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“Playoffs?! Don’t talk about–playoffs?! You kidding me? Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game!  Another game!”

-Jim Mora

Sundays Are Not Fun Days

After two tough road wins last weekend, the Phantoms returned home for a rematch with the second-place Penguins.  It was a good effort, but we’ve been a weak Sunday team and the Penguins were better at getting the puck in the net.  An ill-advised high stick by Phil Tomasino led to the game winner during the subsequent 4-minute power play.  Again we ask, that dude knows he’s not still on the Penguins, right?

The “new look” Phantoms did seem to be trying to push the issue, which was a nice thing to see at the end of a long weekend.  Alas it didn’t happen and while four points is nice, it doesn’t get easier.

Enter first-place Providence, in town tonight.  Just like last time we played them on home ice in the middle of a week, they’re coming off a loss to a weaker division opponent.  As we’ve discussed around here, they may be a bit of a paper tiger given how many times they get to play Springfield, Bridgeport and Hartford.  However, they’re still a very, very good hockey team and we’ll need good play to have a chance to win tonight.

We miss happy hour.

Records and Standings

Record: 26-27-3-3

Standings:  Stil in 5th place

If The Season Ended Today (spoiler: it doesn’t): Playoffs: 3 games with Hershey

Home:  12-14-2-2

Away:  14-13-1-1

Recent:  Got 4 points last weekend, but ended on a weak note.

Overtime: 5-3

Shootout: 4-3

Friday: 5-10

Saturday: 14-4-1-3

Sunday: 3-7-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-4-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Tuesday: 0-1

Wednesday: 3-4

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February: 2-6-0-1

March:  3-4-1

White “Road” Jerseys: 10-6-2-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  6-8-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 6-6

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-2-0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

“Orange Out” 2026:  0-2

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-1

Players

Here are the lines and pairs from Sunday:

72 Harrison 25 Pederson 90 Richard

61 Katchouk 23 Dorwart 26 Tomasino

43 Eklind 56 Gaucher 10 Powell

9 Golder 74 Wisdom 22 Robertson

19 McDonald 59 Bonk

3 Grans 5 Jiricek

37 Ginning 15 Kyrou

35 Kolosov  (64 Bjarnason)

Discussion:  Just like the Flyers, it seems like we could use some firepower at the Center position.  We’re not big fans of Golder, but he was out there doing his best.  I tried to key on Powell but I don’t know that he played that much.  Jiricek and Katchouk are settling in.  Ginning covers up for Kyrou’s adventures in the attack zone.  Kolosov did play reasonably well but suffered from defensive lapses and too many penalties to kill.  

And just like that, the Flyers sign C Cole Knuble.  He was a fourth-round draft pick in 2023 and has spent the last three seasons at Notre Dame.  During his time in college he was just about a point-per-game player weighted towards assists.  He’ll be on a PTO for the remainder of this season; his entry level deal will be for two seasons, 2026-27 and 2027-28.  And, for the “Flyers need to stop hiring ex-Flyers” people:  His Dad was Mike Knuble who played 338 games for the Flyers.  The AHL doesn’t have him on the roster yet, perhaps we’ll get to see him in two weeks when the Phantoms return from Charlotte.

We do think the PTO and young guys will get some play down the stretch here.  It really feels like the Flyers feel more urgency towards finding talent than they do “winning culture” right now.  We’ll see, though.

GAME DAY!

Game Time:  7:05PM

Puck Drop: 7:16PM

Doors: 6:00PM–early entrance for Premier Members

Tickets: Widely Available.  There are some really cheap options on the secondary market.

Parking:  Nothing to report.  Construction hasn’t started in earnest on the center square modification, but it will at some point.  Avoid 7th and Hamilton with your car, if you can.

Providence:  The Bruins affiliate is the top team in the Atlantic Division.  The Phantoms have not solved them yet this season–although they’ve been competitive.  This might be the Alexis Gendron revenge game?

Media Kit: Providence 4

Officials: 

Referees: Liam Maaskant (#45), Patrick Hanrahan (#52) Linesperson: John Rey (#16), Ryan Knapp (#73)

What To Watch

• Watch for Bjarnason to get the net tonight, after Kolosov played two games last weekend.
• Watch to see if Gendron has some extra juice, if he plays.
• Harrison, same.  Probably.
• Lately it seems like we haven’t been breaking out of our zone as easily.  Watch for that, as well as the transition game at center ice.  Both were lacking versus the Penguins, which decreased the number of good chances we had at the net.
• Watch to see the number and quality of chances at the net.  Finishing has been a problem–at least on home ice.
• PK has been better, for the most part as long as it’s not a 4-minute penalty.  Watch to see if maybe we can get a shorty tonight.

Up Next

The Phantoms head to Charlotte next weekend for Saturday and Sunday matinees.  They’ll return home the following weekend to close out March.  It will be another 3/3 with Friday home for Springfield and Saturday home for Hershey–both games up against IronPigs Baseball–before heading up to Wilkes Barre for a Sunday matinee.

April will feature three home games and four away games, including the final three games of the season on the road.  We’ll close in Charlotte, so if that’s where our playoff fortunes end up, we’ll be able to keep the same hotel rooms for the week.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

All of a sudden we’ve got some guys who can skate fast?  And it helps win hockey games?  Golly.

“Previously, on Hockey Night”

1. The Rock Fight:  Last Saturday in the rematch with Charlotte, the Phantoms jumped out to a 0-4 deficit in the first period.  They did it in the usual way:  No team speed but make up for it by not being good at hockey.  Coach tried everything short of putting on skates himself:  Called timeout.  Changed the goalie.  But then a funny thing happened during the first intermission.  The Phantoms realized they weren’t really playing a hockey game.  They were involved in a rock fight.  The officials had donated their whistles to the junior officials before the game and there were no penalties called.  This wasn’t “no blood no foul” because we saw blood.  And they didn’t call it.  We’ve never seen anything like it and were kind of surprised that it didn’t result in a line brawl or something similar.  So the Phantoms were able to chip their way back into the game.  Finally in the third period one of our guys got tackled while standing alone with the puck, and they finally called the lone power play of the game.  And, we got it!  Tie rock fight!  In overtime, though, we were busy throwing the rocks when one of their guys ends up in front of the net with the puck–so it goes as an overtime loss.  But was an impressive fight-back anyway and we’ll take the point if it helps us avoid a week in Charlotte in April.
2. The Jinx:  Bridgeport has our number.  Oh, we’re not good in 3/3 weekends usually and Bridgeport has been a reasonable team at times–especially for a franchise that gets very little support from their parent organization and makes up for it by getting no fan support.  Once again we try to fight back in the game, but this time it comes up short. Loss.
3. The New Guys:  Remaking the roster on the fly–and maybe not with the express purpose of trying to compete for a trophy–and suddenly there are guys around who can skate fast and try hard.  Sometimes that puts pucks in nets–in a good way.  The combination of poor shooting and reasonable play in the net kept Syracuse off the board for much of the night and the Hamilton Street Heroes left the Orange City with a regulation victory.
4. The Penguin Soft Underbelly:  You play a team enough times maybe you can figure out a way to beat them.  Once again, the Phantoms jump out to a multi-goal deficit.  It’s like a magic power.  But they fight back by realizing that when you have an extra guy on the ice the Penguins get confused and stand perfectly still.  This allows better chances at goals.  Reports from the game also suggest that the reason that the Phantoms were able to achieve said man-advantage scenarios was at least partly due to playing fast and forcing the black and yellow team to commit penalties to slow things down.

So there you have it.  Salvaged a point from last weekend.  Regrouped with some new players.  Got four points so far this weekend.  We’ll review what to watch for below, but unless the Phantoms can use their speed and voodoo to trick the Penguins into power play scenarios, it’s not looking good for today.  But, that’s why we play the games.

Who Are These Guys?

1. #55 D Vincent Sévigny:  Had been on a PTO here and with Syracuse.  Had spent some time in the ECHL.  Now signed to AHL deal.
2. #61 F Boris Katchouk:  Comes in via trade with Minnesota for D Roman Schmidt.  He’s been on a couple teams this season but put up some very nice numbers in Wilkes Barre last season.
3. #5 D David Jiricek:  Big, young defender is considered a prospect based on age and pedigree.  Hasn’t put it all together yet.  Comes via the Bobby Brink trade.
4. #72 C Brett Harrison:  A regular for Providence the last couple seasons, he’s a former third round pick of that organization.  Usually ends up on the good side of the +/-. Comes in via the Gendron/Rizzo deal.
5. #44 D Jackson Edward:  Another defender with some size, he’s the other piece in the Gendron/Rizzo deal.  He hasn’t been on the ice for us yet.
6. #10 RW Noah Powell:  A former 5th round pick of the Flyers, he signs his AHL deal for the next couple seasons and joins on a PTO after finishing his college season at Arizona State.  He’s got some size, but hasn’t been getting good marks just yet in his first two games in the AHL.

The Dearly Departed

Here’s where we say bad things about guys after they’re gone.

Alex Bump got called up to the Flyers and immediately started scoring goals, so we likely won’t see him back here until playoffs.  Alexis Gendron didn’t seem like the same player this season and needed a change of scenery.  Massimo Rizzo couldn’t stay healthy and couldn’t have an impact when he was on the ice.  Cooper Marody saw the writing on the wall with the Phantoms most likely interested in playing the new guys and the young guys.  Rather than sit at press level, he found his way to Coachella via “trade.”  Garrett Wilson got his call to the NHL to throw hands when needed for the parent organization.

Lines Friday night in Syracuse:

61 Katchouk 25 Pederson 90 Richard

72 Harrison 23 Dorwart 26 Tomasino

43 Eklind 56 Gaucher 10 Powell

9 Golder 74 Wisdom 22 Robertson

19 McDonald 59 Bonk

3 Grans 5 Jiricek

37 Ginning 82 Guenette

35 Kolosov (64 Bjarnason)

Last night saw Kyrou sub in for Golder in an 11F/7D scenario.  And why not, he plays in the attack end most of the time anyway.  Bjarny last night as well.  With the Captain in the NHL, Pederson, Wisdom and Guenette wore ‘A’ last night.

One other quick note:  Wilson, Bump and Barkey will all be eligible for AHL playoffs.

Records and Standings

Record: 26-26-3-3

Standings:  Back to fifth place

If The Season Ended Today (spoiler: it doesn’t): Playoffs: 3 games with Hershey

Home:  12-13-2-2

Away:  14-13-1-1

Recent:  Won first two games of the weekend

Overtime: 5-3

Shootout: 4-3

Friday: 5-10

Saturday: 14-4-1-3

Sunday: 3-6-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-3-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Tuesday: 0-1

Wednesday: 3-4

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February: 2-6-0-1

March:  3-3-1

White “Road” Jerseys: 10-6-2-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  6-7-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 6-6

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-2-0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

“Orange Out” 2026:  0-2

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-1

GAME DAY!

Event Time:  3:05PM

Hockey Time:  3:17PM (Look, it’s always the same. For those in Wilkes who don’t understand how this works around here:  We’ve got to get the hype song, the anthem superstars, the big flag presentation, the Boy Scouts Color Guard, God Bless American, The National Anthem, and at least one ceremonial first puck drop.  We’ve got stuff to do, man.  Get a sandwich and a beverage and don’t feel rushed.  We’ll get to the hockey in a minute, just tryna make some money first.)

Doors: 2:00PM

Doors, but Premier Members: 1:45PM

Promotion: Pretzel Day.  Dollar Pretzels through the first period.

Tickets: Widely available.  Much more expensive than Wilkes Barre.  Not a ton of deals on the secondary market today.

Parking:  Remember, they don’t check meters on Sundays.  Unless you get too close to the arena.

Pregame:  Some restaurants and bars are not open on Sundays or not open for lunch.

Postgame:  Great day to grab a bite to eat after the game and not get home tremendously late.

Media Kit:    WBS Again

Officials:  Refs: Mike Sullivan (#47), Alex Lepkowski (#44) Lines:Jeremy Faucher (#97), Josh Cleary (#45)

What To Watch

• Watch Kolosov and see if he can play a sound game and try not to get us in a hole early
• Watch to see if we can try to avoid going down by multiple goals in the first period
• Watch to see if we can capitalize on the power play like last night
• Watch those new guys.  How do they look to you?
• Watch to see if they have Kyrou at left wing (where he belongs?)
• Look for the Penguins to clean things up, knowing they’re absolutely paralyzed when they have to play down a man.  They’re not giving up 7 power plays again.
• Watch out for any kid with cotton candy
• Watch for a fight.  There was one last night; I can’t see them avoiding another one.  Probably Imama, who didn’t play last night.  Maybe Boulton if he’s in there, but perhaps he learned his lesson versus Boko earlier this season.

Up Next

Pretty quick turn around for a mid-week tilt this Wednesday.  Once again with first-place Providence.  It’s the last mid-week home game of the regular season.  Then at Charlotte Saturday and Sunday next weekend.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

The Problem(s) With This Team

There’s some talent on this team, and that’s what makes them frustrating to watch.  But they don’t have a ton of team speed as they often get out-skated to pucks or can’t break away.  They make up for it by being sloppy with the puck and getting pushed off the pucks too often.  Perhaps with some new players on the way in, we’ll see some improvements there.  Perhaps we’ll get to see some college and juniors players once their seasons are over.  But this is super frustrating.  Probably a lot of it can be down to coaching and development, but the players have to take it upon themselves to be detailed in their work, and we’re not sure they are.

Here’s what the coach had to say after the game:

Records and Standings

Record: 24-25-2-3

Standings:. Fifth place, by one point, as Bridgeport has been faltering

If The Season Ended Today (spoiler: it doesn’t):. Playoffs 1-1-1 with Hershey in the first round.

Home:  12-13-1-2

Away:  12-12-1-1

Recent:  3-6-0-1 in last 10 games

Overtime: 4-2

Shootout: 4-3

Friday: 5-10

Saturday: 14-4-0-3

Sunday: 3-5-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-2-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Tuesday: 0-1

Wednesday: 3-4

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February: 2-6-0-1

March:  1-2

White “Road” Jerseys: 9-5-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  6-7-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 6-6

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-2-0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

“Orange Out” 2026:  0-2

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-1

The New Guys

1. Boris Katchouk:  the left wing was a second-round pick of the Lightning back in 2016 and played with Syracuse before splitting time with the NHL team.  He then spent a couple seasons in the NHL with Chicago before splitting the 2023-24 season with Ottawa.  67 games with Wilkes-Barre last season he posted 21/28/49 and this season it was back to Tampa.  Then Syracuse. Then Minnesota via Iowa.  It’s a nice addition, but he’s moved around so much this season that it might be difficult to jump on the moving train.  Just like we’ve always liked Tomasino, he’s struggled at times with the Phantoms team.  He was in #61 last night. He’s 27 years old.
2. David Jirícek:  (WordPress doesn’t have the correct special characters for his last name, unfortuneately.). The big (6’4″) Czech defender is a former first round pick, 6th overall, of the Columbus Bluejackets.  He was then traded to the Minnesota organization in the 2024-25 season.  Between the Wild and the Bluejackets, he has had 84 games of NHL experience.  He’s only 22 years old and is said to have a big right-handed slap shot.  What hasn’t been clear is if he can skate at a high level or is interested in playing defense.  In 24 games with AHL Iowa this season he’s posted 2/8/10 and a minus-15.  He has some pedigree and is young, so a reasonable reclamation prospect for Brink.  He’ll be wearing #5.
3. Brett Harrison:  A right wing with some size, he’s still only 22 and has been a half-time player for the Bruins for the past three seasons.  He is a former third round pick of the Bruins out of juniors.  This season has seen his most regular playing time in 46 games posting 8/9/17 and a plus-6.  He came up as a center but profiles more as a winger for NHL purposes.  He’s said to be a good skater who plays a simple but sound game.  Given his age and his size, he could contribute to the Flyers in some manner, eventually. It looks like Harrison will wear #72.  We don’t know if we’ll see him this weekend as he has to travel and settle in with the team.

Ginning returned from the Flyers yesterday after press time and the Phantoms went with 11F/7D last night.  Denver Barkey was “paper moved” to keep him eligible for the AHL playoffs.  Emil Andrae was not.  Jackson Edward is a 22yo defender who came from the Bruins as well, but is likely headed for Reading at this juncture as an ECHL/AHL up and down guy.

The Departed

1. Bobby Brink  We like Brinker of course and always wanted to get some sort of Brink/Bump/Bonk line going.  And, although he was playing reasonably well for the Flyers, he didn’t fit perfectly and was about to start costing more money.  If there’s one thing the Flyers don’t need it’s to be up against the cap with no great players.  Around here we think it was a reasonable deal.
2. Alexis Gendron  We thought Gendy was a good piece for this team, but this season his play seemed to fall off as he was looking to score goals more than retrieve pucks or contribute on defense.  Others have mentioned some examples of some selfish play recently, as well.  A change of scenery probably a good idea.
3. Massimo Rizzo  Just never could stay healthy and contribute consistently at the AHL level.  Another change of scenery candidate whom we wish well.

Deslauriers was traded for a seventh rounder, which we predicted based on them locking Garrett Wilson up to fill that role if necessary.  Ristolainen stays put, much to some folks chagrin.  He’s signed for next season as well, and teams are allowed to have good players.  If you’re immediately trading away every single good player you start to become the Pittsburgh Pirates.  His value might have been at a peak, but he’ll still be moveable later if necessary.  Also, it’s not like Bonk has been pushing.  He may go up eventually, but if he were ready to step in as a top pair defender, then Risto would have been more expendable right now.

GAME DAY!

Saturday Night Hockey Live and thank goodness it’s not June 7th or this 6-7 stuff would be even more unbearable.  Let’s try to win a hockey game.

Checkers:  This is the 10th road game in a row for Charlotte, and while we might feel sorry for them, remember they get special treatment during the playoffs.  Also, as this is “getaway day” for them to return home, perhaps they’ll be less motivated to beat us at hockey?

Game Time: 7:05PM.  Puck Drop: 7:17PM

Tickets:  Widely available including some mild discounts on the secondary market.

Promotion:  Live music before the game and at the second intermission

Broadcast:  TV via AHL.TV or Service Electric in the Lehigh Valley.  Audio via the app or on Fox Sports lehigh valley radio.

Media Kit:

checkers 3

Officials:

Referees: Nolan Bloyer (#95), Mike Dietrich (#15) Linesperson: Davids Rozitis (#62), Bill Lyons (#27)

What To Watch

• See if the team can clean up the ugly turnovers and sloppy play with the puck.
• See if they can continue to shut down the Checkers power play, and stay out of the box
• Watch to see if Bjarnasson can hold up against the shots of Charlotte
• Watch to see if Bump can make it back to the lineup; he was out last night
• Watch to see if any of the other new guys are in the lineup.
• Check the records above for Friday games and Saturday games.  Perhaps a good opportunity to get a couple points tonight.

Up Next

At Bridgeport tomorrow to complete the 3/3 this weekend.  Next weekend the reverse, away Friday Saturday before a home Sunday matinee with the Penguins.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

The 2025-26 trade deadline is today.  It may or may not have impact for the AHL roster here with the Phantoms.  We’ll try to time your pre-game column today with the fallout–and update if necessary.

Mid-Week Madness

An unusual Tuesday night affair up in Utica, NY saw an uninspired Phantoms team lose 4-1.  They were able to achieve the defensive-failure hat trick by giving up goals short handed, power play, and empty net.  A Tomasino boarding penalty in the second period led to an apparent melee and Anthony Richard abused some officials late to cap things off.  Just not a great showing for the Hamilton Street Heroes.

Weekend With Carrick

Trevor Carrick and his Charlotte Checkers are in town for a double-dip.  They are solidly in third place in the division behind Providence (easy schedule) and Wilkes-Barre (smoke and mirrors) and ahead of Hershey (down year).  There are some familiar names on the team, mostly AHL veterans of this team or another:  The aforementioned Carrick along with Pinho and veteran goalie Domingue.

Somewhat surprisingly, Charlotte’s power play is not highly ranked at all–even behind the ever-struggling Phantoms.  Their PK unit is top 5, though, and perhaps why they’ve played the best hockey in the division at times this season.

Charlotte is 2-0 versus the Phantoms this season with the Lehigh Valley showing a point at 0-1-1.  I’ve been told that my hate for this franchise has gone too far, what with the special treatment (extra home playoff games), affiliation chaos (can’t get along with local NHL team, had to go to Florida to find a partner) and travel difficulty (rescheduled games in Allentown and Hershey when they couldn’t adjust travel to meet their obligations).  So no hate today.  We’re not a great hockey team right now and I’d just like to get a point or two this weekend.

Records and Standings

Record: 24-24-2-3

Standings:. Fifth place, by one point, as Bridgeport has been faltering

If The Season Ended Today (spoiler: it doesn’t):. Playoffs 1-1-1 with Hershey in the first round.

Home:  12-12-1-2

Away:  12-12-1-1

Recent:  3-6-0-1 in last 10 games

Overtime: 4-2

Shootout: 4-3

Friday: 5-9

Saturday: 14-4-0-3

Sunday: 3-5-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-2-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Tuesday: 0-1

Wednesday: 3-4

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February: 2-6-0-1

March:  1-1

White “Road” Jerseys: 9-5-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  6-7-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 6-6

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-2-0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

“Orange Out” 2026:  0-1

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-1

Roster Update

Defender Swaps:  Ginning is in Philadelphia, Schmidt was traded, and Vincent Sévigny, Ben Meehan, and Artem Guryev are up from Reading.  Sevvy is #55, Meehan is #7, and Guryev is #57 if you need to update your scorecard.

Boris and Natasha:  Mostly Boris.  Welcome Boris Katchouk.  The long-time Syracuse forward from Canada who had a nice season for Wilkes-Barre last year has been unspectacular in stints with Iowa and Syracuse this season.  He’s the return for Schmidt.  Tomasino’s out there starting brawls, Richard is berating officials.  We need all the help we can get.  He’ll be wearing #61 and his nickname has to be “Koo Koo” right? Or maybe ‘Walrus?’

Captain Contract:  Garrett Wilson signed an NHL deal yesterday, of the two-way variety, and was immediately put on waivers to be re-assigned to the Phantoms.  It’s just for the remainder of this season.  Why bother?  With the trade deadline looming, he could be needed for some depth in Philadelphia and they wanted to make sure he was locked up prior to executing those trades.

Trade!  Phantoms send F Massimo Rizzo and F Alexis Gendron to the Bruins for defenseman Jackson Edward and forward Brett Harrison.  Edward and Harrison will join the Phantoms.

Phantoms Media:

Edward, 22, is a 6’2″ defenseman from Newmarket, Ontario who has played in nine games with the Providence Bruins this season recording zero points. He has also played in 21 games with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL this season notching seven assists. In his two-year pro career, the London Knightgs product has played in 40 games with Providence scoring 1-6-7 and also 28 games with Maine scoring 1-8-9. Edward won an OHL Championship in 2023-24 with London where he was teammates with Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk and Sawyer Boulton.

Harrison, 22, is a lefty-shooting center from London, Ontario who has scored 8-9-17 with Providence this season in 40 games played. He has played in 140 career AHL games with Providence over three seasons scoring 19-29-48. Harrison was a third-round selection of the Bruins out of the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.

Trade 2!  Flyers send F Bobby Brink to the Wild for big D-man David Jiricek, a former 6th overall pick.  Jiricek has been loaned to the Phantoms, but it’s not clear if he’ll play here or head to Philly after the deadline as a sort of paper move.

(This space will be updated as the trade deadline passes)

GAME DAY!

First Friday dollar dogs!  Let’s go!

Game Time:  7:05PM Event; 7:17PM Hockey

Doors:  6:00PM all doors.  Season Ticket Entrances open at 5:45PM

Promotions:  Dollar Dog Night, $1 hot dogs until the first intermission. America 250 weekend:  PA 250 warm-ups, obligatory patriotism.  It’s an ‘Orange Out’ game as well!

Tickets:  Widely available, some deals to be had on the secondary markets.

Parking:  No news to report.  $10 at the close decks, $5 at the outside decks, pre-purchase for the arena deck.

MEDIA KIT:

Checkers 2

OFFICIALS:

Referees: Nolan Bloyer (#95), Mike Dietrich (#15) Linesperson: Robert Peterkin (#51), John Rey (#16)

What To Watch

• It was Bjarny Tuesday in Utica, so we’re looking for Koly – Bjarny – Koly this weekend, barring anything unusual with the roster
• Watch that Linesperson Rey, #16.  I think he’s one of the ones famous for the pump-fake puck drops.  Notice how smooth that game was last Sunday when they just got the pucks down and we could watch hockey?
• [Insert your own joke about Charlotte’s travel plans, here]
• Watch to see if any of the newer guys get in the game tonight.
• There was supposed to be something special about the dollar dogs tonight.  I never heard what it was, but watch out for some wrinkle or contest or something.
• No more post-games at Chickie’s.  They were supposed to do something different, but never did, to my knowledge.
• Check out the new store if you haven’t already.  The PA 250 merch is kinda cool.  I’m tempted.
• Watch our PK to see if they can be successful against a very average, or below, power play.
• We’ll try to update above, but watch the transactions for both real trades as well as paper moves for playoff help from the Flyers–if any.

Up Next

Right back here tomorrow for a repeat of tonight’s game for Saturday Night Hockey Live.  Then, Sunday in Bridgeport and a reverse next weekend where they’ll be away Friday and Saturday before a Sunday matinee at the PPL Center with Wilkes-Barre

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

It’s meLVin’s birthday!  Let’s have a party!  Winning a hockey game would be a nice present, don’t you think?

Birthday Bash

We like mascots just fine around here.  The crazier the antics the better.  And when you get a whole mess of mascots together for a party?  Crazy stuff could happen.  Especially during the mascot hockey game.  Last season I unearthed all the introductory videos from when we first met the puck-nosed pladottle who would become our mascot.  The videos are in THIS POST.  Even if you’ve seen those videos before, they’re worth another watch.

About Last Night

Shootout loss.  If it had gone on any longer I would have needed my heart pills.  Here’s the Phantoms Media info on the long shootout:

“It was a history-making night. Lehigh Valley played its longest shootout in team history in a 12-round marathon to secure a valuable standings point while the visiting Hartford Wolf Pack prevailed on a goal by Justin Dowling to finally end the insanity in a 5-4 final. The Wolf Pack did not lead all night long…until the very end of the lengthy battle.

The game eclipsed the previous longest shootout in Lehigh Valley history on November 1, 2015 with a 10-round win at Hershey on a goal by Kevin Sundher. The longest shootout in PPL Center was a nine-round duel back in the team’s inaugural season when Adam Comrie struck for the winner against the Norfolk Admirals on December 27, 2014.

However, the game still fell shy of the franchise-record 15 rounds played by the Adirondack Phantoms against Binghamton Senators on April 14, 2013 when new defenseman Mark Alt scored the goal to finally end the night making a winner of Brian Boucher between the pipes.”

Here’s Coach’s thoughts on the game:

Records and Standings

Record: 23-23-2-3

Standings: Sixth Place, leading Springfield by 2 points

Home:  11-12-1-2

Away:  12-11-1-1

Recent: 3-6-0-1 in last 10

Overtime: 4-2

Shootout: 4-3

Friday: 5-9

Saturday: 14-4-0-3

Sunday: 2-5-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-2-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Wednesday: 3-4

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February: 2-6-0-1

White “Road” Jerseys: 9-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  6-7-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-6

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-2-0-1

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

“Orange Out” 2026:  0-1

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-1

Hartford Again

It’s a rematch of last night’s game against last-place Hartford.  The only name on the roster that is familiar is Derrick Pouliot.  He was on the Phantoms during the shortened 2021 pandemic hockey.  We did beat them a couple times up at their place, but many of the goal scorers from those games are no longer on our team.

GAME DAY!

Expect to see many of meLVin’s mascot friends about the arena.

Event Time: 3:05PM; Hockey 3:17PM

Doors:  All doors 2:00PM; Season Ticket Doors: 1:45PM

Parking:  Street parking is free in some areas of Allentown on Sundays, but use caution in the arena block they may still check on event day.

Promotion:  No giveaway for the birthday this season, unfortunately.

Calendar:  Yes, meLVin’s birthday is often in February, but the Pladottle calendar is slightly different from our own.

Tickets:  Good seats are still available, including some nice discounts on the secondary market.

Pre-Game:  Check on your favorite pre-gaming restaurants and bars as many are not open until later or closed on Sundays.

Post-Game:  We’re not big fans of these 3:05PM starts, but it is a nice opportunity to go out after the game.  Also, today, Premier Member Season Ticket Holders get to shoot the puck for $1000.00 after the game!  Sign up on the concourse!

Media Kit:

Hartford 2

Officials:

Referees: Morgan MacPhee (#43), Luke Stork (#54) Linesperson: Anthony Lapointe (#58), Jud Ritter (#34)

What To Watch

• Kolosov in net is probable.  I wouldn’t mind seeing a shutout.  Not calling it; just saying.
• Watch to see if they can look organized.  So many times it looks like they never played together before.
• Watch for some urgency on defense.  It hasn’t been there lately, or there’s been lapses that are unexplainable.
• Watch for your favorite non-meLVin mascots.  Hershey and Scranton are off, so there’s a chance Coco and Tux could be in the building.  I love seeing Ferrous and FeFe from the IronPigs as well.  Less likely to see Gritty, as he get’s his own day to visit.  The Phanatic is down in Clearwater.  Some college and corporate and high school mascots should be about.
• Watch out for the kiddos.  They’ll be everywhere.  Here’s hoping my section has an usher today.

Up Next

Here we go with March, the penultimate month of the season unless you think this team goes deep enough in the playoffs to be still playing in May.

This week, an odd Tuesday game up in Utica.  Next weekend is a 3/3 with Friday and Saturday home for a double-dip of Charlotte–provided they can figure out how transportation works.  The team will then head for a Sunday matinee in Bridgeport.

The following weekend is another three-in-three and we’ve got a home Wednesday game on the 18th.  College hockey will return to the PPL Center in 2028, I’ve been told.

The NHL trade deadline is Friday, March 6, 3:00PM Eastern Time.  The AHL trade deadline is the same.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207

Featured image by Jack Mitroka.  It has been cropped to fit the space.  

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”

-Michael Corleone, Godfather III

A weekend sweep at Hershey will do that for a Phantoms fan!

The Way We Were

“What’s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget”

The Phantoms were on an Oh-For-February run when they were dealt a scheduling oddity which had them playing back-to-back in Hershey last weekend.  What could go wrong?

And, that’s why they play the games.  Kolosov showed up with some goaltending.  Bump has returned to form following his injury, They’re getting pucks to the net.  They’re generally staying out of the box and killing a couple penalties along the way.  They’re just playing some good hockey right now.

Snow notwithstanding the losing had me headed into baseball mode early.  But I’m back in.  No delusions of grand playoff runs, but still up for some good hockey down the stretch here.  And overall, some questions to be asked about how the Flyers will handle the trade deadline and playoff eligibility for the Phantoms.

Records and Standings

Record: 23-22-2-2

Standings: Back to 5th place

Home:  11-11-1-1

Away:  12-11-1-1

Recent: Won 2 in a row, 4-6 last 10

Overtime: 4-2

Shootout: 4-2

Friday: 5-9

Saturday: 14-4-0-2

Sunday: 2-5-1

[Sunday 3/3: 0-2-1]

Monday:.0-1-1

Wednesday: 3-3

October: 5-3-0-1

November: 5-3-1-1

December:  5-5-1

January:  5-6

February: 2-5

White “Road” Jerseys: 9-4-1-1

Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys:  6-6-1-1

Orange “Home” Jerseys: 5-6

“Black-Out” Jerseys:  0-2

“Faux-Back” Keystone Black:  2-2

Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1

“Orange Out” 2026:  0-1

Post-Game Fan Event Game:  2-1

Transactions

With the NHL on pause for the Olympics, and the week off for the Phantoms, several players have been cycled to the Flyers to practice with the big team.  You might want to be critical of this team not working on things they need to be working on, but they won both games last weekend so it’s hard to complain.  Plus, it might light a fire or re-direct some fundamentals that needed to get corrected anyway.

It appears that Kolosov is back with the Phantoms, while Ginning remains with the Flyers.  All the other players who made it to Philly (or, Voorhees) have returned.  Golder, Perets, Sevigny and Rizzo are all back with Reading.  This could signal, first, that Rizzo is healthy and ready to get some ice time.  Also, some other players could be getting healthy who were perhaps unavailable recently.

Lines Saturday in Hershey

21 Bump 25 Pederson 22 Robertson

72 Gendron 56 Gaucher 26 Tomasino

90 Richard 23 Dorwart 20 Marody

17 Wilson 74 Wisdom 12 Kaplan

19 McDonald 59 Bonk

15 Kyrou 82 Guenette

3 Grans 76 Schmidt

64 Bjarnason (Backup: 1 Perets)

Thoughts:  Each line has at least one “finisher”–even if you combine the scrappy Wisdom and Kaplan into one finisher.  We like Tomasino on the wing better than at center, and having him with Gendy/Gauch is a pretty good spot.  As much as possible there is a need to find some blue-line pairs and stick with them if they’re working.  Not sure this is it because they gave up four goals on Saturday, but Schmidt for Ginning is the only change from the previous night with only one goal.  But, Schmidt was a minus-2 so perhaps that’s something to watch.  Oh, and Guenette and Kyrou were a combined +5, so let’s keep them together, eh?

Enter Providence

Since the start of the season, Providence has been at or near the tops in the AHL Atlantic.  While they’ve been playing good hockey, no doubt, remember that as the Pennsylvania teams have to play each other an inordinate amount of times, Providence gets the same treatment with Hartford, Bridgeport and Springfield–mostly near the bottom of the standings.  Imagine how good Hershey would look if the Phantoms and Penguins were both cellar-dwellers in the same season.  Providence is good, no doubt.  But they do get some scheduling advantages.

The Bruins affiliate is currently sitting in first place with 77 points–27 more than the Phantoms.  Indeed the Bruins have won both meetings with the Phantoms thus far this season, taking games 4-2 and 3-2 up in Providence.  As you would expect, both special teams units for the Bruins are near the top of the rankings in the entire league.

There are some familiar AHL names on their roster, but no old friends were spotted.  Here’s what Phantoms Media put our on the Providence Bruins:

“Providence (38-10-1) was dominating a racked up a franchise-record 13 consecutive wins to blow past the rest of the pack in the Atlantic. But the weekend ended on a sour note as their win streak was snapped at seventh-place Springfield on Saturday and then they stumbled again in an uninspired 5-2 loss at last-place Hartford on Sunday. Patrick Brown (15-30-45) is the veteran captain of the Bruins who also served as the captain for the Eastern Conference at the AHL All-Star Classic. The 33-year-old veteran leader also played two seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2021-23 and has a pair of goals against the Phantoms in the season series. Rookie Dans Locmelis (13-15-28) represented Latvia at the Olympics. Michael DiPietro (22-6-0, 1.76, .938) is the top goaltender in the league and is the front-runner to win the Baz Bastien award for a second consecutive season. Providence is second in the AHL in team defense at 2.04 goals per game and is also second best on the penalty kill at 85.4%. Providence won the first two rounds of the series in Rhode Island. This is the first PPL Center visit for the Bruins.”

GAME DAY!

RIP Happy Hour.

Game Time:  As per usual, show starts at 7:05PM with the hockey starting around 7:15PM

Doors:  All doors at 6:00PM.  Season Ticket entrances at 5:45PM

Promotion: None

Tickets: Many good seats are still available. The secondary market has some good deals as well as mid-week games are less desirable for some season ticket holders.

Media Kit:

Providence 1

Officials:

Referees: Jack Young (#24), Koletrane Wilson (#18) Linesperson: John Rey (#16), Ryan Knapp (#73)

What To Watch

• It seemed like Bjarnason was going to take over as the 1A netminder there for a minute, but with his recent strong play and time in Philly, we’re looking for Kolosov in net tonight.
• Watch the D pairs.  Do they look similar to above?
• Watch the special teams.  Can the Phantoms at least reach a stale-mate with the Bruins top units?
• Watch to see of the Phantoms can stay out of the box and keep the need for our PK unit to a minimum.
• Watch to see which team has the better jump.  The Bruins had a losing weekend for the first time in forever, while the Phantoms had an historic sweep in chocolatetown.  Who looks more motivated?
• Watch Bump.  Looks like he’s returning to form and should be a real weapon for us as long as he’s (a) healthy and (b) here.
• Watch Tomasino.  We’ve been unimpressed with his game thus far here in Allentown.  However, he was dropped onto a new team in the middle of the season and perhaps somewhat mis-cast as a center.  See if he can finish one tonight if he’s playing on the wing.

Up Next

We’re home for the weekend as we welcome in the month of March.  Hartford is in town to do the residency.  Saturday night will be the always entertaining Saturday Night Hockey Live, while Sunday afternoon will be meLVin’s annual birthday celebration, with all his mascot friends.

See you at the arena,

@Kram207