For the first time since 2018, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (37-26-6) are headed to the Calder Cup playoffs with a comeback win over the Springfield Thunderbirds (36-25-8) on Saturday night at the PPL Center to conclude a two-game homestand.
This was the fourth meeting between these teams this year with the Phantoms leading the season series 2-1 coming into this game. It wasn’t easy, but the Phantoms showed persistence in this game.
Before the game started, the Phantoms made some small lineup changes. Artem Anisimov was banged up in Friday night’s game and sat out. Taking his place was Brendan Furry, who made his AHL debut.
In addition to Anisimov, Troy Grosenick, Adam Karashik, Egor Zamula, Mason Millman, Ryan Fitzgerald, Zayde Wisdom, Wyatte Wylie, and Hayden Hodgson were out for this game. Sam Ersson (24-14-2, 2.67 GAA, .905 SV%) started in goal with Nolan Maier backing him up.
Thirty-four seconds into the first period, Hugh McGing (20) made a backhand pass to Nikita Alexandrov (16) for an odd-man rush. Alexandrov fired the puck that bounced off of Ersson but Tyler Tucker (3) was there for the rebound and fired it under Ersson’s right pad and into the net for a 1-0 lead.
The Phantoms did not register a shot until seven minutes and two seconds in by Cooper Marody. Lehigh Valley’s coverage was not on point as Springfield had several odd-man rushing chances but Sam Ersson kept them in this game. Springfield had ten shots on goal in the period.
Midway through the first period, the Phantoms started to generate momentum. They had 14 shots on goal. Despite having more shots than Springfield, the Thunderbirds outplayed them in physicality, strength, and speed. Lehigh Valley trailed Springfield 1-0 after one period.
The Phantoms got off three shots in a minute and fourteen seconds of the second period. However, Springfield resumed their assault. The Thunderbirds had four straight shots before extending their lead. Will Bitten (21) stole the puck from Emil Andrae that started another odd-man rush. Then, Bitten passed the puck to Hugh McGing (15) and he zipped it through the five-hole of Ersson and into the net for a 2-0 lead with 15:46 left.
The Phantoms committed too many turnovers leading to several Springfield chances. This game could’ve been a blowout however Ersson continued to keep the Phantoms in the game. With under four minutes remaining in the period, the Phantoms finally got on the board.
Emil Andrae (4) made a stretch pass to Bobby Brink (15) and he made a gutsy pass in between two Thunderbirds players to Jordy Bellerive (8). Bellerive fired it through the five-hole and into the net. It was now 2-1 Thunderbirds with 3:53 left. The Phantoms had 13 shots and trailed the Thunderbirds 2-1 after two periods.
The PPL Center showed up-to-date scores and by this point, the Penguins were blowing out the Islanders 6-1 as they started the third period. There was a sense in the arena that Lehigh Valley would clinch a spot on Wednesday night in Bridgeport.
Two minutes and eleven seconds into the third period, Mikhail Abramov (9) scored for Springfield for a 3-1 lead. Forty-three seconds later, Austin Osmanski high-sticked Tyson Foerster, putting the Phantoms on their third power play of the game.
It took eight seconds for the Phantoms to cut the Thunderbirds’ lead. They won the faceoff inside the Thunderbirds’ zone. Adam Brooks (21) made a pass to Cooper Marody (24). Marody was hesitant in shooting it and passed it to Emil Andrae (2). Andrae fired the puck from the center point through the five-hole and into the net. It was now 3-2 Springfield with 16:50 left.
The crowd at the PPL Center was giving the Phantoms new energy, especially as the scoreboard showed the Penguins scored two more goals for an 8-1 lead over Bridgeport. Lehigh Valley did not let his opportunity slip away.
Later in the third period, Olle Lycksell (31) passed the puck to Adam Brooks (22) as they charged toward the Thunderbirds’ zone. Brooks slammed his brakes and passed the puck to Kevin Connauton (3) and he pelted the puck over the right pad of Garret Sparks and into the net. The game was tied 3-3 with 10:55 left. The crowd was on fire at this point in the game and the realization was starting to set in that this Phantoms could clinch a playoff spot.
By this point in the game, the Thunderbirds players were out of gas. While they had 12 shots in the third period, they had no answers against the Phantoms. Two minutes later, the crowd erupted when the Penguins beat the Islanders 8-2. The Phantoms players knew they had to act and try to win this game.
Late in the third period, Tyson Foerster (26) stole the puck inside the Thunderbirds’ zone. He passed the puck to Adam Brooks (23). Then, Brooks made his awesome spin-around pass to Olle Lycksell (13) and he fired the puck over the right pad of Garret Sparks for a 4-3 lead. The PPL Center was rocking but some fans were cautious.
With 2:17 left in the game, Springfield pulled Sparks for the extra attacker. They kept coming at Ersson but the Phantoms’ defense blocked every shot and got the puck away from their zone. The crowd started the countdown with ten seconds and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms beat the Thunderbirds by the final score of 4-3. This was a hard-fought win by the Phantoms.
With the win and both Bridgeport and Charlotte’s loss to Hershey, the Phantoms moved up to third place in the Atlantic Standings. In addition, Harford clinched the final playoff spot.
The Phantoms finished the night with 36 shots, 1-3 on the power play, and Sam Ersson was terrific with 33 saves. On the other side, the Thunderbirds had 36 shots, 0-3 on the power play, and Garret Sparks made 32 saves.
The Phantoms head to the Total Mortgage Arena for the final time of the season next Wednesday at 7 pm on AHL.TV. Tickets for the game are available on StubHub and Viagogo.
