PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Griffins, Game #5

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-2-1) vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (4-1-0)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
October 26, 2024 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #5

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-2-1) host the Grand Rapids Griffins who are appearing at PPL Center for the first time ever. Grand Rapids (4-1-0) is the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Tonight’s game represents the first time the Phantoms have hosted an Western Conference opponent in 10 years since the 2014-15 season. The two teams last met in March, 2009 when the Philadelphia Phantoms swept a pair of games from the Griffs at Wachovia Spectrum.

It’s a two-game weekend series for the new opponents who will rematch Sunday afternoon at 3:05 p.m. The Phantoms will return the favor with a pair of Michigan encounters in February.

LAST TIME – Lehigh Valley landed an overtime standings point on the road but fell short in their bid for a W as the Hartford Wolf Pack stole a 4-3 overtime decision at XL Center on Friday night. Bo Groulx flipped home the winning goal in the opening minute of the extra stanza. Rodrigo Abols scored his first goal as a Phantom and Oscar Eklind scored for a second time in the last three games while Samu Tuomaala’s powerful blast on the power play tied the game in the third period. Alexei Kolosov kept the Phantoms in the game with several dazzling denials particularly in the third period. Brett Berard (5th), Matthew Robertson (1st) and Jake Leschyshyn (2nd) all found the back of the net for Hartford. Leschyshyn’s breakaway goal in the third period represented the first shorthanded goal the Phantoms have surrender this season but Tuomaala quickly countered with the equalizer just 19 seconds later.

MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for both teams and the AHL at the following link.

https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/

ANDRAE ARRIVES – Defenseman Emil Andrae has been returned to the Phantoms from the Philadelphia Flyers and is expected to make his season debut this weekend. Andrae did not play on his 10-day recall to Philadelphia. The creative, play-making 22-year-old enters his second full professional season in North America after a solid rookie campaign with Lehigh Valley in which he produced 5-27-32 in 61 games played. Andrae began the 2023-24 campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers playing in four games before he was loaned to Lehigh Valley in November. He also played in 10 games with the Phantoms at the end of the 2022-23 season scoring 2-4-6 and on his AHL career with Lehigh Valley has produced 7-31-38 in 71 games.

PHANTASTIC
– Oscar Eklind scored his first-career AHL goal on Friday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a set up by Elliot Desnoyers and then followed that up with his second career goal just two games later on Friday at Hartford. Eklind had never been to the United States before signing with the Philadelphia Flyers this year. The 26-year-old winger from Trelleborg, Sweden made his Phantoms debut.

– Sawyer Boulton made his pro debut last Saturday against the Penguins. The 20-year-old rookie forward is the son of long-time NHL enforcer Eric Boulton who amassed over 1,400 penalty minutes in his career with Buffalo, Atlanta, and the New York Islanders.

– The Phantoms lead the AHL with 38.75 shots per game. The Phantoms are also seventh in the AHL and first in the division with just 25 shots allowed per game.

– Lehigh Valley’s power play is 5-for-18 for 27.8% which is 3rd in the AHL.

LAPPY 100 WINS – Head coach Ian Laperriere is on the verge of joining an elite group of Phantoms coaches to reach 100 career wins.

Phantoms Franchise – Career Coaching Wins
John Stevens – 230 (2000-2006)
Bill Barber – 187 (1996-2000)
Scott Gordon – 186 (2015-21)
Ian Laperriere – 99 (2021- Present)

THE CAPTAIN – Fan-Favorite Garrett Wilson is the longest-tenured player on the Phantoms and is now 49 games away from passing Greg Carey for most games played with Lehigh Valley.

LEHIGH VALLEY – GAMES PLAYED
1. Greg Carey 277
2. Chris Conner 265
3. Colin McDonald 248
4. Reece Willcox 232
5. T.J. Brennan 230
6. Nic Aube-Kubel 229
7. Garrett Wilson 228
8. Cole Bardreau 226
8. Taylor Leier 226

GET THE GRIFFS – Lehigh Valley and Grand Rapids meet for the first time ever with a pair of games at PPL Center this weekend. The last time the Phantoms and Griffins played was over 15 years ago in some of the last-ever games at Wachovia Spectrum. The Philadelphia Phantoms swept the Griffs 7-4 and 4-1 on March 28 and March 29, 2009. The 7-4 win included hat tricks from Jon Matsumoto and Rob Sirianni marking the only time in franchise history the Phantoms have had two hat tricks in the same game.

Grand Rapids joined the AHL in 2001 transferring over from the former IHL where the Griffs had been members from 1996-2001. The Griffins won Calder Cup titles in 2013 and 2017 besting the Syracuse Crunch both times. Hershey head coach Todd Nelson was the Grand Rapids bench boss for the team’s 2017 run.

Grand Rapids (4-1-0) picked up a 2-1 win at Springfield on Friday with rookie Nate Danielson scoring his first career pro goal. The Griffins won a pair of low-scoring squeakers at home last weekend sweeping Manitoba 1-0 and 2-1. The Griffins have added 28-year-old forward Joe Snively who scored the lone goal in the Grand Rapids Saturday win. Snively was a Hershey mainstay for the last five years. 2021 picks Carter Mazur (third round) and Shai Buium (second round) were teammates at the University of Denver with Massimo Rizzo and Bobby Brink. 6-foot-7 goaltender Sebastian Cossa (3-1-0, 1.41, .958) was the #15 overall selection in 2021 and won gold for Canada at the World Juniors in 2022 where he was teammates with Lehigh Valley’s Elliot Desnoyers. Dan Watson is in his first season as head coach following six years as bench boss for the ECHL Toledo Walleye.

SCORING LEADERS
Lehigh Valley
Samu Tuomaala 2-2-4
Rodrigo Abols 1-2-3
Anthony Richard 1-2-3
Oscar Eklind 2-0-2
Jacob Gaucher 2-0-2

Grand Rapids
Austin Watson 0-4-4
Dominik Shine 1-2-3
Joe Snively 1-2-3
Amadeus Lombardi 2-0-2

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 27.8%, 3rd / 75.9%, 25th
Grand Rapids – PP 10.5% 26th / 94.1%, 4th

COMING UP –  The Phantoms and Griffins rematch at PPL Center on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. Sunday’s game featured Haunted on Hamilton for Sppoky Fun including a costume parade during the intermission, trick or treating and pumpkin painting.
The Phantoms open a three-game road-swing on Wednesday, October 30 beginning with a trip to Chocolatown to face the two-time defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears.

UPCOMING

Saturday, October 26 – Grand Rapids Griffins at Phantoms

Sunday, October 27 (3:05) – Grand Rapids Griffins at Phantoms (Haunted on Hamilton, Spooky Fun!)

Wednesday, October 30 – Phantoms at Hershey Bears

Saturday, November 2 – Phantoms at Springfield Thunderbirds

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