PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Senators

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (17-14-6) vs. Belleville Senators (15-11-5)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #38

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms return to PPL Center for a midweek clash against the Belleville Senators, AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators.

Lehigh Valley (17-14-6) has moved into a fourth-place tie in the Atlantic Division with the Providence Bruins having gone 4-1-1 to begin 2025 while also securing points in nine of the last 13 games (8-3-1) over the past month since December 14.

Belleville (15-11-5) is in sixth-place out of seven in the Atlantic Division and chasing after Syracuse and Toronto for a spot in the Top 5 to qualify for the playoffs.

Tonight is the first of six matchups between the Phantoms and Islanders.

LAST WEEKEND – The Phantoms participated in a second consecutive shutout game but this time were on the wrong side of the scoreboard in a 5-0 loss at the Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday evening. Chris Terry led Bridgeport with a pair of goals. Liam Foudy opened the scoring with a power-play strike in the first period against the fatigued Phantoms contingent.

On Saturday at Hartford, Parker Gahagen (26 saves) recorded his first career AHL shutout as the visiting Phantoms spoiled the party on the 50th birthday of pro hockey in Hartford. Lehigh Valley’s 3-0 win at the Wolf Pack was backed by Gahagen’s stellar goaltending as the 31-year-old Army Captain won his third consecutive start. Garrett Wilson (8th) broke a scoreless deadlock late in the second period with an unassisted, shorthanded blast on a breakaway. Emil Andrae (2nd) and Rhett Gardner (5th) with an empty-netter also scored goals in the third period. The Phantoms improved to 3-0-2 against Hartford as the two teams met for a regulation decision for the first time this season after the first four meetings had all gone to overtime.

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

PHANTASTIC –
– The Phantoms had a five-game point streak (4-0-1) to open 2025 and are now 4-1-1 in January.

– Balanced Attack: 14 different players have scored Lehigh Valley’s 17 total goals in the five-game point streak. Alexis Gendron (3) and Emil Andrae (2) are the only players with multiple goals in the streak. Last Tuesday, the Phantoms were led by three defensemen who all scored goals: Hunter McDonald (3rd), Ethan Samson (6th) and Emil Andrae (1st) all found the back of the net while Helge Grans (3rd) scored last Saturday at Syracuse and Adam Ginning (1st) had an empty-netter at Utica.

– The Phantoms’ penalty kill is 17-for-18 in 2025.

– Jacob Gaucher recorded his 100th career pro point with his team-leading 14th goal of the season last Tuesday at Hershey.

– Friday was Rhett Gardner’s 300th career AHL game. Last Tuesday was the 200th AHL game for Helge Grans.

– The Phantoms hit the midway mark of the season after Saturday’s game. The Phantoms have now played 37 games and have 35 to go.

IMPENDING MILESTONES
– Garrett Wilson, 396 pro points
– Anthony Richard, 496 AHL games

BELLE OF THE BALL – Belleville (15-11-5) impressively bounced back from a 6-1 drubbing to the hands of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to land an incredible 4-3 comeback win in the Sunday rematch on  a Wyatt Bongiovanni (12-4-16) winner with just 2.2 seconds left to complete a hat trick. Former Hershey Bear Garrett Pilon (3-21-24) leads Ottawa’s AHL affiliate and is the son of former New York Islander Rich Pilon. Rookie Stephen Halliday is a fourth rounder out of Ohio State. Third-year pro Angus Crookshank (13-4-17) has scored 50 goals in the last two seasons combined.

Former Phantoms Hayden Hodgson (2-2-4) and Wyatte Wylie (1-3-4) are returning to PPL Center for the first time. Hodgson played two seasons for the Phantoms and Flyers and was second on the Phantoms with 19 goals in the 2021-22 season while also playing in seven NHL games with Philadelphia. Wylie played 131 games in three seasons for the Phantoms from 2020-23 scoring nine goals.

Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Samu Tuomaala 8-17-25
x – Olle Lycksell 9-15-24
Jacob Gaucher 14-9-23
Rodrigo Abols 8-9-17
Anthony Richard 6-10-16
Alexis Gendron 11-5-16
Garrett Wilson 8-8-16

Belleville
Garrett Pilon 3-21-24
Stephen Halliday 8-15-23
Jeremy Davies 4-19-23
Angus Crookshank 13-4-17
Wyatt Bongiovanni 12-4-16

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 17.4%, 17th / PK 83.1%, 15th
Bridgeport – PP 16.7%, 21st / PK 76.9%, 28th

COMING UP –  The Phantoms go back-to-back with the first-place team in the North Division when they play a home-and-home series against the Rochester Americans beginning Friday night in Western New York with a Saturday rematch in Allentown on Air Products Night with the team’s Children’s Book Drive to benefit Community Services for Children.

UPCOMING

Wednesday, January 15 (7:05) – Phantoms vs. Belleville Senators, Pregame Happy Hour, $2 Beers

Friday, January 17 (7:05) – Phantoms at Rochester Americans

Saturday, January 18 (7:05) – Rochester Americans at Phantoms – Air Products Night, Children’s Book Donation Drive

Friday, January 24 (7:05) – Springfield Thunderbirds at Phantoms

Saturday, January 25 (7:05) – Bridgeport Islanders at Phantoms – meLVin Youth Jersey Night

Sunday, January 26 (3:05) – Phantoms at W-B/Scranton Penguins

 

 

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