By Michael Heilman

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms made the trip to the Webster Bank Arena Wednesday to battle the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Earlier in the day, the Flyers called up defenseman Mark Friedman, and the Phantoms called up defenseman Eric Knodel from the Reading Royals. Alex Lyon got the start at goal, and scratches for the game were Tyler Wotherspoon, Max Willman, Gerry Fitzgerald, Kurtis Gabriel, and TJ Brennan.

The Phantoms wasted no time as a minute and eighteen seconds into the first period David Kase (6) took the puck from the left corner and made a backhand shot that went under the legs of Sound Tigers goalie Christopher Gibson to put the Phantoms up 1-0. A cross-checking call against Phantoms forward Maksim Sushko put Bridgeport on the power-play. Two minutes and seventeen seconds later, the Sound Tigers tied the game 1-1 as Travis St. Denis (13) passed the puck to Otto Koivula (9) with three Phantoms players around them to whack the puck into the net for the goal. Sebastian Aho (22) assisted Koivula’s goal.

Nineteen seconds after Koivula’s goal, the Sound Tigers took a 2-1 lead as Grant Hutton (6) shot the puck from near the right side of the Phantoms zone, and Lyon was not quick enough as the puck crossed the line for the goal. Lyon was taken out after the goal, and Jean Francois-Berube went in for Lyon. The Phantoms tied the game with eleven minutes and twenty-two seconds left of the first period when James De Haas (5) passed the puck to Cal O’Reilly (20), who initially shot the puck only to hit the stick of Greg Carey (14) and in for the goal making the score 2-2. Carey was credited with the goal.

The Phantoms were putting pressure on the Sound Tigers by keeping the puck in their zone; however, they could not add to their lead. The game was tied 2-2 at the end of the first period. The shots were even at twelve apiece, and Alex Lyon finished the night one for three, allowing two goals.

Two minutes and four seconds into the second period, the Phantoms regained the lead 3-2 as Grant Hutton made a bad pass only for Morgan Frost (11) to intercept the pass and bury the shot into the net for the goal. The Sound Tigers then made a goalie change taking Christopher Gibson out for Jared Coreau. Gibson finishes the night ten of thirteen, allowing three goals.

The Phantoms continued to find ways to score as Kyle Criscuolo (14) attempted to shoot the puck as two Sound Tigers defenders were on him knocking the puck out of reach only for Carson Twarynski (3) to quickly reach for the puck and finish the play for the goal to extend the Phantoms lead 4-2. The Phantoms added another goal with five minutes and eight seconds left in the second period as Carson Twarynski (3) collected his second goal of the game to make it a 5-2 Phantoms lead.

Just as the Phantoms were building a cushion, the Sound Tigers had other plans. The Sound Tigers cut the Phantoms lead 5-3 as Robert Carpenter (2) dealt with several Phantoms players only to get a shot off from the corner of the net to ricochet off the skate of Berube and in for the goal. Over a minute later, the Sound Tigers were within one when Otto Koivula (13) made a backhand pass to Oliver Wahlstrom (10) who fired the puck that hit Berube, then Travis St. Denis (9) finished the play as the Phantoms lead was cut to one 5-4.

The Phantoms were able to get back one of the goals with thirty-one seconds left when Reece Willcox (8) blasted the puck which hit Cal O’Reilly’s (21) stick that hit the top bar of the goal net and over toward Greg Carey (15) who rebounded the puck to finish the play for a 6-4 Phantoms lead as the second period ended with the shots thirteen to eleven for the Phantoms.

In the third period, the Sound Tigers would not make this an easy game for the Phantoms by once again adding another goal to make it a 6-5 game. Robert Carpenter (7) made a backhand shot that hit the stick of Jeff Kubiak (4) and over Berube’s shoulder and in for the goal. Kubiak was credited with the goal.

With four minutes and twenty-four seconds left in the game, the Phantoms were able to get back their cushion when Kyle Criscuolo (15) found Andy Welinski (8), who then shot the puck and put the Phantoms up 7-5. Shortly after Welinski’s goal, the Sound Tigers pulled Coreau for the extra attacker, but it backfired on them as Andy Andreoff sealed the game with an empty-net goal to give the Phantoms an 8-5 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Bridgeport had the shots advantage fifteen to ten and went one for two on the power-play. The Phantoms did not go on any power-plays in this game. Jean Francois-Berube finished the night thirty-two of thirty-five saves allowing three goals while Sound Tigers goalie Jared Coreau went seventeen of twenty-one saves allowing four goals.

The three stars of the game were Sound Tigers center Travis St. Denis with one goal and one assist, Phantoms forward Carsen Twarynski with two goals, and Phantoms left-winger Greg Carey with two goals.

The Phantoms continue their three-game road trip Friday at the Blue Cross Arena against the Rochester Americans at 7:05 pm.

(player stats for the year)