Lehigh Valley begins 5-game homestand with revenge in air
Cooper Marody remembers the feeling oh-so-well.
The 26-year-old forward scored the first goal of the game for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms against Providence last December in front of a sellout crowd at the PPL Center, bringing on a shower of Teddy Bears and other stuffed animals for the annual Teddy Bear Toss game.
“It was fun for sure,” said the Brighton, Mich. native, who will turn 27 on Dec. 20. “You’re kind of in the moment when you’re playing, so you’re not thinking about ‘Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.’ And then you score, and you’re like, ‘Yes!’ and then all of a sudden there’s Teddy Bears falling from the sky onto the ice.”
The ninth annual Teddy Bear Toss game for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will take place at 7:05 p.m. Saturday when the Phantoms host the Carolina Checkers, the first meeting between the teams since the Checkers knocked the Phantoms out of the playoffs last season.
The game is actually the second of the weekend, which kicks off Friday against the Providence Bruins as the Phantoms kick off a five-game homestand.
Teddy Bear Toss draws excitement throughout the evening as fans arrive with one stuffed animal, bag fulls, or boxes of them to make it rain stuffed animals when the Phantoms score their first goal of the game. The stuffed animals will be donated to Valley Youth House.
“Teddy Bear Toss Night is so fitting this time of year as we are all thinking about the children in our community and how some are in difficult situations,” said Phantoms co-owner Rob Brooks.
“The Teddy Bears donated from this game make a positive impact to thousands of local children and families. We have a great community of fans and supporters that make this night so special.”
Phantoms third-year coach Ian Laperriere is equally thrilled about the special theme night.
“It’s always fun,” said the former Flyers player who became a fan-favorite for his willingness to sacrifice his body to make plays. “At this time of the year, events like this put everything in the right perspective. It’s more than just about us scoring. At Christmastime, when you do nice things like this to give back, it becomes very special. And our players love giving back by going along when they are donated.”
No Lehigh Valley Phantom has delivered the Teddy Bear Toss goal twice.
Cooper has that chance. He is the fourth-leading scorer on the team with five goals and 11 assists for 16 points.
“Obviously you want to score every game,” Marody said. “Sometimes that doesn’t happen. What you need to think about is if you’re getting chances or not. Our team is getting chances, we’re doing great on the power play, and the chances are coming. We’ll all just continue to do what we are doing, and the puck will eventually go in.”
Lycksell call up
Olle Lycksell, the 24-year-old left wing from Sweden, was called up by the Flyers on Wednesday.
Lycksell was leading the Phantoms with 12 goals and seven assists for 19 points, which was fourth in goals in the AHL. His 12 points on the power play – the Phantoms are ranked No. 1 in the AHL on the power play – lead the AHL, and his six power play goals tie for the AHL lead.
“Olle’s a great guy on the ice and off the ice,” Marody said of the team’s second-leading scorer last season with 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points. “He’s having great success on the ice. He’s scoring a lot of goals, which we love to see.
“When he gets that call [up], everyone is so happy for him. You want him on your team, and he’s a big part of our success, but at the same time, you hope he stays up there and we never see him again. We want him to have success in the NHL. We’ll be rooting for him, but if he comes back, we’ll gladly take him back.”
Power play on fire
As of Wednesday, the Phantoms had the AHL-leading power play.
The unit scores at a 25.6 percent clip. The team’s 20 power play goals are second overall. The Phantoms have scored a power play goal in nine straight games.
“I think we’re all connected out there,” Marody said. “We have a great idea of what we want to do. I think we are able to read off each other quite well. We really enjoy going out there and playing with each other.”
Marody credited the success to the way the coaching staff is approaching the unit’s preparation.
“Getting John Snowden on our staff really helped,” Laperriere said. “Getting new ideas and pre-scouting is a big plus for the power play. They’re rolling, buzzing around out there. It’s like anything else though. When the guys are feeling it, they are making plays.”
As good as the power play has been, it’s had to be. The Phantoms are the most penalized team in the AHL at 19.1 minutes per game, led by team captain Garrett Wilson, whose 69 penalty minutes led the AHL.