Lehigh Valley kicked off their 5 game homestand tonight with a dominant performance over lowly Binghamton. Taylor Leier scored a hat trick on 9 shots on goal as the #1 star, Chris Conner and Colin McDonald each had 1G, 1A; Phil DeSimone had 3 A's. Also chipping in goals were defensemen Adam Comrie and Robert Hagg.

Jason LaBarbera started and got the win with 20 saves.

The Phantoms were 3/7 on the PP. The PK was perfect, killing off all 5 penalties, one a double minor.

Game sheet.

Video highlights.

Short taeks:

The scoring was pretty sexy tonight, some of the best setups and finishes I've seen all year. Leier's first goal came just 9 seconds into a power play. His second goal came just 4 seconds into a power play. Nearly identical plays, really. Conner made his breakaway goal look ridiculously easy, stopping on the crease for an easy reach-around backhanded tap in. Both goals by Hagg and Comrie were nice snipes.

Petr Straka played his first game after sitting out 9 games with a leg injury. Was a little winded by the end of the game, said he was glad for the plentiful ice time tonight to get back in game shape. Still, he had 5 shots nearly cashing in twice.

Cole Bardreau took an elbow to the mouth early in the 1st and lost one or more teeth. He played the rest of the game in a full cage but seemed none the worse for wear. He finished with two assists.

Robert Hagg played a much stronger game than I've seen him play in quite a while. Mark Alt made a rare Dzone giveaway but immediately stole it back and moved it up ice. Sam Morin also played a strong game w/o any glaring errors or taking any penalties. He still leads the league in PIMs by a rookie. Overall the defense held the BSens to 22 shots, but just 5 shots each in the 2nd and 3rd periods.

AMac chipped in two PP assists. Has 10 assists in his last 6 games and now leads the AHL in assists by defensemen with 30.

Tyrell Goulbourne had a fight in the 2nd against the guy that knocked Bardreau's teeth out. It was over very fast without a decision. Based on the way he was smirking and chirping on the way to the box he seemed pretty pleased with the outcome.

The Phantoms have 3 hat tricks all-time at the PP&L Center, all of them against the BSens. The Phantoms have tallied 3 hat tricks in the last 2 weeks (McDonald, Martel, now Leier). The 3 PPG's tonight match a season high for one game. This is the 4th multiple power play goal game in their last seven games.

The PK was at one time about a month into the season ranked dead last. They came into this game ranked 17th. Not great but think how hard they had to work to achieve that. Now consider them killing off all 5 tonight. Two Pker's who are integral to that success are Leier and Straka. They excel on the power play as well and are used in tight late-game situations.

Martin Oullette was the backup goalie. He was seen packing his gear after the game which would indicate that Stolarz will be returned to LV by Friday.

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Last taek: Hextall, Hanrahan, et al were in the house tonight for the first time in a few weeks. Glad they could see what the kids could do. Leier has been on fire since he got that first taste of the NHL, so don't be surprised to see him up again in the next few weeks. Clearly someone is going to be moved.