Bump it Up! Phantoms Romp in Game 1
Alex Bump Scores Twice at Wilkes in 5-2 Win
April 23, 2025
Wilkes-Barre, PA – Lehigh Valley’s reinforced and bolstered lineup showcased its talents in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Playoffs in a dominating 5-2 trouncing of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the Best of 3 series. The Phantoms can sweep the Penguins right out of the playoffs for a second consecutive season at PPL Center on Friday night as part of an Orange Out evening of Rallying the Valley.
Newcomer Alex Bump scored twice while Jett Luchanko racked up a pair of smooth helpers. Parker Gahagen finished with 28 saves and was five minutes away from a postseason shutout before the Baby Pens converted a pair of goals in garbage time after the final result had been decided.
Olle Lycksell, Rodrigo Abols and Anthony Richard also scored in front of the strong contingent of fans who traveled up the turnpike wearing orange and black in successful efforts to turn Mohegan Arena into “PPL Center North.”
If the Phantoms win on Friday then they will face either Charlotte or Hershey in the second round. That depends on what happens in the Springfield vs. Providence matchup. Currently, Springfield has a 1-0 in the series and if the Thunderbirds eliminate Providence then that would result in the Phantoms playing Charlotte in the next round. If the Phantoms can finish off the Penguins. A repeat performance of Wednesday’s dominating effort would likely lead to that result.
Lehigh Valley got off to a roaring start with a 10-4 shots advantage and eventually a tap-in goal on the backdoor for Lycksell after Andrae’s shot rushing in from the left point caromed off goaltender Joel Blomqvist. Jacob Gaucher had dropped the puck to Andrae on the sequence at 8:41 into the game for a 1-0 lead.
The rest of the first period was largely a grappling match. Several scrums and pile-ons were no surprise given the way this rivalry series had gone through 12 regular-season games. Gahagen made perhaps his top save of the night when he denied Tristan Broz in tight pushing out the right pad to somehow hold it out.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had four power plays to open the second period. The Phantoms killed them all. Including a full two-minute 5-on-3 when Jett Luchanko was tagged for interference on a hard backchecking effort and then Oscar Eklind was nuked for slashing during the ensuing 6-on-5 delayed-penalty extra-attacker push. Deflected passes and blocked shots for the Phantoms penalty kills helped the team grind through the disadvantage. WIlkes-Barre/Scranton’s 5-on-3 looked weak and passive against Lehigh Valley’s inspired penalty-kill contingent including at different times Louie Belpedio, Adam Ginning, Emil Andrae, Jacob Gaucher and Rodrigo Abols.
But Luchanko was immediately called for another infraction just as his first penalty expired when he played the puck without fully returning from the penalty box. The Phantoms held off the Penguins on that man advantage as well. While Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was building a 12-1 shots advantage since Lehigh Valley’s early hot start.
But the Phantoms were building momentum off their penalty kills and were ready to showcase their offensive flash again.
Luchanko finally came out of the box to stay and on the same shift received a lead pass from Adam Ginning, zipped up the right wing, and then put on a full stop and doubled back to drop to Bump in the slot to slam it home at 8:25 for a 2-0 lead.
Grebenkin boosted the advantage just over five minutes later when he controlled the puck along the boards from two defenders and then found an open Abols in the slot whose first shot off the right pad of Blomqvist resulted in a quick rebound opportunity to slide in the team’s third goal of the night just past his right skate at 13:46.
The Phantoms were ready to Bump it Up again in the third period with some snappy passing on the power play. Andrae and Lycksell worked it over to Alex Bump at the top of the left circle with a powerful blast beating relief goaltender Taylor Gauthier. The 21-year-old from Prior Lake, Minnesota went from winning a National Championship with Western Michigan University to thriving in his first three pro games with three goals and two assists since the last weekend of the regular season.
Luchanko zoomed into the Penguins’ zone and wheeled behind the goal over to the left wing to set up a perfect seam-pass back across to Anthony Richard for the backdoor blast at 9:50 to put the Phantoms ahead by a 5-0 margin.
Parker Gahagen’s shutout bid was broken in the final five minutes when Avery Hayes scored from Sam Poulin on a 2-on-1 with 4:52 left and then Gabe Klassen streaked past the defense on a lead pass by Hayes with 1:09 left to beat Gahagen and providence for the 5-2 final.
Lehigh Valley goes for the sweep on Friday night at PPL Center. If the Phantoms win then it will be the season straight season defeating the Penguins 2-0 in the first round. Last year, Jacob Gaucher scored the overtime winner in Game 2 at PPL Center on April 26, 2024.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st 8:41 – LV, O. Lycksell (E. Andrae, J. Gaucher) (1-0)
2nd 8:25 – LV, A. Bump (J. Luchanko, A. Ginning) (2-0)
2nd 13:46 – LV, R. Abols (N. Grebenkin, L. Belpedio) (3-0)
3rd 8:17 – LV, A. Bump (2) (O. Lycksell, E. Andrae) (PP) (4-0)
3rd 9:50 – LV, A. Richard (J. Luchanko) (5-0)
3rd 15:08 – WBS, A. Hayes (S. Poulin, T. Broz) (5-1)
3rd 18:51 – WBS, G. Klassen (A. Hayes) (5-2)
Shots:
LV 33 – WBS 30
PP:
LV 1/3, WBS 0/4
Goaltenders:
LV – P. Gahagen (W) (28/30)
WBS – J. Blomqvist (L) (23/26)
WBS – T. Gauthier (ND) (5/7)
Series:
Lehigh Valley leads 1-0 in Best of 3
COMING UP – We’re back in the Valley on Friday night for Game 2 of the Best of 3 Series. It’s an “Orange Out” at PPL Center with fans encouraged to wear orange to the game.
UPCOMING
Calder Cup Playoffs
Game 2 – Friday, April 25 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Lehigh Valley. Orange Out!! Rally Towels!!
Game 3 (if necessary) – Sunday, April 27 (6:05) – Lehigh Valley at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
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