First Pro Goals for Kaplan and Dorwart on Electric Opening Night

Phantoms Rock Belleville 5-2

October 11, 2025

Allentown, PA – Devin Kaplan scored his first two career pro goals just 2:40 apart in the first period as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms eventually cruised out to a 4-0 lead en route to a 5-2 Opening Night win at PPL Center on Saturday night. Karsen Dorwart also got into the First Goal Fun as the two rookie arrivals contributed a majority of the team’s scoring before a raucous and energetic crowd welcoming the beginning of the team’s 12th season.

Phan Nation rose for Kaplan’s breakaway early in the third period with a chance to score just the second Opening Night hat trick in Lehigh Valley history but his shot past the glove of goaltender Mads Sogaard rang directly off the post and stayed out. Danick Martel’s trifecta in the 2017 season-opener remains the team’s lone Opening Night hattie.

Aleksei Kolosov (27/29) began his second pro season in North America with a stellar effort that included several sterling denials in the first period in backstopping a perfect 7-for-7 penalty-kill effort. Center Lane Pederson also scored his first goal as a Phantom, the 112th career goal for the veteran arrival who played with Bakersfield last year. Ty Murchison capped the win with a long empty-netter for his second career pro goal.

Lehigh Valley (1-0-0) had to withstand a late surge from the B-Sens who closed the 4-0 deficit down to 4-2 early in the third period but ultimately the Phantoms finished it off.

Shortly after a pregame light show delighted the early-arriving crowd, the Phantom wasted little time getting the offense going. Kaplan scored on a top-shelf snipe from the right circle just 6:18 into his AHL debut and second career pro game to join a select group of debut goal scorers which includes Jacob Gaucher, Cooper Marody, Hayden Hodgson, Zayde Wisdom and Scott Laughton.

Overall, the game was about grit and effort. Especially with the penalty troubles the Phantoms had throughout. The night also marked the first AHL head coaching win for John Snowden.

“I thought we started well,” Snowden said. “Penalty kill was excellent tonight. Then we kind of found our feet. (Kaplan) had a big goal to get us going and followed it up with another one. I liked us in spots today. I don’t want to take anything away from that. I think there’s a ton of learning moments for us as a team.”

It took just another 2:40 for Kaplan to light the lamp again with Garrett Wilson sliding the feed across this time for a low shot past the skate of Sogaard for a 2-0 advantage at 8:58.

Dorwart’s power-play strike early in the second period came as a result of some snappy passing from rookie Denver Barkey and second-year wing Alexis Gendron who set up the big blast in the slot at 2:08 into the second period and a 3-0 lead. Dorwart’s first career pro goal came as a result of Barkey’s first career pro assist.

Pederson’s blast to make it 4-0 also came from the high slot with Anthony Richard finding him from the corner. Emil Andrae notched his second assist on the play.

Belleville was off to a rough start but refused to go away. Keean Washkurak found the back of the net just 1:20 into the third to break Kolosov’s shutout effort. And a turnover led to Xavier Bourgault’s five-hole strike shorthanded at 5:13 from Phil Daoust to cut it to 4-2.

The Phantoms were sweating it somewhat allowing Belleville to go on the power play four times in the third period but some key blocks helped protect Kolosov who made some more strong saves to preserve the advantage.

“I didn’t love the way we finished the game,” Snowden said. “But we finished the game. And we won and that’s what matters. Those are the things you expect this time of year. You expect to have moments when things are going really well for you and you expect to have moments when you’re kind of scrambling and chasing and just trying to get organized. And that’s what it is at the beginning of the season, especially with a young team that we have. I’m proud of all the guys. They were awesome and worked all the way to the end.”

Ty Murchison’s length-of-the-ice clear found the empty net with 1:07 remaining to seal the win.

Lehigh Valley improved to 8–4–0 all-time on season openers and 21–9–0 overall in franchise season openers dating back to 1996. The Phantoms continue Opening Weekend on Sunday, October 12 at 3:05 p.m. against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, when fans will receive Phantoms Trading Card Sets at the door.

The post First Pro Goals for Kaplan and Dorwart on Electric Opening Night appeared first on Lehigh Valley Phantoms.