PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Checkers, Game #30

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (12-12-5) vs. Charlotte Checkers (16-7-3)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Saturday, December 28, 2024 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #30

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have their penultimate game of calendar year 2024 as they host the uptempo and high-octane offense of the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday Night Hockey Live at PPL Center

Lehigh Valley (12-12-5) played well in a hard-fought and feisty battle at Wilkes-Barre but dropped a 3-2 decision last night in the team’s return from the holiday break.

Charlotte (16-7-3) is tied for the top points percentage in the Atlantic Division at .673 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and recently had a five-game win streak before losing its last game before the break.

Tonight is the first of four meetings between the Atlantic Division foes. The Checkers will be back at PPL Center on Tuesday night for the annual New Year’s Eve game.

Tonight’s game includes postgame photographs with all of the Phantoms players presented by NJM Insurance.

LAST TIME – It wasn’t as wild as the previous penalty-filled meeting but the rival Phantoms and Penguins engaged in another feisty and hard-hitting contest on Friday night in Wilkes-Barre as the Penguins barely hung on in a 3-2 final. Lehigh Valley had back-to-back power plays in the final 10 minutes of the game and almost equalized with around six minutes left but J.R. Avon’s massive one-timer from the right circle and Alexis Gendron’s drive from the other side both found iron and clanged away. Garrett Wilson (6th) and Ethan Samson (5th) scored for the Phantoms while Tristan Broz (10th, 11th) tied the game in the first and gave the Penguins the lead in the second. Vasily Ponomorev from the right boards scored the decisive goal in the opening minute of the third period giving the Pens a 3-1 lead at the time before Samson pulled the Phantoms back to within a singleton less than two minutes later.

MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for tonight’s game here: https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/

LYCKSELL AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Olle Lycksell was named the Howie’s Hockey Tape AHL Player of the Week following his overtime winner vs. Providence and hat trick vs. Toronto. Lycksell had four goals and two assists for six points in two games played last week. He leads the Phantoms with 9-15-24 in 25 games played. Lycksell is the first Lehigh Valley Phantom to win AHL Player of the Week honors twice. Lycksell was recalled to the Flyers for Saturday’s game against Columbus making his NHL season debut and then was returned to the Phantoms on Sunday.

TRANSACTIONS – 
Dec 27 – Olle Lycksell – Del – Recalled to Philadelphia from Phantoms
Dec 21 – Olle Lycksell – Add – Loaned to Phantoms from Philadelphia
Dec 20 – Mason Primeau – Add – Recalled to Phantoms from Reading-ECHL
Dec 20 – Olle Lycksell – Del – Recalled to Philadelphia from Phantoms
Dec 20 – Emil Andrae – Add – Loaned to Phantoms from Philadelphia

LYCSKELL HEADING BACK UP – The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Olle Lycksell from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Lycksell, 25, played for the Flyers on Saturday, December 20 against Columbus in his season debut with Philadelphia. He had also just been named AHL Player of the Week for a second time in his career after recording four goals with two assists for six points in two games including an overtime winner and a hat trick for the week ending December 22. Lycksell leads the Phantoms in scoring with nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points. His 103 shots on goal is most in the AHL and is eight more than the next closest player, Dryden Hunt of Calgary who has 95 shots.

PHANTASTIC – 

– The Phantoms are 8-4-3 at PPL Center but are only 4-8-3 on the road.

– The Phantoms are returning from the holiday break with a busy and active schedule which will see the team play nine games in 16 days as well as 12 games in 23 days.

– Phantoms captain Garrett Wilson has three goals in the last six games as well as four goals in the last nine games including a Gordie Howe Hat Trick (Goal, Assist and Fight) in the December 18 comeback win against Providence.

– Massimo Rizzo scored his first career pro goal on December 18 against Providence. The University of Denver product quickly followed that up just two games later with his second career goal last Saturday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

– Jacob Gaucher recently had a 5-game point streak scoring 5-4-9 during the stretch ending December 20. Gaucher leads the Phantoms with 13 goals and was signed by the Flyers to a two-year NHL contract on December 12. He has seven goals in the last 11 games but has gone with a goal in the last two.

– Cal Petersen leads all AHL goaltenders with three assists.

– Lehigh Valley leads the AHL with 12 overtime games and six overtime wins. The Phantoms are 6-4 in overtime decisions and 1-1 in shootouts.  Lehigh Valley is tied for the AHL-lead in one-goal games with 19 along with Hershey. The Phantoms are 9-5-5 in the squeakers including 6-0-2 at home in one-goal games.

CHECKING ON THE CHECKERS – Charlotte (16-7-3) had its five-game win streak snapped on Sunday in a 4-1 loss against last-place Bridgeport. Otherwise, it seems there’s been little stopping the high-flying Checkers lately. Charlotte is cranking out a league-high 3.8 goals per game and has a ridiculous 33.7% success rate on the power play, also best in the AHL. And their dominating puck-possession has resulted in just 25.0 shots allowed per game, also best in the AHL. The Checkers lead the Atlantic Division in points percentage, tied with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, despite trailing Hershey by four points overall (due to fewer games played) and their seven regulation losses is second-fewest in the AHL trailing only Toronto.

Westwood, NJ native John Leonard (12-12-24) leads the way after a hat trick last Friday against Bridgeport. Leonard has played in 70 NHL games with San Jose, Arizona and Nashville. Defenseman Trevor Carrick (5-9-14) is a two-time AHL All-Star in 2016 and 2019. 32-year-old veteran Kyle Criscuolo (10-13-23) played for the Phantoms five seasons ago. 29-year-old veteran goaltender Ken Appleby (7-2-1, 2.17, .911) has been Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood with a career resurgence that sees him 7th in the AHL in G.A.A. He joined from the Islanders where he spent three seasons splitting time between Bridgeport and the ECHL Worcester Railers. Geordie Kinnear is the longest-tenured head coach in the AHL in his eighth season with the Florida Panthers AHL affiliate in Charlotte and previously in Springfield.

SCORING LEADERS
Lehigh Valley
x – Olle Lycksell 9-15-24
Samu Tuomaala 8-15-23
Jacob Gaucher 13-9-22
Anthony Richard 6-10-16
Rhett Gardner 4-9-13
Oscar Eklind 4-9-13

Charlotte
John Leonard 12-12-24
Trevor Carrick 5-19-24
Kyle Criscuolo 10-13-23
Aidan McDonough 10-6-16
Rasmus Asplund 10-6-16

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 20.7%, 7th / PK 81.3%, 19th
Charlotte – PP 33.7%, 1st / PK 85.8%, 5th

COMING UP –  The Phantoms close out 2024 with their annual New Year’s Eve game in a rematch against the Charlotte Checkers. Light-Up Sticks from Penn Community Bank will get the party started and then the revelry continues outside after the game for the World’s Largest Puck Drop to countdown the end of the year and welcome in 2025.

UPCOMING

Saturday, December 28 (7:05) – Charlotte Checkers at Phantoms – Postgame Photographs with the Phantoms players presented by NJM Insurance

Tuesday, December 31 (7:05) – Charlotte Checkers at Phantoms – Light-up glow sticks from Penn Community Bank. World’s Largest Puck-Drop at Midnight!

Friday, January 3 (7:00) – Phantoms at Utica Comets

Saturday, January 4 (7:00) – Phantoms at Syracuse Crunch

Tuesday, January 7 (7:00) – Phantoms at Hershey Bears

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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