is a Best of 3 series and right now would see the Phantoms take on the rival Charlotte Checkers in a 6 vs. 3 matchup in late April but the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are only one point behind Charlotte for the 3 spot.
Lehigh Valley’s second-round matchup would be against first-place Hershey in a Best of 5 series.
BROOKS IS COOKING
Adam Brooks is on a four-game goal streak and five-game point streak. Both streaks are the longest of his career and his goal streak is the longest for any Phantoms player this season. The 27-year-old from Winnipeg has averaged two points per game over the course of his point streak scoring 5-5-10 in his last five games. From March 15 through March 20 he had a hand in eight consecutive Phantoms goals with either a point or an assist which included a Lehigh Valley record-tying five-point game on March 16 at the Providence Bruins.
PETEY PERFORMS
Cal Petersen has been tremendous since his return to the Phantoms on February 29 from the Philadelphia Flyers. The 29-year-old veteran goaltender has a 1.99 GAA since March 1 in eight starts. Petersen has gone 3-4-1 with a .911 save percentage in that stretch.
TOPS IN THE LEAGUE
AHL Scoring Leaders from March 15 through March 26
Adam Brooks, LV, 5-5-10
Tanner Laczynski, LV, 5-4-9
Aatu Raty, Abbotsford, 3-6-9
AHL Power Play Assists
2nd (Tied) – Cooper Marody, 19
AHL Power Play Points
3rd – Cooper Marody, 24
AHL Rookie Scoring
10th (Tied) Samu Tuomaala, 14-27-41
AHL Rookie Power-Play Points
2nd (Tied) Samu Tuomaala, 7-13-20
AHL Rookie Power-Play Assists
2nd Emil Andrae, 15 (also 1st among defensemen)
PHANTASTIC!
The Phantoms record when:
– Score 4 or more goals: 18-0-2
– Allow 3 or fewer goals: 18-6-3
– Lead After 1st period: 7-1-2
– Lead After 2nd period: 13-2-1
– One-Goal Games: 18-7-8
– Overtime: 6-5 / Shootout: 4-3
UPCOMING
Friday, March 29, 2024 (7:05)
Oncenter War Memorial, Syracuse, NY
Phantoms at Syracuse Crunch
Syracuse (36-20-6) has moved into sole possession of first-place in the North Division past slumping Cleveland. The AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning won at PPL Center 2-1 on February 17 on Cole Koepke’s tie-breaking strike in the third period while goaltender Hugo Alnefelt racked up 25 saves in holding off Lehigh Valley’s comeback efforts.
The OnCenter War Memorial has not been a kind host to the Phantoms. Lehigh Valley is 0-8 all-time at Syracuse. The last time the Phantoms’ franchise won there was April 16, 2014 when the former Adirondack Phantoms recorded the last away win in team history with a 5-4 marathon shootout verdict in central New York on Ben Holmstrom’s winner in the ninth round.
Gage Goncalves (10-40-50) is 4th in the AHL in assists. Felix Robert (13-19-32) is in his second season with the Crunch following two years with W-B/Scranton. Hugo Alnefelt (14-7-4, 2.39, .906) has found his form and is seventh in the AHL and fourth in the conference in goals-against average.
Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere has been long-time friends with Syracuse coach Joel Bouchard since they were little kids growing up in the Montreal area.
Saturday, March 30, 2024 (6:05)
Mohegan Sun Arean, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Phantoms vs. W-B/Scranton Penguins
W-B/Scranton (32-22-9) has moved back into the third-place position in the Atlantic Division to again align in a potential playoff matchup against the Phantoms. The third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and sixth-place Lehigh Valley Phantoms would currently meet in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs as the stands are currently situated. Defenseman Ty Smith (9-28-37) leads the Baby Pens in scoring and stayed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton even after he was traded by Pittsburgh to Carolina (who loaned him back to the team he was already playing for). Vasily Ponomarev is a former Carolina second-rounder who also arrived to W-B/Scranton in the Jake Guentzel deal at the deadline. Second-rounder Joel Blomqvist (21-10-6, 2.13, .920) continues to thrive in his rookie season and is third in the AHL in GAA. Against the Phantoms, Blomqvist has gone 4-1-2, 2.14, .926 including his first career shutout the last time the Phantoms visited on March 13.
The Phantoms are 4-5-0 against the Penguins this season entering Game 10 out of 12 in the season series. The away team has won in seven of the nine matchups so far. Lehigh Valley is 3-1-0 at Wilkes-Barre while the Penguins have one 4-0-1 in Allentown.
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Cooper Marody 15-32-47
Samu Tuomaala 14-27-41
x – Olle Lycksell 19-19-38
Tanner Laczynski 13-22-35
Emil Andrae 4-26-30
x – Ronnie Attard 10-15-25
Phantoms Tickets are available HERE
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, March 29 (7:00) at Syracuse Crunch
Saturday, March 30 (6:05) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Tuesday, April 2 (7:00) at Hershey Bears
Friday, April 5 (7:05) vs. Providence Bruins – Berks $1 Hot Dog Night
Saturday, April 6 (7:05) vs. Cleveland Monsters – Star Wars Night
