Sunday Setback for Phantoms

Penguins Prevail 5-1

January 26, 2025

Wilkes-Barre, PA – It just hasn’t worked for the Phantoms in northeast Pennsylvania this season. Lehigh Valley fell to 0-4-1 at Mohegan Arena as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins took a 5-1 victory on Sunday afternoon. Emil Bemstrom (17th, 18th, 19th) led the way with a hat trick. Cooper Marody scored his first goal of the season to put the finishing touches on his first weekend back in the lineup.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-10-4) raced out to a 3-0 lead against Aleksei Kolosov (1-4-1) in the first period. Bemstrom scored on a hand-off from Boris Katchouk at 11:36. Avery Hayes (10th) turned the corner on a defenseman and drove around the net to score over a sprawled Kolosov while fading away from the right side to make it 2-0 less than two minutes later.

Sawyer Boulton looked to inspire his team when he dropped the gloves with defenseman Dan Renouf with 2:03 remaining in the first period.

But Wilkes-Barre/Scranton received a power play in the last minute of the period on a Lehigh Valley retaliation penalty and Mac Hollowell (1st) rubbed salt in the wound with his goal from the blue line with just two seconds left in the period that squeaked past Kolosov and dribbled into the net.

But Lehigh Valley (20-17-6) wasn’t throwing in the towel and the resilient Phantoms were poised for better play trying to spark a potential comeback in the second period.

Kolosov made a spectacular series of point-blank saves two minutes into the frame to keep the Penguins out and was helped by Adam Ginning’s goal-line denial behind him. But Ginning was called for a penalty for covering the puck in the crease thus giving Avery Hayes a penalty shot. Kolosov stopped that one as well with a left-pad save.

The Phantoms had a five-minute major power play when things continued to get feisty with Boris Katchouk assessed a fighting major when he took exception to a check from Hunter McDonald. It was only Katchouk who was tagged for fighting so the lengthy man-advantage provided Lehigh Valley with a big opportunity to claw back into the game.

Marc Johnstone had an intercept that turned into a shorthanded 2-on-1 for the Penguins but Kolosov made a spectacular right-pad save on Jonathan Gruden to keep them out. Right after the best save of the day, Ethan Samson rifled a pass to Cooper Marody who scored on the breakaway past Tristan Jarry getting the Phantoms on the board at 3-1. Lehigh Valley still had over two minutes left on the power play and generated additional chances against Jarry but the Phantoms were unable to break through.

Bemstrom scored again on a powerful blast from the left circle past the right shoulder of Kolosov to make it 4-1 in the third period with 6:17 left. And Bemstrom finished the scoring from way over in the right-wing corner sneaking one through the short side of Kolosov with just 19 seconds left to complete the hat trick.

The Phantoms are back in action on Wednesday night at the Bridgeport Islanders before a week-long hiatus for the AHL All-Star Break. Olle Lycksell will represent the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star Classic taking place February 2-3 at Coachella Valley, Cal.

The next home games for the Phantoms are Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8 against the Cleveland Monsters and Hartford Wolf Pack featuring a Berks $1 Hot Dog Night on Friday and then Postgame Autographs presented by NJM Insurance on Saturday.

SCORING SUMMARY
1st 11:36 – WBS, E. Bemstrom (17) (B. Katchouk, V. Koivunen) (0-1)
1st 13:20 – WBS, A. Hayes (10) (V. Ponomarev, D. Renouf) (0-2)
1st 19:58 – WBS, M. Hollowell (1) (E. Bemstrom, V. Koivunen) (PP) (0-3)

2nd 11:16 – LV, C. Marody (1) (E. Samson) (PP) (1-3)

3rd 13:43 – WBS, E. Bemstrom (18) (V. Koivunen, B. Katchouk) (PP) (1-4)
3rd 19:41 – WBS, E. Bemstrom (19) (V> Koivunen, M. Hollowell) (PP) (1-5)

Shots:
WBS 35 – LV 17

PP:
LV 1/3, WBS 3/4

Goaltenders:
LV – A. Kolosov (L) (1-4-1) (30/35)
WBS – T. Jarry (W) (5-2-0) (16/17)

Records:
Lehigh Valley (20-17-6)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-10-4)

UPCOMING

Wednesday, January 29 (7:00) – Phantoms at Bridgeport Islanders

Monday, February 2 – Tuesday, February 3 – All-Star Break. AHL All-Star Classic at Coachella Valley

Friday, February 7 (7:05) – Cleveland Monsters at Phantoms – Berks $1 Hot Dogs

Saturday, February 8 (7:05) – Hartford Wolf Pack at Phantoms – Postgame Autographs with Team presented by NJM Insurance

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