Shootout Win, Teddy Bears and Postgame Skate All on Same Night
December 12, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Lehigh Valley Phantoms News Release
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Corral Teddy Bears on the Ice
(Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Credit: JustSports Photography)
Lehigh Valley, PA - It was a Saturday night that had a little bit of everything...and then some. Andrew MacDonald opened the scoring with the 2015 Teddy Bear Goal and then the game settled into an intense back-and-forth battle eventually concluding with a 5-4 shootout win for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms over the visiting Springfield Falcons.
MacDonald would score again in the third period but it was his first-period blast from the high slot on a drop from Jay Rosehill that he will remember most. Thousands of Teddy Bears rained onto the ice from all corners of PPL Center in the team's second-annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Dan's Camera City to benefit Valley Youth House who will distribute the donations to needy kids around the Lehigh Valley thus brightening their holidays. The scene in downtown Allentown was certainly something to behold as another sellout crowd delighted in their opportunity to throw their new and gently-used stuffed animal donations onto the ice after the Phantoms opening strike which came at 10:03 into the first period. All of the stuffed animals will be loaded into the team's Fanboni and delivered by Phantoms players personally to Valley Youth House later in the week.
"It's for a good cause. It's pretty cool," MacDonald said of the opening goal in his first game back with the Phantoms after a week-long stint in the NHL with the Flyers.
Then, after the game, the fans joined the Phantoms players on the ice for a postgame open skate where the players had the opportunity to thank the fans for their support and pose for several photographs as part of another showing of the team's commitment to the community.
In between the Teddy Bear frenzy and the postgame skating with the players was a topsy-turvey affair that featured two video-reviews of goals in the third period (one goal for Lehigh Valley and one for Springfield, both of which were upheld), a penalty shot denial in the first, a two-goal comeback in the third period by the visitors, and just a generally wacky and entertaining game which seems to be the Phantoms' hallmark more often than not.
Aside from MacDonald's two goals (his second and third) were lamplighters from Taylor Leier (7th) and Danick Martel (10th). Martel's was particularly special coming on his 21st birthday.
The Phantoms broke a 2-2 deadlock with a pair of goals early in the third period to take a 4-2 lead. But former Phantom Steven Delisle helped spark a Falcons comeback with a pair of assists as the Falcons rallied to even the score again.
After killing a Springfield power-play in the overtime, the Phantoms were able to grind the game along to the shootout phase where Leier and Petr Straka converted back-to-back to clinch matters after only two rounds with Anthony Stolarz denying both Springfield shooters.
Springfield received strikes from Dominic Monardo, Dan O'Donoghue, Dustin Jeffrey and Eric Selleck. Anthony Stolarz was tested by several breakaways and also denied a penalty shot granted to Dustin Jeffrey in the first period with a fine save off the left pad.
Lehigh Valley makes it look easy after overtime boating a gaudy 10-1 record all-time in the shootout round since moving into their dazzling, new facility in downtown Allentown. The Phantoms are 3-0 n shootouts this season after the team went 7-1 a season ago.
The Phantoms are 2-1 thus far on their five-game homestand and improved to 2-0 against division-rival Springfield this year with two games still to play. Both of the team's wins in the homestand have come via extra-time; Nick Cousins scored an overtime winner against Hershey to commence the stretch of consecutive PPL Center dates on Wednesday.
The Phantoms out shot Springfield in the wild affair 39-37 including 18-10 in the run-and-gun third period. Lehigh Valley went 2-for-5 on the power play while limiting Springfield to 0-for-5 including the gigantic penalty kill success in the overtime period.
The Phantoms continue their homestand on Wednesday and Friday hosting rivals Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey back to back. Wednesday's game with the Penguins is Miltary Appreciation Night. Friday's engagement with the Bears is Youth Winter Hat Night for the first 2,500 kids age 14 and under presented by PPL. Tickets are available at PPLCenter.com or by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499).
Images from this story
 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Teddy Bear Toss Aftermath (JustSports Photography) |
 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Collect Teddy Bears on the Ice (JustSports Photography) |
 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Bench Watches Teddy Bears Rain Down (JustSports Photography) |
 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Corral Teddy Bears on the Ice (JustSports Photography) |
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2015
- Zykov Shines in 3-1 Victory over Condors - Ontario Reign
- Griffins Extend Win Streak to 10, Defeat Rockford 4-1 - Grand Rapids Griffins
- LaLeggia Scores in Condors Loss to Ontario, 3-1 - Bakersfield Condors
- Stars Thump Stockton in 5-2 Final - Texas Stars
- Shootout Win, Teddy Bears and Postgame Skate All on Same Night - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Pirates Use the Force to Take Down Bruins 3-2 in Overtime - Portland Pirates
- Van Brabant Notches Goal and An Assist in Heat 5-2 Loss to Texas - Stockton Heat
- Crunch Outlasted by Marlies, 4-3, in OT - Syracuse Crunch
- Ads Beaten by Moose 3-2 - Milwaukee Admirals
- Wolf Pack Finally Tops Bridgeport - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Falcons Lose Shootout Thriller - Springfield Falcons
- Monsters Outlast Wolves on Star Wars Night, 2-1 - Cleveland Monsters
- Leach Emerges Victorious in Coaching Debut, 4-0 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Early Jump Gives Bears Seventh Straight Home Victory - Hershey Bears
- Wolves Edged by Monsters on the Road - Chicago Wolves
- Halmo, Beck score for Bridgeport in loss - Bridgeport Islanders
- Toronto Marlies Post Game Notes - Toronto Marlies
- Portland's OT Buzzer Beater Ends Providence Streak - Providence Bruins
- WBS Penguins End Albany Devils Seven-Game Winning Streak - Albany Devils
- B-Sens Comeback Comes up Short - Binghamton Senators
- Gulls Sink Barracuda 5-0 - San Jose Barracuda
- IceCaps Outlasted by Americans - St. John's IceCaps
- Gulls Roast Barracuda 5-0 in Road Trip Finale - San Diego Gulls
- IceHogs Host Griffins in Annual Teddy Bear Toss - Rockford IceHogs
- Jay Leach Named Interim Head Coach - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Jets Re-Assign Armia - Manitoba Moose
- Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Forward Mike Blunden from Syracuse Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- Andrew MacDonald Returned to Phantoms - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Heat Face Stars in Texas State Finale - Stockton Heat
- Ontario Reign Game Preview: Reign Open Homestand Tonight with LA Kings Affiliation Night - Ontario Reign
- Minnesota Assigns Tyler Graovac to Iowa Wild - Iowa Wild
- Scrivens and the Condors Blank San Diego, 3-0 - Bakersfield Condors
- IceHogs Earn Ninth-Straight Victory over Iowa - Rockford IceHogs
- Gulls Blanked in Bakersfield, 3-0 - San Diego Gulls
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
