By Michael Heilman

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms returned to the PPL Center to take on the Charlotte Checkers Friday night. These two teams played each other Wednesday night, and the Phantoms came away victorious 3-2. The Checkers were looking to get redemption.

The action was revved up from the start. The Phantoms went on the power play one minute and forty-six seconds into the first period on a slashing call against Checkers right-winger Julien Gauthier but were unable to take advantage. The Checkers were next to go on the power play as Phantoms forward Matthew Strome headed to the penalty box for tripping. Julien Gauthier (6) scored to put the Checkers up 1-0 as both Brian Gibbons (6) and Janne Kuokkanen (5) assisted in Gauthier’s goal.

With under three minutes left in the first period, the Phantoms David Kase (3) scored to tie the game up 1-1 with both Mark Friedman (4) and Mikhail Vorobyev (5) assisted in Kase’s goal. A minute later, the Checkers would retake the lead 2-1 on goal by Jake Bean (2) as Roland McKeown (8) and Steven Lorentz (3) assisted Bean’s goal. The Checkers headed to the locker room with a 2-1 lead over the Phantoms at the end of the first period.

The action picked right back up eight minutes and forty-seven seconds in the second period as Phantoms defender Tyler Wotherspoon blasted the puck toward the net, and David Kase (3) finished the play and scored his second goal of the game to tie it up 2-2. Tyler Wotherspoon (7) and Mikhail Vorobyev (6) assisted Kase’s goal. However, the Checkers would once again go on the power play thanks to an interference call against James De Haas. The Checkers would retake the lead on a goal by Jake Bean, his second of the night (3), to give the Checkers a 3-2 lead. Janne Kuokkanen (6) and Brian Gibbons (7) assisted Bean’s goal. The second period came to an end with the Checkers up 3-2 over the Phantoms.

Forty-one seconds into the third period, the Checkers Max McCormick (3) scored shortly after the faceoff and blasted the puck to the lower right goal post to extend the Checkers lead 4-2. Morgan Geekie (6) assisted McCormick’s goal.

Down 4-2, the Phantoms began a comeback as Greg Carey (6) scored to pull the Phantoms within one 4-3. Tyler Wotherspoon (8) and Cal O’Reilly assisted Carey’s goal. Two minutes later, the Phantoms took a gamble by pulling Alex Lyon for an extra attacker, and it paid off as Cal O’Reilly (2) delivered the game-tying goal at 4-4. Mikhail Vorobyev (7) and Tyler Wotherspoon (9) assisted O’Reilly’s goal. Both teams battled on for the rest of the third period remaining tied and then headed for overtime.

One minute and twenty-three seconds in overtime, the Phantoms Mark Friedman (1) shot the puck that went off the post and in for the game-winning goal to give the Lehigh Valley Phantoms a 5-4 win over the Charlotte Checkers.

The Checkers barely won the shots on goal total with thirty-six to the Phantoms thirty-five. The Checkers were two for five on the power play while the Phantoms were zero for five. Phantoms goalie Alex Lyon made thirty-two of thirty-six saves, allowing four goals while Checkers goalie Anton Forsberg made thirty of thirty-five saves allowing five goals.

The three stars of the game were Phantoms forward David Kase with two goals and an assist, Phantoms defender Tyler Wotherspoon with three assists, and Phantoms defender Mark Friedman with one goal and an assist.

The Phantoms wrap up their homestand at the PPL Center Saturday at 7 pm against the Belleville Senators.