PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Americans, Game #40

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (19-14-6) vs. Rochester Americans (22-10-4)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Saturday, January 18, 2025 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #40

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are back at PPL Center for a rematch against the Rochester Americans, AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, following a wild and wacky meeting last night in western New York.

Lehigh Valley (19-14-6) is red hot and has climbed all the way into a second-place tie with Charlotte and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the Atlantic Division standings. The Phantoms have won two straight and have points in six out of seven in January (6-1-1). The Phantoms have also secured points in 11 of the last 15 games (10-4-1) over the past month since December 14.

Rochester (22-10-4) began the week in first place in the North but has since slipped into a second-place tie with Cleveland now trailing Laval by one point.

Tonight’s game is Air Products Night including a Children’s Book Donation Drive.

LAST TIME – In perhaps the weirdest game of the season, the Phantoms emerged with a shootout win at the Rochester Americans by a 3-2 count on Friday night. Rodrigo Abols scored the winner in the fourth round after the officials had initially determined his shot hit the crossbar. Both teams waited for the video review which confirmed that top-shelf blast had gone into the cage and caromed off the upper-back bar. Isak Rosen thought he had scored an overtime winner for Rochester but an officials’ conference led to a reversal of that decision as well when it was determined he had pushed into goaltender Parker Gahagen on his breakaway thus allowing the puck to cross the line. Ethan Samson (7th) opened the scoring in the first period staking the Phantoms to a 1-0 lead into the third. Josh Dunne equalized for Rochester and the Amerks had a great chance to take the lead with a third-period power play but Brendan Furry (4th) had other ideas with his terrific shorthanded goal drawing out goaltender Devon Levi and stuffing a backhand wraparound into the open net. Rochester tied it with 56 seconds left to force overtime.

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

TRANSACTION – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have recalled goaltender Keith Petruzzelli from the Reading Royals of the ECHL. Petruzzelli, 25, has gone 6-12-3, 3.37, .893 with Reading this season. Last year in the AHL with Toronto he was 6-8-2, 3.55, .867. In 98 career pro games in the ECHL and AHL with Newfoundland, Reading and Toronto he has combined totals of 48-38-8, 2.98, .900.

PHANTASTIC –
– The Phantoms have points in seven of the last eight games going 6-1-1 in January. Lehigh Valley also has points in 11 of the last 15 games (10-4-1) since December 14.

– Lehigh Valley is five games over .500 for the first time this season.

– Brendan Furry is tied for second in the AHL with three shorthanded goals. All four of his goals have been scored on the backhand. Three of his goals were at 4-on-5 and the other was a 3-on-3 overtime goal at Syracuse on January 4.

– The Phantoms are 14-5-6 in one-goal decisions and their 25 total one-goal games out of 39 games played are the most in the AHL. Lehigh Valley is 8-0-3 at home in one-goal games and leads the AHL in most one-goal wins on home ice.

– Lehigh Valley leads the AHL with 15 overtime games. The Phantoms are 7-5 in overtimes and are 2-1 in shootouts. Friday’s shootout win at Rochester was the first for Lehigh Valley since Opening Night with an October 12 shootout win against Hartford.

IMPENDING MILESTONES
– Garrett Wilson, 396 pro points
– Anthony Richard, 498 AHL games
– Louie Belpedio, 394 pro games

ROCK ON IN ROCHESTER – It’s the finale of a home-and-home weekend-series showdown with the Rochester Americans (22-10-4) who recently had their seven-game streak snapped in a 6-1 pasting at Syracuse last week and have now dropped two straight. 21-year-old first rounder Isak Rosen (14-14-28) is in his third season with the Amerks and cranked out 20-30-50 last season. Penn State product Brett Murray (17-11-28) is in his sixth season with Rochester. 19-year-old second-rounder Anton Wahlburg (5-6-11) has returned from World Juniors where he scored 4-4-8 in helping Sweden to a bronze medal.

The weekend also marks the return of Felix Sandstrom (6-4-1, 2.96, .894) to PPL Center. The former Philadelphia third-rounder played in parts of six different seasons with the Phantoms and Flyers. In 88 career games with Lehigh Valley, Sandstrom was 39-29-13, 2.95, .899 while he also played in 30 games with Philadelphia from 2021-24.

First-year head coach Michael Leone has his young and talented crew scoring 3.4 goals per game, 5th in the AHL. The Amerks feature FOUR first-round prospects on the roster including Isak Rosen, Ryan Johnson, 18-year-old Konsta Helenius from Finland and 20-year-old Noah Ostlund from Sweden as well as second-rounder, 19-year-old Anton Wahlburg from Sweden.

Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Samu Tuomaala 8-17-25
x – Olle Lycksell 9-15-24
Jacob Gaucher 14-10-24
Rodrigo Abols 9-10-19
Alexis Gendron 11-7-18
Anthony Richard 7-10-17

Rochester
Isak Rosen 14-14-28
Brett Murray 17-11-28
Lukas Rousek 6-20-26
Zachary Metsa 2-22-24
Kale Clague 7-13-20

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 17.5%, 15th / PK 83.8%, 12th
Rochester – PP 15.3%, 25th / PK 82.9%, 17th

COMING UP –  The Phantoms return to PPL Center facing the Springfield Thunderbirds (STL) on Friday, January 24 followed by a divisional clash with the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday, January 25 on meLVin Youth Jersey Night.

UPCOMING

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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