AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Phantoms Down Top Team in AHL, 3-1 at Wilkes-Barre

Published on December 4, 2015 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Lehigh Valley Phantoms News Release


Lehigh Valley Phantoms Take a Shot at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Goal
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Take a Shot at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Goal
(Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Credit: JustSports Photography)

Wilkes-Barre, PA - Buying into head coach Scott Gordon's pregame challenge to compete with the top team in the league, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms responded with grit and determination in a 3-1 victory at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night. In the process, the Phantoms pinned the first home-loss of the season for Wilkes-Barre ending their franchise-record ten-game home win streak. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, who had won 15 of their last 16 games, fell to an overall record of 16-3-0. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, with their third win in their last four, evened their overall mark back to the .500 mark at 11-11-1.

Just like Lehigh Valley's road-trip opening win at Utica on Wednesday, it was the Anthony Stolarz show yet again. The 21-year-old netminder was perhaps a smidge better than his spectacular game on Wednesday as he turned aside 35 of 36 shots. He maybe wasn't required to make quite as many jaw-dropping saves in the course of the game. But he received a heavier overall load of shots that came from a team with some of the deepest offensive scoring punch of any in the AHL. Incredibly, the Friday evening performance may have been even more challenging than his scintillating and sensational evening in Utica on Wednesday. Stolarz was deservedly the #1 Star of the Game for the second contest in a row.

The battle was the second of the year between the Pennsylvania rivals who will face each other 10 more times in 2015-16 including three more engagements in the month of December alone. The Penguins will surely have plenty of motivation for their rematch opportunities in their debut appearances at PPL Center on Friday, December 11 and Wednesday, December 16.

Getting geared up and motivated for an opportunity to take down the top team in the league was not difficult for the visiting Phantoms.

"We took it as a challenge for the team," Taylor Leier said of going toe-to-toe with a dominatingly successful Penguins contingent. "Coach (Gordon) kind of challenged us before the game, 'This is our biggest game of the season....' even though we're only 22 games into the season. I think the guys were excited before the game. (Gordon's talk) kind of gave us a little jump. We played pretty well to start the game and we kind of just rolled with it."

The Phantoms trailed 1-0 after one highly competitive first period. Then as the play got chippier in the second, Lehigh Valley's offense was able to find their stride pumping in a pair of goals past another young goaltender talent, Matt Murray. Aaron Palushaj's breakaway strike on the power play and then Mark Alt's first of the season provided the Phantoms to a 2-1 advantage. It stayed a one-goal game for the rest of the way until Taylor Leier's empty-net strike sailed down the length of the ice with 21 seconds remaining to seal the exciting victory.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took the early advantage with a goal at 2:58 pumped in by Conor Sheary on a goal-mouth scramble after the Phantoms were unable to clear the zone early. Scott Wilson and Kael Mouillerat assisted on the tally and the Penguins carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Mike Sullivan's crew were previously 11-0 when scoring the first goal but the Phantoms were out to change some of the Penguins' dominating trends in this contest.

The disadvantage at the opening break could have been worse as the Penguins were offered consecutive power plays later in the first. But the Penguins were unable to build on their 1-0 lead due to some big saves by Stolarz, big blocks by the defense, and a little help from lady luck in the form of a shot off the far iron by Jean-Sebastian Dea cranking up a quality blast from the left circle.

In the second period, the Phantoms received their first power play opportunity of the night. Anthony Stolarz stopped a shorthanded drive and handed off the puck to Andrew MacDonald whose long stretch pass was perfectly on the tape for Palushaj who did a nifty forehand to backhand move thus opening Murray's five-hole providing the breakaway conversion. The assist credited to Stolarz was his first point of the season.

Four minutes later, at almost the midway mark of the game, Tim Brent in the left corner spotted an open Mark Alt across the ice and connect with the third-year defenseman who took one stride forward and wristed home his first tally of the season from just inside the right dot.

"Timmy Brent was taking it wide and I knew he looked at me," Alt said. "So I kept saying and he threw it to the middle. It was a perfect pass right on my tape and I just let 'er fly."

While the Phantoms offense was making the most of their opportunities, it was Stolarz on the other end who was providing the foundation the team needed. "Stolie the Goalie" turned aside all 16 shots he faced in the middle frame.

The third period was like a slow-motion grind to the finish line against an even more motivated Penguins team determined to keep their perfect home-ice record intact. And the Phantoms found their backs to the wall even more when Davis Drewiske's attempt to clear the zone took an unfortunate roll off his stick and sailed into the crowd for a Delay of Game penalty. But the penalty kill continued to push forth with their recent success and in the 4-on-6 situation were able to limit Wilkes-Barre's opportunities eventually leading to Leier's long game-sealing empty-net strike with 20.8 seconds showing on the clock. It was the team's fourth shorthanded goal of the season and his second.

"The penalty kill was really important for our team," Leier said. "And we scored on the power play too. Our special teams were really good tonight."

But the Anthony Stolarz performance was still the headline grabber of the evening and Leier nicely summed up the play of the big netminder as well.

"Stolarz is the main key to our penalty kill," Leier said. " I persoanlly haven't seen him play as good as he's playing right now."

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton out shot the Phantoms 36-22. The Phantoms were 1-for-3 on the power play while holding the potent Penguins power play producers to 0-for-6 including the empty-net shorthanded strike by Leier AGAINST the Wilkes-Barre man-advantage.

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms conclude their three-game road swing on Saturday night at Hershey which will be the 200th meeting all-time between the Phantoms and Bears in the 20-year history of their rivalry series. All the action can be heard both nights beginning with the Countdown to Faceoff at 6:20 on 1470-AM, FOX1470.com and the iHeartRadio app.

The Phantoms return to PPL Center for their longest homestand of the year which opens on Wednesday, December 9th against Hershey. The stretch of five consecutive Allentown contests continues on Friday, December 11th against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a T-Shirt giveaway, Ugly Holiday Sweater Style. On Saturday, December 12th against the Springfield Falcons it's the Phantoms annual Teddy Bear Toss plus a post-game skate with the players for fans who bring their skates to the game.

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance via PPLCenter.com or by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499) or in person at the Mealey's Furniture Box Office at PPL Center located at the corner of Seventh and Hamilton.

Check out the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Statistics

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Images from this story

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Keeps Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Bay
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Keeps Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Bay
(JustSports Photography)		 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Defends against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Defends against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
(JustSports Photography)		 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Take a Shot at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Goal
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Take a Shot at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Goal
(JustSports Photography)



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