Season comes to an end at Charlotte
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ postseason came to an end in the deciding Game 3 of their firstround Calder Cup playoff series, with the Charlotte Checkers pulling away for a 6-0 win.
Charlotte rallied after losing Game 1 to take the series 2-1.
Former Phantom J-F Berube stymied Lehigh Valley with a 31-save performance as the Phantoms were shut out for the first time all season.
Lehigh Valley had been an inch away from sweeping the series when Thursday night’s Game 2 went to double overtime, but the Checkers barely survived to force Game 3 and carried over momentum from the exciting win the night before.
The Phantoms actually had the better of play for the first half of the game, even when Lehigh Valley was trailing 2-0 and 3-0. They were getting more chances, and of better quality, but Berube stopped them all. Even down 3-0, it felt like the Phantoms were largely in control.
Emil Andrae’s backdoor blast was somehow repelled off the shoulder of Berube for the veteran’s 21st denial of the evening.
In a scoreless first period,\ Elliot Desnoyers had two top-notch scoring tries, but Berube was equal to the task.
In the opening minutes Desnoyers and Bobby Brink connected on a give-and-go, with Desnoyers still having enough room at the net front to try a quick little move. But Berube’s right pad just did get a piece of the Phantoms’ leading goal scorer’s shot.
Later in the first Desnoyers cut across the high slot from right to left and had a strong drive on goal, but Berube just barely made it there in time, again with the right pad.
The Phantoms came out buzzing and with great energy to begin the second period as well. Berube and the Checkers scrambled and blocked as best they could, and eventually it paid off as Charlotte earned an opportunity of its own. Patrick Giles struck from the left wing past the right shoulder of Ersson at 3 minutes, 4 seconds for the game’s first tally.
Mackie Samosevich zipped across and into the zone to find Riley Nash at the net front to make it 2-0 at 6:54.
When a scramble and some rebounding pucks were eventually buried by Dominic Franco at 10:52, the Phantoms suddenly found themselves trailing 3-0.
But Lehigh Valley kept coming and only needed one to regain momentum. Andrae’s backdoor blast from the left circle was the best chance for that, but Berube made the big stop. Shortly after that it was Henry Bowlby striking on the move to make it 4-0 as part of a three-on-three.
Sam Ersson made way for Nolan Maier at that point, and a couple minutes later it was Cam Morrison with a drive on the power play to conclude the five-goal explosion in the second period. Former Phantoms center Connor Bunnaman capped the scoring with a shorthanded breakaway snipe on the rush in the third.
The Charlotte Checkers advance to the division semifinals, where they will take on the Hershey Bears in a best-of-five series beginning next Friday night in Charlotte.
The Phantoms concluded an exciting season that saw them win 37 games, including nine comefrom-behind rallies in the third period, and also six enthralling overtime triumphs.
Tyson Foerster finished the regular season as the team’s leading scorer with 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points.