The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (26-21-6) concluded the month of February on Sunday afternoon. They visited the Total Mortgage Arena against the Bridgeport Islanders (23-21-8) for the sixth time this year.
Before the game, the Phantoms received good news as both Sam Ersson and Elliot Desnoyers returned to the Phantoms. Both players played for the Flyers in New Jersey on Saturday night. They are eligible to return to Philadelphia on Wednesday against the Rangers.
Sam Ersson (16-10-2, 2.59 GAA, .910 SV%) started in goal with Nolan Maier as the backup, and Desnoyers was on the second line. The scratches for the game were Cal O’Reilly, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jordy Bellerive, Isaac Ratcliffe, Troy Grosenick, and Pat Nagle.
The Phantoms got off to a shaky start in the first period. They committed two penalties and had two chances on the power play to take the lead but could not score. Lehigh Valley had ten shots in the first period. The game remained scoreless after one period.
The action picked up in the second period which was dominated by Bridgeport. The Islanders took a 1-0 lead six minutes and forty-six seconds in when Paul LaDue’s (7) shot was tipped in by Cole Bardreau (12) through the five-hole and into the net. Robin Salo (6) got credit for the assist.
Later, Tyson Foerster went to the penalty box for tripping. Foerster went to the penalty box twice in the second period for tripping calls. It took eight seconds for the Islanders to extend their lead. Bridgeport won the faceoff inside the Phantoms’ zone. Dennis Cholowski (26) made a pass to William Dufour (19) and he rifled it from the left circle through the five-hole and into the net. It was now 2-0 Islanders with 7:20 left. Andy Andreoff (21) picked up the secondary assist on Cholowski’s goal.
Less than a minute later, Garrett Wilson shoved Ruslan Iskhakov (13) down on the ice and Iskhakov was awarded a penalty shot. In a highlight reel, Iskhakov put the puck between his legs and flicked it over Ersson’s right shoulder and into the net. It was now 3-0 with 6:40 left.
While the Phantoms were executing shots, they were missing the target. They had trouble getting traffic in front of the net. Bridgeport’s defense created problems for the Phantoms using their sticks to disrupt plays.
Late in the second period, momentum started to shift in favor of the Phantoms during the Islanders’ power play. Max Willman had a breakaway opportunity that was denied by Cory Schneider. Willman stayed with the play as the puck went to the left corner and three Islanders players fought him for the puck. Then, Willman (11) made a terrific backhand pass to a charging Adam Brooks (6) and he zipped the puck through the five-hole and into the net for a shorthanded goal. It was now 3-1 Islanders with 2:52 left and Jackson Cates (11) got credit for the secondary assists.
The Phantoms had two more shots before the second period ended. The Islanders led 3-1 after two periods but the Phantoms led shots 25-18. Lehigh Valley had 15 shots in the second period.
The Phantoms made it a one-goal game three minutes and eight seconds into the third period. Garrett Wilson (17) made a pass to Adam Ginning (3) and he weaved around William Dufour from the right circle before finding an opening and ripping the shot through the five-hole and into the net. It was now 3-2 Islanders with 16:52 left and Elliot Desnoyers (18) earned the secondary assists.
Lehigh Valley pushed into the Islanders’ zone six minutes and forty seconds later. Kevin Connauton (6) led the charge with Garrett Wilson (10) next to him. They got to Cory Schneider and there was a mad scramble for the puck before Wilson made a backhand shot over Schneider’s left pad and into the net. However, the goal was waved off but the officials went to the video replay and overturned the call. The game was now tied 3-3 with 10:12 left and the secondary assist went to Hayden Hodgson (5).
With the game tied, both teams aggressively tried their best to win. With 4:27 left, the Phantoms took the lead. Tyson Foerster (18) had the puck upon entering the Islanders’ zone. He made a pass to Ronnie Attard (16). Attard took a shot that went off of Schneider’s right pad but Artem Anisimov (14) was there for the rebound and pushed the puck into the net. It was now 4-3 Phantoms.
Late in the third period, the Islanders pulled Cory Schneider for an extra attacker. The Phantoms stood tall in the end and came away with a 4-3 win. The win snapped the Phantoms’ three-game winless streak.
The Phantoms showed a lot of grit after not getting off to a good early in the game. The team did not give up and the players ended the weekend with a win in the column. In addition, the Phantoms are now tied for fourth place with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Lehigh Valley finished the evening with 41 shots, 0/4 on the power play, and Sam Ersson made 21 saves. On the other side, the Islanders had 25 shots, 1/4 on the power play, and Cory Schneider made 37 saves. The Phantoms go 6-6 in February.
The Phantoms have one more road game to conclude a four-game road trip on Friday. They take on the Syracuse Crunch from the Upstate Medical University Arena at 7 pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased on StubHub.
