Balanced Effort and Steady Kolosov Lift Phantoms Past Marlies, 3-2
AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Balanced Effort and Steady Kolosov Lift Phantoms Past Marlies, 3-2

Published on November 8, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Lehigh Valley Phantoms News Release


Allentown, PA - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms returned to PPL Center after more than two weeks away and picked up right where they left off, extending their winning streak to four games with a gritty 3-2 victory over the Toronto Marlies on Saturday night. Goals from Devin Kaplan, Lane Pederson, and Alexis Gendron, combined with a sharp 22-save performance from Aleksei Kolosov, powered Lehigh Valley to its best 12-game start since 2017-18 at 8-3-1.

Lehigh Valley generated early chances off the rush, including a shot that rattled off the mask of Marlies goaltender Joseph Woll, but Toronto struck first late in the opening period. With 1:58 left, Jacob Quillan created space behind the net and found Borya Valis alone in the slot for his sixth goal of the season to give the Marlies a 1-0 lead. Kolosov turned aside 13 shots in the frame, including several close-range stops, to keep the deficit to one.

From there, the Phantoms took over. Just 1:33 into the second, Devin Kaplan (3rd) unloaded a blast from the slot off a setup from Anthony Richard to tie the game 1-1. The PPL Center crowd came alive as the rookie's quick release and power jumpstarted Lehigh Valley's offense. "We weren't skating like we usually do in the first," said head coach John Snowden. "We did some good things, but I thought once we got our legs under us in the second period, we started stacking good shifts together, and the game turned in our favor."

That pressure carried through the period as Lehigh Valley tilted the ice in its favor. At 5:16, Lane Pederson (5th) capitalized on a rebound in front after Alex Bump's sharp-angle shot bounced off Woll's pad, giving the Phantoms their first lead of the night. It was Pederson's team-leading fifth goal of the season and continued a strong stretch of production for the veteran center, who now has six points over his last five contests.

Midway through the frame, the Phantoms earned a four-minute power play after Benoit-Olivier Groulx caught Richard high with his stick. Despite heavy pressure and multiple close calls-including a wide-open chance for Karsen Dorwart that was stopped by a sliding Toronto defender-the Marlies managed to kill it off. But the Phantoms refused to let up. With 3:51 left in the period, Alexis Gendron (2nd) used his blazing speed to beat a Toronto defender down the right wing and snapped a low shot past Woll to extend the lead to 3-1. Pederson earned the primary assist, while Christian Kyrou added the secondary-his second of the night.

Moments after the goal, Woll's night came to an end after allowing three goals on 24 shots, giving way to Vyacheslav Peska, who stopped the final two shots of the period. The Phantoms outshot Toronto 17-4 in the second and entered the intermission with a 3-1 lead and full control of the game.

Snowden praised the group's response to his first-intermission challenge. "I told them we had to start moving our feet," he said. "We talked about not just having good shifts but setting up the next line behind you. In the second, we extended some offensive zone time, forced them to defend, and transitioned quickly when we needed to. That's the kind of hockey that builds momentum."

The third period opened with more Phantoms pressure as they went to the power play just under two minutes in. Though they didn't score, the puck rarely left Toronto's end for nearly two minutes as Lehigh Valley peppered Peska with shots from all angles.

The Marlies finally pushed back in the closing minutes. At 13:44, Groulx buried a low shot from the slot after Alex Nylander chipped the puck from behind the net, cutting the Phantoms' lead to 3-2. The goal gave Toronto a spark, and shortly after, Pederson was called for hooking, giving the Marlies a power play and a golden chance to tie. But the Phantoms' penalty kill rose to the occasion, blocking lanes and clearing rebounds as Kolosov stood tall in net.

With 2:25 remaining, Toronto pulled Peska for the extra attacker and later used its timeout with 50 seconds left to set up one final push. The Phantoms defense-anchored by Kyrou, Helge Grans, and Garrett Wilson grinding along the boards-held firm. Kolosov made two final saves in the closing sequence to secure the 3-2 victory and his fourth win of the season.

The 23-year-old netminder has now stopped 92 of his last 98 shots (.939 SV%) and continues to look more comfortable each outing. Snowden credited his poise and the defensive group in front of him. "Our D were tight," he said. "They tracked hard, took space away, and made it really difficult for Toronto to get moving. We had a plan going in for how they like to generate offense, and the guys executed it really well."

Snowden also highlighted the continued emergence of Christian Kyrou, who now has seven points in his first four games with Lehigh Valley since being acquired from Dallas. "He's been a really nice addition," Snowden said. "He's so sure-handed with the puck. He makes the right play most of the time, moves it quickly, and gives our forwards confidence to push higher up the ice. He's made an immediate impact on both sides of the puck."

The Phantoms outshot Toronto 36-29 overall and improved to 3-1-0 on home ice. The victory keeps Lehigh Valley within striking distance of first place in the Atlantic Division.

"I think we're close to being a full team," Snowden reflected. "It's hard to play a perfect 60 minutes, but what's important is that we're trending in the right direction. The group is playing together, playing for each other, and we're learning how to win games like this."

The Phantoms continue their homestand next weekend with a Friday night matchup against the Springfield Thunderbirds followed by Phan Con Night on Saturday against the Hershey Bears at PPL Center.

Check out the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Statistics

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