After losing to the Charlotte Checkers (19-15-2) Saturday night, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (12-13-6-2) split the weekend series with a 5-2-win Sunday afternoon at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This is the sixth meeting between these two teams, with Charlotte leading the season series 4-1.
Pat Nagle got the start in goal, and the scratches for the game were Mason Millman, Brennan Saulnier (COVID protocol), Ryan MacKinnon, Tyson Foerster, Sam Ersson, Garrett Metcalf.
Forty-nine seconds into the first period, the Phantoms went on the power-play after Alexander True was called for hooking. The Phantoms took advantage when Cal O’Reilly (6) blasted the puck to the left circle for the power-play goal and a 1-0 lead. Adam Clendening (17) assisted O’Reilly’s goal.
After that goal, the Checkers got aggressive. Off the faceoff in the Phantoms zone, Max McCormick (8) got the puck and scored from the left circle that tied the game 1-1 with 16:25 left in the first period. Alexander True (12) and Kole Lind (11) assisted McCormick’s goal.
The Checkers were in control of the first period. After McCormick scored the goal, the Checkers were looking for more. With 13:20 left, the Checkers were able to get a quick setup for Nolan Kneen (1) to score his first goal of the season for a 2-1 lead with assists from Cole Schwindt (12) and Carsen Twarynski (10).
The Phantoms were having trouble controlling the puck, which led to several scoring chances for the Checkers. Pat Nagle made some great saves to keep the game 2-1 after the first period. The shots were 15-7 Checkers.
Then, the Phantoms started cooking. Linus Hogberg, Connor Bunnaman, Cooper Zech, and Logan Day had chances to tie the game. The Phantoms were creating shot opportunities.
With 9:12 left in the second period, Wyatte Wiley (4) made a nice pass to Connor Bunnaman (6) for a one-timer past the left pad of Billy Christopoulos that tied the game 2-2.
Before the Checkers got their first shot midway through the second period, the Phantoms had 17 shots, total domination.
With 6:23 left, Wyatte Wylie (5) shot the puck from the center point, only for Matt Strome (1) to deflect it into the net to take a 3-2 lead. Wily now had two assists in the game.
After that goal, the Checkers tried to get back into the game, only for Pat Nagle to deny them. The Phantoms led 3-2 after two periods with the shots 27-18 Phantoms. The second-period shots were 20-3 Phantoms.
In the third period, Matt Strome, Logan Day, and Isaac Ratcliffe had a chance to add to the lead. On the other side, Pat Nagle stopped every shot taken by the Checkers. The Checkers got more aggressive as time was winding down.
With 2:54 left, Wyatte Wylie (6) shot from the far point that was deflected by Hayden Hodgson (7) to the top shelf for a 4-2. Cal O’Reilly (17) earned the secondary assist while it was the third assist for Wiley.
The Checkers pulled Billy Christopoulos with 2:36 left in the game. The Phantoms sealed the game 5-2 after Connor Carrick couldn’t get control of the puck, and Hayden Hodgson (8), from long distance, scored the empty-net goal. The Phantoms won the game 5-2, splitting the weekend series in Charlotte.
The Phantoms finished the afternoon with 34 shots, 1/2 on the power-play, and Pat Nagle made 24 saves.
The Phantoms continue their five-game road on Friday, January 28th, against the Springfield Thunderbirds at 7:05 pm.
