April 23, 2024
Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (32-31-9) are ready for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Phantoms concluded the regular season on a high note with a 4-1 victory over the Charlotte Checkers and now the best is yet to come! A postseason showdown with the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Best of 3 series begins on Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre.
Playoff excitement officially returns to PPL Center on Friday for Game 2 of the series.
LAST WEEK
April 12 – Phantoms 3 – Bridgeport Islanders 0
April 20 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2 – Phantoms 0
April 21 – Phantoms 4 – Charlotte Checkers 1
THE WEEK AHEAD
Game 1 – Wednesday, April 24 (7:05) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Game 2 – Friday, April 26 (7:05) – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Game 3 – Sunday, April 28 (5:05) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
WEEKLY RECAP
Friday, April 19
Phantoms 3 – Bridgeport Islanders 0
Can you say “CLINCH!”?!?!
Cal Petersen backstopped the Phantoms into the Playoffs with his 23-save shutout at the Bridgeport Islanders while Elliot Desnoyers, Adam Brooks and Bobby Brink scored for Lehigh Valley who officially punched their ticket to the postseason on Friday night in Bridgeport.
Saturday, April 20
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2 – Phantoms 0
Most of the regulars and veterans got a day off thus affording Ian Laperriere an opportunity to look at some of his depth players who competed and hung in there against primarily the top team for the Baby Pens. Ludovic Waeber slammed the door on the Phantoms with a 20-save performance. Tyler Gratton and Jacques Bouquot made their AHL debuts and goaltender Alexei Kolosov had 22 saves on 24 shots in a strong performance in just his second pro game in North America.
Sunday, April 21
Phantoms 4 – Charlotte Checkers 1
The Phantoms wrapped up the season on a high note via a 4-1 victory over the Charlotte Checkers on “Our Valley, Our Home” Day at PPL Center. The power play came alive with a pair of conversions while Tanner Laczynski (17th), Zayde Wisdom (2nd), Cooper Marody (19th) and Elliot Desnoyers (6th) all found the back of the net in the season-concluding win that pushed Lehigh Valley’s final record above .500
Felix Sandstrom’s chance for a shutout was broken with barely more than four minutes remaining.
PLAYOFF FEVER
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are IN! The Best of 3 series starts on Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre efore Playoff Hockey returns to PPL Center on Friday night with Game 2 of the Best of 3 series.
The Phantoms have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in back-to-back seasons and also made it for the fourth time in the last six years in which the playoffs have been held since 2017. But, last year, the Phantoms didn’t get to host a playoff game due to geographical rules from the American Hockey League for the first-round series. All three games last year were at the Charlotte Checkers.
The Phantoms are participating in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the 14th time in franchise history which includes two Calder Cup Championships for the Philadelphia Phantoms in 1998 and 2005 prior to the team’s arrival in Allentown in 2014.
This is the first time that Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton have squared off in the postseason.
The former Philadelphia Phantoms played the Penguins in the playoffs four times and the Phantoms defeated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4 games to 1 in Round 2 of the 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs on their way to an eventual Calder Cup Championship.
REINFORCEMENTS
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have a beefed-up roster entering the Calder Cup Playoffs after the Philadelphia Flyers loaned forwards Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell and defensemen Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Brink, 22, has played in 57 games with Philadelphia this season scoring 11-12-23 and also 13 games with Lehigh Valley scoring 7-6-13.
Lycksell, 24, is tops on the Phantoms in goals having scored 19-20-39 in 38 games with Lehigh Valley this season. He has also played 18 games with the Flyers scoring 1-4-5 including his first career NHL goal on April 6 at Columbus.
Attard, 25, has scored 10-17-27 in 48 games with the Phantoms and also 0-2-2 in 12 games with Philadelphia.
Ginning, 24, has played in 58 games with the Phantoms this season scoring 2-11-13 and nine games with the Flyers in a stint that included his first NHL goal on April 6 at Columbus.
TEAM AND LEAGUE LEADERS
Garrett Wilson accumulated 216 penalty minutes to finish with the most in the AHL for a second consecutive season. He became the first AHL player in eight years to rack up over 200 PIM in a season since Stu Bickell with San Diego in 2015-16.
J-R Avon had five shootout goals to tie for the AHL lead with Trey Fix-Wolanski of Cleveland
Emil Andrae has 15 power-play assists which was first among AHL rookie defensemen and second among AHL rookies overall trailing only Brennan Othmann of Hartford who has 17.
Cooper Marody and Olle Lycksell tied for the team lead with 19 goals apiece.
Marody had 37 helpers on the year giving him the team-crown in that department over Samu Tuomaala who has 28.
Marody also had 56 points this season besting Tanner Laczynski who was next with 44 points in just 49 games.
PHANTASTIC!
The Phantoms record when:
– Score 4 or more goals: 21-0-2
– Allow 2 or fewer goals: 19-6-1
– Lead After 1st period: 10-1-3
– Lead After 2nd period: 17-3-1
– One-Goal Games: 19-8-9
– Overtime: 8-6 / Shootout: 4-3