The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (0-5-2) returned to the PPL Center Saturday night against the Syracuse Crunch (4-2-1), the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was the Phantoms third game in four days.
Earlier in the day, the Flyers reassigned goalie Kirill Ustimenko from the Reading Royals. He did not play; instead, Felix Sandstrom got the start.
The scratches for the game were Mason Millman, Linus Sandin, Brennan Saulnier, Samu Tuomaala, Sam Ersson, and Ryan MacKinnon.
In the first period, the Phantoms were aggressive, scrambling and hacking away at the puck. The Phantoms scored just two minutes and thirty-three seconds into the game when they were in front of the Crunch’s goalie jamming at the puck before Gerry Mayhew (3) finished the play with a goal to go up 1-0. The assists went to Garrett Wilson (2) and Morgan Frost (3). It was nice to see the aggressive play and the assertiveness they showed.
Late in the first period, a tripping call against Phantoms left-winger Garrett Wilson put the Crunch on the power play.
It took 24-seconds to tie the game 1-1 when Simon Ryfors (2) went in between two Phantoms players before losing control of the puck. Then, Charlie Hudon (3) followed through to score the goal. The game was tied 1-1 after the first period with the shots 12-10 Crunch.
In the second period, Maksim Sushko had a breakaway but missed the shot wide left. Then, at 5:09, Morgan Frost (1) went up the middle, crisscrossing the puck before shooting through Crunch goalie Amir Miftakhov’s legs, putting the Phantoms back up 2-1. Frost needed that goal after being out last season with a shoulder injury. The assists went to Garrett Wilson (3) and Gerry Mayhew (1).
Late in the second period, Phantoms defenseman Logan Day headed to the penalty box for boarding. Luckily, the Phantoms killed off the power play as time expired to lead 2-1 after two periods. The shots were 10-8 Phantoms.
In the third period, the Crunch tied the game 2-2 with 15:30 left when Gabriel Dumont (1) spun around and shot over the right shoulder of Felix Sandstrom. Charlie Hudon (3) and Sam Day (5) assisted Dumont’s goal.
At times, the Phantoms were weak with their sticks. This allowed Syracuse to win the battle in possession. Fatigue seemed to be a factor in the third period. The Phantoms also looked exhausted, checking Crunch players long enough to stall their drives. The game remained tied 2-2 in regulation and headed for overtime. The shots were 8-6 Crunch.
In overtime, Ryan Jones’s (2) shot hit the pad of Felix Sandstrom, and Jimmy Huntington’s (6) shot the puck while in the air for the game-winning goal. The Crunch defeated the Phantoms 3-2. The Phantoms remain winless on the season.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms goalie Felix Sandstrom made 28 of 31 saves. The Phantoms were 0-2 on the power play. However, the Phantoms penalty-killing unit allowed one goal as the Crunch were 1-4 on the power play.
The Phantoms next game will be on Wednesday, November 3rd, against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:05 pm from the PPL Center.
