Phantoms win 3 of 4, Jordan Weal climbs the AHL scoring leaderboard
- 4-1 WIN vs. Toronto Marlies
- 4-3 LOSS vs. Hershey Bears
- 3-2 OT WIN vs. Hershey Bears
- 3-2 WIN vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers/
The Phantoms have feasted on the Toronto Marlies in two games this season, defeating them 7-2 back on November 12, and following up with another big win this past week.
Chris Connor (4) gave LHV the early lead in the 1st period via a PP goal. Toronto tied the game in the 2nd and held the game at 1-1 going into the 3rd. Sam Morin (2) and Jordan Weal (7) broke the tie. Colin McDonald (9) added a EN PP goal with less than a minute left in the game. Alex Lyon bounced back to make 25 saves and earn the 1st star of the game.
Things didn’t fare well for Lyon in Friday’s game, stopping only 19 of 23 shots. Hershey had a 3-0 lead before T.J. Brennan scored a PP goal at 18:55 of the 2nd period, his 6th goal of the season. Jordan Weal (8) added a PP goal to bring the deficit to 4-2 and Robert Hagg would score his 1st of the season to bring the Phantoms within one.
The rematch against Hershey on Saturday saw the Phantoms avenge their loss with an OT win. Jordan Weal played the hero in the extra frame, scoring his 9th goal of the season. Lehigh Valley also received goals from T.J. Brennan (7) and Colin McDonald (10), both on the PP. Alex Lyon made his 10th consecutive start since Anthony Stolarz’s recall to the NHL. The rookie netminder made 34 saves in the game.
On Sunday, he Phantoms FINALLY beat Bridgeport after previously going 0-3 against the Tigers on the year. Taylor Leier (6) and Colin McDonald (11) gave the LHV the early 2-0 lead through the 1st period. Bridgeport battled back to tie the game 2-2 to close out the 2nd period. At 7:40 in the 3rd, Danick Martel potted his 5th of the season (and first goal since 11/5) that would prove to be the game-winner. Martin Ouellette made his 16/17 debut for the Phantoms, turning away 19 of 21 shots for the victory. This was his first AHL start since April 16 last season.
Robert Hagg (D): 1 goal, 1 assist, 7 shots, 6 PIM
2013 2nd Round Pick, 41st overall
Surprisingly, Hagg gets his first goal of the season before Travis Sanheim. Apparently it was quite the snipe to beat the goalie. To boot, his assist on Martel’s goal was also said to be a beauty. You have to hope this is a step in the right direction after a slow start.
Jordan Weal (C): 3 goals, 4 assists, 15 shots
2010 3rd Round Pick, 70th overall (LA Kings)
All aboard the Jordan Weal hype-train. The 24 year old is on pace for his best AHL season yet. Weal has 5 goals in his last 7 games and his 24 points are tied for 2nd most in the AHL.
Taylor Leier (LW): 1 goal, 3 assists, 11 shots, 2 PIM
2012 4th Round Pick, 117th overall
Leier is seeing time with the Phantoms top line featuring Corban Knight and Colin McDonald and the dividends have been obvious. Leier is now up to 20 points (6 goals 14 assists) in 22 games this season.
Notable junior performances this week
Connor Bunnaman (LW/C), Kitchner Rangers (OHL)
2016 4th Round Pick, 109th overall
Bunnaman’s hat-trick on Friday was his 2nd of his junior career. His first was last season on 12/8 against Guelph Storm. Bunnaman has 13 goals and 9 assists in 25 games this season.
- 12/2 – 1 shot
12/3 – 3 goals, 3 shots, 1 for 1 FOW/
Anthony Salinitri (C), Sarnia Sting (OHL)
2016 6th Round Pick, 172nd overall
Salinitri notched his 11th goal of the season on Sunday, which is good for 2nd highest on Sarnia. This cute thing happened following the goal. With a two-point weekend, he now has 24 points in 26 games.
- 12/2 – 1 assist, 2 shots, 5 for 12 FOW
12/4 – 1 goal, 4 shots, 12 for 16 FOW/
Carter Hart (G), Everett Silvertips (WHL)
2016 2nd Round Pick, 48th overall
- The amazing Carter Hart extended his shutout streak to 3 games in a row. According to the team the shutout streak reached 193:48 before ending on Friday. For the folks at home, his 1.65 GAA and .937 SV% are both best in the WHL.
11/30 – 0 GA, 20 saves
12/2 – 3 GA, 23 saves/
Carsen Twarynski (LW), Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
2016 3rd Round Pick, 82nd overall
- Things got testy in Friday’s matchup with the Swift Current Broncos where Twarynski picked up a 10 minute game misconduct towards the end of the 3rd period (along with a Broncos player). Saturday’s game saw Carsen score his 8th goal of the season.
12/2 – 10 PIM
12/3 – 1 goal, 1 assist/
Philippe Myers (D), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
Undrafted Free Agent
This is your weekly reminder that the Flyers have an absolute steal in Philippe Myers. The 19 year old has 18 points (8G, 10A) in 18 games and 14 points in his last 10 games. His concussion-issues this season haven’t appeared to slow him down.
- 11/30 – 1 assist, 3 shots, 4 PIM, 3 hits
12/2 – 1 goal, 2 shots, 4 hits
12/3 – 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 shots, 2 hits/
Samuel Dove-McFalls (C), Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
2015 4th Round Pick, 98th overall
- Dove-McFalls salvages a quiet week with his 5th goal of the season and first since 11/18.
11/29 – 1 assist, 1 shot, 2 PIM, 2 for 3 FOW
12/01 – 2 shots, 2 for 10 FOW
12/02 – 2 PIM, 7 for 10 FOW
12/04 – 1 goal, 2 shots, 2 PIM, 4 for 6 FOW/
CHL Notes: Sadly, Pascal Laberge was not in the Victoriaville lineup last week after concussion symptoms resurfaced. Laberge had missed 16 games earlier this season prior to his return.
Notable European performances this week
Felix Sandstrom (G), Brynas IF (SHL)
2015 3rd Round Pick, 70th overall
- Sandstrom improved his SV% to .917 in 10 games played this season, tied for 11th best in the SHL.
12/1 – DNP
12/3 – 0 GA, 22 saves/
Oskar Lindblom (LW/RW), Brynas IF (SHL)
2014 5th Round Pick, 138th overall
- Lindblom scored his 8th goal of the season via this nifty snipe. His 24 points is 2nd best in the SHL and leads the league in even strength points with 17.
12/1 – 2 assists, 1 shot, 16:15 TOI
12/3 – 1 goal, 2 shots, 17:59 TOI/
Linus Hodberg (D), Vaxjo Lakers HC (SHL)
2016 5th Round Pick, 139th overall
- Big things must have happened with the Vaxjo Lakers as Hodberg gets a massive jump in TOI. With last week’s games included, he is now averaging a little over 8 minutes a game.
11/29 – 1 shot, 10:10 TOI
12/1 – 3 shots, 18:07 TOI
12/3 – 22:22 TOI/
David Bernhardt (D), Djurgardens IF (SHL)
2016 7th Round Pick, 199th overall
Bernhardt’s assist on Saturday was his 5th of the season. He has 6 points in 19 games with Djurgardens IF.
- 11/29 – 9:57 TOI
12/1 – 1:55 TOI
12/3 – 1 assist, 1 shot, 8:25 TOI/
German Rubtsov (LW/C), Vityaz Podolsk (KHL)
2016 1st Round Pick, 22nd overall
- Can we start a GoFundMe to get this poor kid out of the KHL? He is essentially the 13th forward on the team and I’m not sure how he can grow as a result. Disappointing to say the least.
11/30 – 2 for 3 FOW, 8 shifts, 4:50 TOI
12/2 – 2 shots, 3 for 5 FOW, 13 shifts, 8:43 TOI
12/4 – 1 for 3 FOW, 5 shifts, 1:35 TOI/
Mikhail Vorobyov (C), Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)
2015 4th Round Pick, 104th overall
- Vorobyov hasn’t had a point since 10/26, which probably has a lot to do with his fluctuating ice time.
11/30 – 2 PIM, 4 for 6 FOW, 10:11 TOI
12/2 – 1 shot, 1 for 6 FOW, 8:17 TOI
12/4 – 2 for 4 FOW, 3 shifts, 2:02 TOI/
Ivan Fedotov (G), Toros Neftekamsk (VHL)
2016 7th Round Pick, 188th overall
Crazy that it took this long for his VHL to clear out the goalie logjam to allow this kid to play. In 5 games, Fedotov has a 2.01 GAA and .928 SV%.
11/29 – 3 GA, 32 saves
12/1 – DNP
12/3 – 2 GA, 19 saves
Notable college performances this week
Mark Friedman (D), Bowling Green State University
2014 3rd Round Pick, 86th overall
- Friedman gets a primary assist on Saturday, giving him 13 points (4G, 9A) in 17 games with BGSU.
12/2 – no points
12/3 – 1 assist, 2 PIM/
Wade Allison (RW), Western Michigan University
2016 2nd Round Pick, 52nd overall
Allison and WMU were back in action after a week off. His goal Saturday was his 7th of the season, good for 2nd best on the team.
12/2 – 3 shots
12/3 – 1 goal, 4 shots
Merrick Madsen (G), Harvard University
2013 6th Round Pick, 162nd overall
- Madsen improved to 8-2-1 on the season with a .912 SV%.
12/2 – 2 GA, 22 saves
12/3 – 3 GA, 20 saves/
Tanner Laczynski (C), Ohio State University
2016 6th Round Pick, 169th overall
- A huge 8-3 win vs. Minnesota on Saturday was aided by a 4 point game from Laczynski. The freshman is up to 22 points (6G, 16A) in 15 games with OSU.
12/2 – 1 shot, 2 PIM
12/3 – 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 shots, 2 PIM/
Terrance Amorosa (D), Clarkson University
2013 5th Round Pick, 132nd overall
- A quiet weekend for Amorosa, who saw his squad get pulverized on Saturday against Merrick Madsen’s Harvard University 7-3.
12/2 – no shots
12/3 – 1 shot/
NCAA Notes: Matej Tomek (G) continues to sit for University of North Dakota and has not appeared in a game this season. Cooper Marody remains out of the University of Michigan lineup due to academic ineligibility.
