The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (12-9-3) returned to the PPL Center on Saturday night against the Providence Bruins (16-4-6) on Teddy Bear Toss night. This is an annual event every year where after the first Phantoms goal, fans throw teddy bears out onto the ice. This was the Phantoms’ second of three straight games. The Phantoms are 3-0 against the Bruins this year.
Earlier on Saturday, Kieffer Bellows was recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers. He was in the Flyers lineup replacing Kevin Hayes. Taking Bellows’s place was Ryan Fitzgerald. It was his first game since November 26th. Nolan Maier got the start in goal and the scratches for the Phantoms were Troy Grosenick, Adam Karashik, Linus Hogberg, and Isaac Ratcliffe.
In the first period, the Bruins had five shots in the first eleven minutes of the game. Then, they had no more shots for the rest of the first period. Meanwhile, the Phantoms came close several times to scoring a goal.
Cal O’Reilly set up Ryan Fitzgerald for a shot but Brandon Bussi stopped it. Next, Garrett Wilson came close to putting the Phantoms up. Once again, Brandon Bussi stopped his shot. On the other side, Nolan Maier made a great diving save midway through the first period. After 20 minutes of play, the game was scoreless. Neither team committed a penalty and the Phantoms led the shots 9-5.
In the second period, Adam Ginning drew Bussi away from his net before making a cross-ice pass to Elliot Desnoyers. However, Desnoyers could not get the shot off. Later, Tyson Foerster had a breakaway opportunity but Brandon Bussi got a piece of the puck to knock it away. They came close several times to taking the lead.
Finally, the Phantoms got on the board. Off the faceoff inside the Bruins’ zone, Garrett Wilson quickly passed the puck to Adam Ginning (5). Next, Ginning fired the puck that hit Desnoyers (5) back, redirecting the puck toward Cooper Marody (2). Then, Marody tipped it in through the five-hole and into the net. The Phantoms led 1-0 with 5:19 left.
Shortly after the goal, fans began to cover the ice with teddy bears. It was terrific to see everyone out there, including the players helping to collect the bears. It took nearly 30 minutes to clear the ice before play resumed.
Once play resumed, the Phantoms had six more chances to extend their lead but Bussi stopped them. The Phantoms led 1-0 after two periods and dominated the shots 23-9.
In the third period, Ronnie Attard came close twice to extending the Phantoms’ lead. The Phantoms had six shots in the first four minutes of the third period. Then, the Bruins started to gain momentum. For four minutes, they had four chances to tie the game but Nolan Maier made several good saves.
Two minutes later, the Bruins tied the game. The Phantoms’ coverage broke down as Joona Koppanen (11) made a long pass to Joey Abate (2). Abate had a breakaway opportunity and capitalized when he put the puck past Maier’s left skate and into the net. The score was 1-1 with 9:54 left.
Late in the game, Marc McLaughlin tripped Egor Zamula and he went to the penalty box. It was the first penalty of the game. However, the Phantoms only got off one shot and were 0/1. With a minute left, Tyson Foerster stole the puck but couldn’t get the shot off after Brandon Bussi was on his belly and Foerster kept the puck. The game remained tied 1-1 heading into overtime.
Fifty-two seconds into overtime, Vinni Lettieri (11) aggressively stole the puck away from Egor Zamula. He had a breakaway chance and shot it over Maier’s glove and into the net for the game-winning goal. The Bruins beat the Phantoms 2-1 in overtime. It was their first win against Lehigh Valley this year.
The Phantoms played a well-disciplined game. They were hustling toward the puck, breaking up plays, hitting, and winning puck battles. This game was an even matchup despite the Phantoms dominating the shots 35-19. Even though the Phantoms lost, they won in the end as many kids will get new teddy bears for Christmas.
The Phantoms finished the night with 35 shots, 0/1 on the power play, and Nolan Maier made 17 saves. On the other side, the Bruins had 19 shots, no power plays, and Brandon Bussi made 34 saves.
The Phantoms conclude the three-game weekend today at 5 pm at the Hershey Bears. Tickets for the game can be purchased on StubHub.
