PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Comets, Game #32

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (13-13-5) vs. Utica Comets (7-15-4)
Adirondack Bank Center, Utica, NY
Friday, January 3, 2025 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #32

TONIGHT – Happy New Year, Phantoms Phans! And welcome to the first game of 2025.

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (13-13-5) look to welcome in the new quarter-century with a W on the road in snowy, central New York as they visit the Utica Comets, AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils. The Phantoms are tied with Hartford for fifth place in the Atlantic Division.

Utica (7-15-4) is aiming to continue its climb out of the cellar of the North Division and is playing much better hockey since mid-November going 7-5-1 following a winless beginning through its first 13 games (0-10-3).

Tonight’s game is the first of a three-game road swing to commence play in 2025. The Phantoms will also travel to Syracuse on Saturday and Hershey on Tuesday before their first home game of the calendar year on Friday, January 10 against Hartford featuring a Blackout Night with accompanying Blackout Knit Caps for the fans presented by the Morning Call.

LAST TIME – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms started to put together another exciting third-period comeback on consecutive goals by Rodrigo Abols (7th) and J.R. Avon (3rd) to cut the margin to 4-3 but eventually fell to the hands of the Charlotte Checkers 6-3 on New Year’s Eve at PPL Center in a split of the quick two-game series in Allentown. Garrett Wilson (7th) also stayed hot with his second-period marker, his fourth goal in the last eight games. John Leonard scored two shorthanded power-play goals on the same Lehigh Valley man-advantage to open the scoring while former Phantom Kyle Criscuolo added a goal and assist in his return to Allentown.

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

TRANSACTIONS –
Dec 27 Olle Lysksell          – Del – Recalled to Flyers
Dec 29 Sawyer Boulton     – Add – Recalled from Reading
Dec 31 Xavier Bernard      – Del – Loaned to Reading
Dec 31 Mason Primeau    – Del – Loaned to Reading
Jan 2 Xavier Bernard      – Add – Recalled from Reading
Jan 2 Mason Primeau    – Add – Recalled from Reading

PHANTASTIC – 

– The Phantoms are 9-5-2 at PPL Center but are only 4-8-3 on the road. The Phantoms recently had a three-game home win streak.

– Lehigh Valley has opened a busy stretch which includes nine games in 16 days as well as 12 games in 23 days through January 18.

– Phantoms captain Garrett Wilson has four goals in the last eight games as well as five goals in the last 11 games including a Gordie Howe Hat Trick (Goal, Assist and Fight) in the December 18 comeback win against Providence.

– 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. The Phantoms have now played five straight games without an overtime which is their longest stretch of the season.

– Lehigh Valley is second in one-goal games with 20 trailing only Hershey. The Phantoms are 10-5-5 in the one-goal squeakers including 7-0-2 at home in one-goal games.

LEHIGH VALLEY DECEMBER SCORING
Jacob Gaucher 6-4-10
x – Olle Lycksell 4-5-9
Zayde Wisdom 3-6-9
Helge Grans 2-6-8
Alexis Gendron 3-4-7
Rhett Gardner 2-5-7

UNIQUELY UTICA – Last place Utica (7-15-4) picked up a 4-3 overtime win at Belleville on New Year’s Eve on Mike Hardman’s winner.  has dropped three straight including a 3-2 overtime loss against Rochester in the most recent outing on Saturday. The Comets dropped 13 straight to begin the season going 0-10-3 including an overtime setback in Allentown on November 9 in the debut of interim head coach Ryan Parent who is a former Philadelphia Phantoms and Flyers forward. The Comets then won five straight to close out November and have gone 7-5-1 overall since their awful start. But in December, the Comets have gone just 2-5-1 after ending their three-game losing streak.

The Phantoms rallied from behind against Utica to secure their first overtime win of the season on November 9 at PPL Center when Rhett Gardner struck for the winner following a tying goal late in the third by Olle Lycksell. Adam Beckman (6-11-17), Brian Halonen (11-6-17), and Mike Hardman (9-4-13) are the scoring leaders. Hardman scored 22 goals with Rockford last year while Beckman had 19 goals with Iowa. The offense has scored just 2.23 goals per game, ahead of only Manitoba. Max Willman (1-6-7) played parts of four seasons for the Phantoms and Flyers before joining the New Jersey Devils’ organization last year. Former Philadelphia Phantoms and Flyers forward Ryan Parent is the interim head coach.

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
Oscar Eklind 4-11-15

Utica
Brian Halonen 11-6-17
Adam Beckman 6-11-17
Nolan Foote 6-10-16
Seamus Casey 2-12-14
Mike Hardman 9-4-13

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 19.8%, 10th / PK 81.4%, 22nd
Utica – PP 20.3%, 9th / PK 75.9, 29th

COMING UP –  The Phantoms’ road trip to open 2025 continues Saturday at the Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay) and then Tuesday at the Hershey Bears. The first home game of 2025 is Friday, January 10 against the Hartford Wolf Pack on a Blackout Night at PPL Center complete with Blackout Knit Caps from The Morning Call.

UPCOMING

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

Friday, January 10 (7:05) – Hartford Wolf Pack at Phantoms – Blackout Knit Caps from The Morning Call

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