Lehigh Valley looks to regroup in Charlotte
Winter is coming, and the Phantoms need to get hot in a hurry.
Things have been up and down for the team lately, mostly down, with just two wins over the last eight games.
Cooper Marody was in pain as he discussed the situation, figuratively and literally. A right wing for Lehigh Valley, Marody took a puck to the mouth in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds but went to the postgame podium to talk about the close of a fivegame homestand that saw the Phantoms go 2-3 and drop to .500 with a record of 11-11-4.
Despite his mouth being swollen and looking painful from the stitches he received, Marody talked about little things going wrong, both in the five-game home stretch where the Phantoms had the opportunity to rise in the standings and in the immediate loss.
“We can be better, all of us,” said Marody, who opened the game with a goal as the Phantoms registered the first eight shots of the game before Springfield knotted it on its first shot of the night.
“We need to clean it up,” he said. “We want to learn those lessons now and for a deeper run into the playoffs.
“We’ve shown we can play with any team. We’ve just got to come to work and have a great two games going into Christmas, and then build off that.”
The Phantoms head to Charlotte for games Thursday and Friday — coinciding with the official first day of winter — before returning home to take on Utica on Wednesday.
“You know, after Christmas you’ve got to be sharper because it’s going to cost you [if you’re not] ,” said Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière. “Teams are rolling after Christmas. They know their system, their structure, so it won’t get any easier.
“We need a good road trip, that’s the bottom line. We can’t win two, lose two, win four, lose four.”
Before 2023 turns to 2024, the Phantoms will have played the Charlotte Checkers five times in the month of December, and so far Lehigh Valley is 2-0 against one of the teams it trails in the standings.
Lehigh Valley needs to find that consistency in both effort and results to turn the page.
“I think our team has great potential,” Marody added. “We have a great group of guys that love each other, love playing for one another, a great coaching staff, great support staff.
“I think if we go into Charlotte for two games and do the best we can, hopefully [we can ] come out with two wins and build it up for the rest of the season.”
Power play burning bright
Even with Olle Lycksell, who has six goals and six assists on the power play for 12 points, just sent back from the parent club Philadelphia Flyers, the Phantoms power play continues to lead the AHL.
The Phantoms lead the AHL in power-play percentage (24.3%) with Marody leading the AHL in powerplay points. He had a powerplay goal last Saturday, giving him three goals,and 10 assists on the power play for 13 points.
Tanner Laczynski, (3-58), rookie Samu Tuomaala (5-7-12), J.R. Avon (2-1-3), and Wade Allison (2-1-3) also have multiple powerplay goals this season.
Tuomaala and Lycksell are tied for second in the league for power-play points.
Lycksell returns
On Tuesday the Flyers sent Lycksell back to the Phantoms.
The 24-year-old from Sweden was leading the Phantoms in scoring when he was called up Dec. 6 but is now third, which may change if things go well in Charlotte this week.
Lycksell played in just one game with the Flyers during his call-up after leading the Phantoms in scoring with 12 goals and seven assists for 19 points. Even with the call-up he is sixth in the AHL in goals scored, and just one off the AHL lead in power-play goals with six, and powerplay points with 12.
Belpedio is back
Alternate captain and defenseman Louie Belpedio was returned to the Phantoms from the Flyers last week after the longest NHL stint of his career. The 27-year-old was back in time for both of last week’s games.
When the Flyers called him up Oct. 26, it marked his first NHL call-up in 2 ½ years when he was with Minnesota. He scored his first-ever NHL goal on Nov. 3 at Buffalo and played 12 games with Flyers during this NHL stint.
Not a quiet start
Tuomaala has figuratively exploded onto the North American hockey scene.
The 20-year-old from Finland is on a three-game goal-scoring streak during his rookie campaign with the Phantoms, and is among the rookie leaders in power play goals and points. He has seven goals and 16 assists overall and is tied for the team lead in scoring with Marody (6-17-23).
Neck guards following Johnson’s death
Immediately in the aftermath of former Phantom Adam Johnson dying in England when an opposing player’s skate slashed his neck, calls were sent out to establish the mandatory wearing of neck guards, especially for youth players.
USA Hockey, the governing body of the sport in the United States, does not mandate the use of neck guards but does recommend them. That may change after the USA Hockey board of directors meets in January.
Hockey Canada, the governing body for the sport in Canada, already requires them for minors, as well as its top junior leagues — the OHL and QMJHL.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Youth, which plays out of the Steel Ice Center in Bethlehem, follows the USA Hockey guidelines but has no issues with players who choose the extra protection to protect the blood vessels in their necks.