PREVIEW: Phantoms at Wolf Pack, Game #36

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (16-13-6) at Hartford Wolf Pack (16-14-3)
XL Center, Hartford, CT
Saturday, January 11, 2025 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #36

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are back on the road as they rematch with the Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. Tonight is Game 5 out of 6 in the season series and is the final Hartford visit of the season.

Lehigh Valley (16-13-6) is 3-0-0 to start 2025 and is 7-3-1 in its last 11 games. The Phantoms are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division and are two points back of fourth-place Providence while holding a three-point lead ahead of sixth-place Hartford. The Wolf Pack (16-14-3) also have two games-in-hand on Lehigh Valley.

All four meetings between the Phantoms and Wolf Pack have gone to overtime with both teams splitting two wins each.

LAST TIME – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms had goals from Massimo Rizzo (3rd) and Alexis Gendron (11th) but the Hartford Wolf Pack escaped with a 3-2 overtime decision at PPL Center on Friday night on Victor Mancini’s (3rd) snipe on the rush. Veteran Alex Belzile (11th) and prospect Adam Sykora (8th) also scored for the Pack while Dylan Garand picked up the OT win over Cal Petersen.

MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for tonight’s game here: https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/

OLLE IS AN ALL-STAR – Olle Lycksell has been selected to represent the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star Classic in Palm Springs, CA taking place February 2-3.

Lycksell is tied with Samu Tuomaala for the team lead in scoring with 9-14-25. Lycksell recorded his 100th career point with the Phantoms on December 4 and notched his second career hat trick on December 20 in a 7-2 thrashing of the Toronto Marlies. That led to him winning  AHL Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career becoming the first player in Lehigh Valley history to win it twice. Lycksell has scored three overtime goals this season to lead the AHL and also tie for a Phantoms franchise record for most OT goals in a season.

OVERTIME IS PHANTOMS-TIME – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms lead the AHL with seven overtime wins and 14 overtime games this season. Lehigh Valley is 7-5 in overtime decisions and 1-1 in shootouts. Olle Lycksell has scored three overtime winners to lead the AHL. Other overtime goal-scorers for the Phantoms include Rhett Gardner, Samu Tuomaala, Louie Belpedio and Brendan Furry.

The Phantoms had won their last three straight overtime games before Friday’s setback and are 5-2 in overtimes dating back to Samu Tuomaala’s winner at Hartford on November 27. The Phantoms are also 7-3 in their last nine OT games since November 9 against Utica.

The franchise record for most overtime wins in a season is eight which has happened twice including last year in 2023-24 and also by the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2005-06.

PHANTASTIC – 

– The Phantoms are on a four-game point streak (3-0-1) to open 2025.

– Balanced Attack: 12 different players have scored Lehigh Valley’s 14 total goals in the last four games. Alexis Gendron is the only Phantoms player with multiple goals in 2024. Last Tuesday, the Phantoms were led by three defensemen who all scored goals: Hunter McDonald 93rd), Ethan Samson (6th) and Emil Andrae (1st) all found the back of the net while Helge Grans (3rd) scored last Saturday at Syracuse and Adam Ginning (1st) had an empty-netter at Utica.

– Jacob Gaucher recorded his 100th career pro point with his team-leading 14th goal of the season on Tuesday at Hershey.

– Last night was Rhett Gardner’s 300th career AHL game. Tuesday was the 200th AHL game for Helge Grans.

– Alexis Gendron has three goals in the last four games and also four goals in the last six games and also five goals in the last nine. He turned 21 years old on December 30.

– The Phantoms will hit the midway mark of the season this weekend. After Saturday’s game at Hartford, the Phantoms will have played 36 games and will have 36 to go.

– Lehigh Valley leads the AHL with 14 overtime games and seven overtime wins. The Phantoms are 7-5 in overtime decisions and 1-1 in shootouts.

– Lehigh Valley is second in the AHL in one-goal games with 23 trailing only Hershey. The Phantoms are 12-5-6 in the one-goal squeakers including 7-0-3 at home in one-goal games.

VISITING THE WOLF PACK – Hartford (16-14-3) has had inconsistent play under first-year head coach Grant Potulny but remains close behind the Phantoms in the Atlantic Division standings entering this important home-and-home weekend series. The Wolf Pack have sometimes been all-or-nothing and recently followed up an impressive 7-0 New Year’s Eve thrashing of Springfield with a humbling 5-0 loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and then bounced back with a 5-1 win vs. Bridgeport on Sunday. They kept it up with a 3-2 overtime win at Lehigh Valley on Friday.

All four previous meetings between the Phantoms and Wolf Pack have gone to overtime and Lehigh Valley is 2-0-2 against Hartford. Lehigh Valley won in a shootout at PPL Center on Opening Night on October 12 in a rough-and-tumble and chippy affair. Samu Tuomaala scored the overtime-winning goal at Hartford on November 27 in the most recent encounter.

33-year-old veteran Alex Belzile (11-21-32) leads the offense in his second year with the team following five seasons with Laval and Montreal and was just named to the AHL All-Star Classic along with goaltender Dylan Garand (11-4-2, 2.16, .929) who rates 9th in the AHL in GAA. Former Anaheim first-rounder Bo Groulx (11-18-29) had an overtime winner against the Phantoms on October 25 at Hartford but has recently been recalled to the New York Rangers. Second-rounder Adam Sykora (8-12-20) is in his third pro season and had a goal at Lehigh Valley on Friday and first-rounder Brennan Othmann (3-5-8) recently returned from injury that had him on the shelf for two months.

Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Samu Tuomaala 8-17-25
x – Olle Lycksell 9-15-24
Jacob Gaucher 14-9-23
Rodrigo Abols 8-9-17
Anthony Richard 6-10-16
Alexis Gendron 11-5-16
Oscar Eklind 4-11-15

Hartford
Alex Belzile 11-21-32
Bo Groulx 11-18-29
Adam Sykora 8-12-20
Jaroslav Chemolav 4-11-15
Matthew Robertson 1-14-15
Dylan Roobroeck 6-8-14

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 18.1%, 11th / PK 83.2%, 15th / PP vs. HFD 5/21, 23.8%
Hartford – PP 17.2%, 14th / PK 79.9, 25th / PP vs. LV, 3-17, 17.6%

SEASON SERIES
Oct 12 – Win – Hartford 3 at Lehigh Valley 4 (SO)
Oct 25 – OTL – Lehigh Valley 3 at Harford 4 (OT)
Nov 27 – Win – Lehigh Valley 5 at Hartford 4 (OT)
Jan 10 – OTL – Hartford 3 at Lehigh Valley 2 (OT)
Jan 11 at Hartford
Feb 8 at Lehigh Valley

SERIES LEADERS
Lehigh Valley
Samu Tuomaala 4-2-6
Anthony Richard 1-4-5
Rodrigo Abols 1-3-4
Louie Belpedio 0-3-3
x – Olle Lycksell 0-3-3

Hartford
Alex Belzile 1-5-6
Bo Groulx 2-2-4
Anton Blidh 3-0-3
Casey Fitzgerald 1-3-4
Adam Sykora 1-3-4

COMING UP –  The Phantoms wrap up the weekend on Sunday evening at the Bridgeport Islanders. The Phantoms are back at PPL Center on Wednesday, January 15 hosting the Belleville Senators with Pregame Happy Hour.

UPCOMING

Saturday, January 11 (7:05) – Phantoms at Hartford Wolf Pack

Sunday, January 12 (5:00) – Phantoms at Bridgeport Islanders

Wednesday, January 15 (7:05) – Phantoms vs. Belleville Senators, Pregame Happy Hour, $2 Beers

Friday, January 17 (7:05) – Phantoms at Rochester Americans

Saturday, January 18 (7:05) – Rochester Americans at Phantoms – Air Products Night, Children’s Book Donation Drive

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