By Michael Heilman

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms defeated the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2 Wednesday night at the PPL Center. The Phantoms were looking to rebound after going 1-2 last weekend.

The Penguins jumped to an early 1-0 lead two minutes and twelve seconds into the first period as Jake Lucchini (3) fought off a Phantoms player and fired the puck past Jean-Francois Berube for the goal.

One minute and thirty-eight seconds later, the Phantoms tied the game up 1-1 as T.J. Brennan passed the puck to Andy Welinski (1), who blasted the puck past Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith for the goal. T.J. Brennan (4) and Kyle Criscuolo (3) assisted in Welinski’s goal. Both teams headed to the locker room, remaining tied 1-1 at the end of the first period.

The Phantoms would then take a 2-1 lead two minutes and fifty-three seconds into the second period as T.J Brennan passed the puck across the ice onto the stick of Greg Carey, Carey then, maneuvered around a Penguins player and directed the puck under DeSmith’s legs for the goal. Carey’s goal gives him three on the year, and Brennan his second assist of the night.

The Penguins would then tie the game 2-2 on a backhand goal by Ryan Haggerty (2) with fourteen minutes and thirty-four seconds to play in the second period. Adam Johnson (5), and Joseph Blandisi (1) assisted with Haggerty’s goal.

With less than two minutes left in the second period, the Phantoms would retake the lead 3-2 on a goal by Kyle Criscuolo (2). Cal O’Reilly (3), and Greg Carey (4) assisted in Criscuolo’s goal. The Phantoms headed to the locker room with a 3-2 lead at the end of the second period.

With time running out in the third period, the Penguins pulled Casey DeSmith to put an extra attacker on the ice in hopes of tying the game. However, the Phantoms would put the game away as Cal O’Reilly passed the puck to Kyle Criscuolo, who put the game away with an empty-net goal. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms defeated the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2.

The Phantoms had thirty-one shots on goal while the Penguins had twenty-four shots on goal. Neither team could capitalize on the power play as both teams went zero for three. Phantoms goalie Jean-Francois Berube stopped twenty-two shots out of twenty-four, allowing two goals while Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith stopped twenty-seven shots out thirty, allowing four goals.

The three stars of the game were Phantoms center Kyle Criscuolo, who had two goals and an assist, Phantoms left winger Greg Carey had one goal and an assist, and Phantoms defensemen T.J. Brennan had two assists.

The Phantoms will now get ready for a home, and home series with the Hershey Bears Saturday night at 7 pm from the PPL Center and Sunday at 5 pm from Giant Center.