Warrior attitude

It was nice to see Brennan Saulnier laughing and smiling and chatting with family members — including sister Jill, a Canadian Olympian who played the night before in Team Canada’s win over USA — at the event level of the PPL Center following last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Hartford.

Saulnier, a 6-foot, 170-pound left wing, got held up by one Wolf Pack player and then rammed in the head by Anthony Bitetto on a hit that knocked the Phantom from the game with 2:41 remaining, drawing just an interference penalty.

Saulnier is definitely no one’s idea of burly. But he is proof that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog.

Saulnier has been fearless in his play, spearheading the forecheck while putting on some big hits. He is unafraid to mix it up as well, not caring how big his opponent is, like when he took on P.C. Labrie of Hartford last Saturday.

After throwing two huge checks in the opening period that drew thunderous applause from the appreciative PPL Center crowd, he mixed it up with Labrie, a 6-3, 234-pounder who happens to be married to Patrick Roy’s daughter.

“That kid’s got a heart as big as this building,” Laperriere said of Saulnier.

Bitetto burned the Phantoms once more after the interference call when he left the box as the penalty expired and scored an empty-netter to cap the game with 4 seconds left.

But Wilson, the Phantoms’ alternate captain, stepped in and fought Bitetto to avenge the cheap hit on Saulnier. Wilson was handed an automatic one-game suspension for instigation in the final minutes of the game; Bitetto’s head hit went unpunished by the league.

“That guy is a warrior who plays with his heart on his sleeve every night,” Willman said of Saulnier. “He definitely fires up the guys. I think we can all kind of look inside ourselves and play a little more like him, with a little more grit, and we’ll be all right.”