PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Bruins, Game #26

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (10-10-5) vs. Providence Bruins (14-10-2)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #26

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms return to PPL Center for their final homestand before the holiday break as they host the streaking Providence Bruins, AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins.

The Phantoms are coming off an exciting overtime win at the North Division frontrunning Cleveland Monsters on Saturday via Louie Belpedio’s decisive strike.

The Bruins have been racking up the goals and have also racked up a six-game win streak and now sit at third-place in the Atlantic Division after briefly occupying the second-place position prior to Charlotte’s win on Tuesday.

This is Game 3 out of 4 in the season series and is also the first Allentown visit of the year for the Bruins.

Tonight features pregame Happy Hour with $2 draft beer specials. The homestand concludes on Friday against the Toronto Marlies including a Holiday Extravaganza as well as meLVin Youth Winter Knit Caps from Reilly Children’s Hospital.

LAST TIME –Louie Belpedio blasted home the overtime winner on Saturday night as the Phantoms earned a split of their two-game series in Cleveland with a 3-2 victory. Cal Petersen had just made a breakaway save on Trey Fix-Wolansky in the overtime and earned his second assist of the night on Belpedio’s fourth career overtime goal on a drive-and-drop by Alexis Gendron. Rodrigo Abols returned to the lineup after a five-game absence and scored the fastest goal of the season just 41 seconds into the game while Jacob Gaucher’s breakaway strike on a Cal Petersen stretch-pass in the second period was good for his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

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

GAUCHER SIGNS NHL DEAL – The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Jacob Gaucher to a two-year, entry-level contract. Gaucher, 23, had been on an AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and is in his second season with the team and his third in pro hockey. The Longquiel, Quebec native leads the Phantoms with 11 goals and also has six assists for 17 points which is third on Lehigh Valley. Gaucher scored this season’s Teddy Bear Toss goal on December 7 against Hershey and recorded his first career hat trick on November 2 at Springfield. Last year, Gaucher came through with the playoff-series clinching goal in overtime to eliminate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on April 26, 2024.

OVERTIME IS LOUIE-TIME – Louie Belpedio has moved into second in Lehigh Valley history with four career overtime goals with the Phantoms. Only T.J. Brennan (5) has had more extra-time strikes than Belpedio. Three of his four overtime goals have been on the road including two winners at Cleveland as well as an OT goal at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in his very first game for the Phantoms on October 15, 2022. His lone PPL Center overtime strike was April 13, 2024 against Bridgeport.

Phantoms Franchise Record Book
Most Overtime Goals:
John Slaney – 6
T.J. Brennan – 5
Peter White – 5
LOUIE BELPEDIO – 4
Jason Akeson – 4

PHANTASTIC – 

– Jacob Gaucher became the first Phantom to reach double digits in goals this season after scoring his 9th and 10th on Tuesday at Toronto.  This season’s Teddy Bear Toss goal scorer now has five goals in the last seven games. Gaucher has already eclipsed his AHL rookie season total last year of eight goals.

– Second-year pro J.R. Avon has gotten it going with goals in back-to-back games at the beginning of last week’se road trip with his first of the season on Sunday in Hershey crashing the net followed by a more picturesque goal blasting one top-shelf on the power play in his homecoming to Toronto.

– The Phantoms lead the AHL with 11 overtime games out of 25 games total and also are tied for the tops in overtime wins with five (along with Cleveland) The Phantoms are 5-4 in overtime decisions and are 1-1 in shootouts.

– Lehigh Valley has played in 17 one-goal decisions out of its first 23 games going 8-4-5 in the squeakers. That’s tied for the most one-goal games with Hershey (17). The Phantoms are 5-0-2 at home in one-goal games.

BATTLING THE BRUINS – Providence (14-10-2) vaulted from seventh to second in the Atlantic on the strength of a six-game win streak but has since slipped back to third place following Charlotte’s victory last night. Shortly after back-to-back losses against the last-place Utica Comets, the Bruins have found their offense and have now racked up 25 goals in the last five games including a pair of goals in the win streak from defenseman Mason Millman who played parts of four seasons for the Phantoms. Providence Captain Patrick Brown (6-9-15) is a former Philadelphia Flyer of two seasons with 620 career pro games. Georgii Merkulov (6-17-23) is tied for sixth in the league in assists and had an overtime goal against the Phantoms on November 23 in Rhode Island. Brandon Bussi (5-6-2, 3.05, .889) posted a 30-save shutout against the Phantoms in the first meeting on November 22. After a horrible start, Bussi’s shutout against the Phantoms started the former AHL All-Star netminder back on the right track going 4-1-0, 1.81, .930 since November 22 after beginning the season 1-5-0, 4.11, .857.

SCORING LEADERS
Lehigh Valley
Samu Tuomaala 8-12-20
Olle Lycksell 5-13-18
Jacob Gaucher 11-6-17
Anthony Richard 6-10-16
Oscar Eklind 4-8-12
Ethan Samson 5-5-10

Providence
Vinni Lettieri 10-17-27
Georgii Merkulov 6-17-23
Patrick Brown 6-9-15
Matthew Poitras 6-8-14
Ian Mitchell 1-13-14

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 20.8%, 7th / PK 83.3%, 12th
Providence – PP 18.6%, 15th / PK 81.7%, 18th

COMING UP –  The homestand continues Friday against the Toronto Marlies on meLVin Youth Knit Winter Cap Night for the kids in a game featuring holiday-style fun!

UPCOMING

Wednesday, December 18 (7:05) – Providence Bruins at Phantoms – Pregame Happy Hour, $2 Draft Beers

Friday, December 20 (7:05) – Toronto Marlies at Phantoms – meLVin Youth Winter Knit Cap presented by Reilly Children’s Hospital

Saturday, December 21 (6:05) – Phantoms at W-B/Scranton Penguins

Friday, December 27 (7:05) – Phantoms at W-B/Scranton Penguins

Saturday, December 28 (7:05) – Charlotte Checkers at Phantoms – Postgame Photographs with the Phantoms players presented by NJM Insurance

Tuesday, December 31 (7:05) – Charlotte Checkers at Phantoms – Light-up glow sticks from Penn Community Bank. World’s Largest Puck-Drop at Midnight!

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