Syracuse Clips Phantoms 3-0

Homestand Finale Saturday vs. Providence

March 21, 2025

Allentown, PA – Coming off one of their best games of the season, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms were unable to replicate the success as they fell 3-0 to the Syracuse Crunch on Friday night at PPL Center. Conor Geekie (4th, 5th) led the visitors with a pair of goals. The Phantoms are now 2-2-0 on their five-game homestand with one game remaining on Saturday against Providence.

Lehigh Valley (31-24-7) hung in there to withstand a strong push by the Crunch in the first period. Cal Petersen made a number of strong saves as the Phantoms were outshot 12-4. Ben Gleason took exception to a high elbow from Tristan Allard and dropped the gloves at 11:52 into the frame winning the bout decisively. But the Phantoms were unable to convert on the first of six power plays. Lehigh Valley also received a carry-over power play from the end of the first period but a Phantoms player who was collided into by a Syracuse player was assessed a penalty and ended the power play prematurely.

Syracuse (28-19-12) converted on the man advantage at 1:17 into the second with a shot by former Arizona first-rounder Conor Geekie coming back to the young talent recently loaned from Tampa Bay. Geekie fired again and this time converted for a 1-0 lead.

Geekie’s next goal at 9:48 into the period involved a connection up along the right board and then a quick straight line to the net on a fast and angled breakaway. The talented Geeking slid through his second goal of the night five-hole to make it 2-0.

Lehigh Valley successfully killed two more power plays to stay within striking distance and seemed to find another gear late in the frame with several close-range chances on Matt Tomkins. Rhett Gardner had a try in tight off the left pad of Tomkins and then shortly thereafter his next offering was a backhander that just missed upstairs going over the crossbar.

Some more feisty antics continued as well including an end-of-period skirmish that earned penalties for both sides. Indeed, Lehigh Valley captain Garrett Wilson would have been right at home in this physical affair but the team leader was enjoying the newest member of his family with the birth of his second son who arrived earlier in the day.

Tomkins left the game with an injury with 12:32 remaining while Lehigh Valley was kicking it into gear. Enter Ryan Fanti who had arrived from ECHL Orlando on a flight to Philadelphia and drive to Allentown well after the game had started. Fanti joined the bench in the second period and then was called upon to jump into the game in the third. Fanti made a couple of saves to start but his defenders in front of him also did a strong job blocking shots to protect their still-cold netminder who had just arrived.

A series of shots and a scramble at the net led to a goal from the right of the cage by Anthony Angello (9th) with 7:44 remaining to make it 3-0.

Lehigh Valley pulled Cal Petersen for a 6-on-4 power play late in the third period but still couldn’t break through and the visiting Crunch hung on for the win.

Syracuse recorded its first win against Lehigh Valley in three tries. Phantoms’ head coach Ian Laperriere is best friends with Syracuse head coach Joel Bouchard. The evening marked the fifth time this season the Phantoms have been blanked. It was just the second shutout for Lehigh Valley at home and was the first since October 19 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the second home game of the 2024-25 season.

The Phantoms wrap up the five-game homestand on Saturday against the Providence Bruins who won on Friday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a dominating 10-2 rout.

Saturday’s game is the first-ever Phan-Con with the Phantoms in conjunction with Lehigh Valley ComicCon.

SCORING SUMMARY

2nd 1:17 – SYR, C. Geekie (4) (L. Brown, J. Finley) (PP) (0-1)
2nd 9:48 – SYR, C. Geekie (5) (T. Bisson, A. Angello) (0-2)

3rd 12:16 – SYR, A> Angello (9) (D. Duke, N. Huuhtanen) (0-3)

Shots:
LV 20 – SYR 24

PP:
LV 0/6, SYR 1/6

Goaltenders:
LV – C. Petersen (L) (11-13-3) (21/24)
SYR – M. Tomkins (W) (12-10-4) (16/16)
SYR – R. Fanti (ND) (4/4)

Records:
Lehigh Valley (31-23-5)
Syracuse (28-19-12)

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