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Top 10 Home Moments of 2023-24

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Lehigh Valley Phantoms 

Fan Festivities, Electrifying Performances, and Overtime Heroics Round-Out Season’s Best at PPL Center

July 17, 2024

From exciting gameday celebrations to countless highlight-reel plays, the Phantoms’ 10th anniversary season in Lehigh Valley was filled with many unforgettable home ice memories that captivated fans from the very start.

Ahead of all the action and anticipation that awaits us this upcoming season, we look back and relive ten of the best moments that took place at PPL Center this past year:

10.) Adam Ginning’s Colossal Hit and Fight (3/2/24)

An intense late-season matchup saw tensions flare between the Phantoms and Atlantic Division rivals Bridgeport when Adam Ginning delivered a thunderous hit that rocked Islanders’ forward Tyce Thompson hard into the corner during second period.

Immediately after the takedown, both players’ gloves flung off and Ginning followed up by unloading numerous powerful strikes in a lengthy scrap. By the time the officials intervened, Ginning received a roaring ovation as he signaled for more noise from the home crowd on his way to the penalty box.

9.) Phantoms Welcome 2-Millionth Fans in Wild Win over Rochester (11/25/23)

Confetti rained down inside the WFMZ Lobby on Flyers Affiliation Night as the Phantoms welcomed the 2-millionth fans in Lehigh Valley history, Brian and Jacob Martel.

The father-son duo were given the opportunity to drop the ceremonial puck ahead of the game as well as a custom jersey, tickets, and a Premier Membership for the remainder of the season while they cheered on the Phantoms to a wild 5-4 win over Rochester.

8.) Ronnie Attard’s OT Goal Completes Late Comeback (12/13/23)

Thousands in attendance and a national audience tuned in to watch the Phantoms’ thrilling mid-December comeback against the Charlotte Checkers.

With just 4:09 remaining in the third, rookie sharpshooter Samu Tuomaala’s blast from the top of the circle evened the score at 2 and put momentum in favor of the Phantoms.

In the end, Cooper Marody’s third assist of the night came in huge fashion as he danced the puck around the offensive zone in overtime and connected with Ronnie Attard for the alley-oop game winner.

7.) Garrett Wilson’s Heated Exchange with Louis Domingue (1/12/24)

The Phantoms’ first home game of the new calendar year was perhaps the most physical of the season as they hosted the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Chippiness from the opening period boiled over into the second when Garrett Wilson had enough following Hartford goaltender Louis Domingue’s blatant actions to the side of his cage. The Wolf Pack netminder responded with a hard hack to the Phantoms captain and chaos proceeded to break loose.

While Wilson and Domingue both received game misconducts for starting the brawl, the veteran forward’s valiant effort drew fans to their feet and inspired his team to a 4-1 victory.

6.) Samu Tuomaala Makes Sparks Fly on Swiftie Takeover Night (11/3/23)

Bad Blood also filled the air between Lehigh Valley and Hartford on Swiftie Takeover Night, a theme inspired by the ongoing popularity of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and 2023’s “The Eras Tour.” With the purchase of a special ticket add-on, fans gained access to a station dedicated to Swift on the concourse that included a 360-degree photo booth and bracelet making tables.

Meanwhile, the Phantoms would shake off a third period go-ahead goal from the Wolf Pack and eventually steal the extra standings point when Samu Tuomaala directed in a pass from Elliot Desnoyers for the difference-maker on his third point of the evening.

5.) Historic Shutout, J.R. Avon’s League-Leading Shootout Goal Helps Top Hershey (2/2/24)

The first game in Lehigh Valley history in which both sides remained scoreless at the end of regulation required a shootout to settle the difference.

Anytime J.R. Avon was called upon for a solo opportunity, it brought fans to the edge of their seats. His quick backhander that snuck past Hershey’s Clay Stevenson allowed him to finish tied atop the league for the most shootout goals of the season (5) and helped the Phantoms break the ice in a hard-fought win.

Cal Petersen turned away all 16 shots from the Bears en route to claiming the Phantoms’ first shutout of the season as well, ultimately putting the icing on the cake for meLVin’s birthday.

4.) Zayde Wisdom Unleashes the Teddy Bears (12/9/23)

It didn’t take very long for thousands of stuffed animals to blanket the ice during the 2023 Teddy Bear Toss game. After collecting a sharp-angle rebound from the point, Zayde Wisdom jammed the puck home over six-and-a-half minutes into the opening period that unleased the annual teddy bear tradition.

In total, 10,869 stuffed animals were donated to Valley Youth House thanks to Wisdom’s first goal of the season, breaking the Phantoms’ previous record of 10,091 set in 2019.

The goal was only fitting for Wisdom, who grew up in poverty in western Toronto and has been honored for his humanitarian work while helping underprivileged kids sharing similar experiences.

“Growing up [similarly], I knew exactly how these kids grew up,” said Wisdom during his delivery visit to Valley Youth House. “Being able to give back something a little bit more than just words and kindness, and being able to give them bears and something to go home with is unbelievable. I’ll never forget that for sure.”

3.) Phantoms Blank Bears in Game 3 of Atlantic Division Semifinals (5/8/24)

An “Orange Out” crowd flooded the streets of downtown Allentown and filled PPL Center to help Rally the Valley during the Atlantic Division Semifinals against the Hershey Bears.

Even while facing with their greatest challenge of the season yet, it was impossible to contain the Phantoms and the uncontrollable energy from fans when the series shifted to home ice for Game 3.

With the help of Phan-Nation, Lehigh Valley staved off elimination with a dominant 60-minute effort behind Cal Petersen’s 22-save shutout as well as goals from Emil Andrae and Olle Lycksell.

2.) Cal Petersen’s Pad-Stacking Old-School Stop (1/13/24)

PPL Center was packed to capacity as 8,555 fans and witnessed Cal Petersen make one of the most spectacular stops of the season against none-other than in-state rivals, the Hershey Bears.

Trailing 3-2 midway through the second period, the Phantoms looked to even the score on a man advantage opportunity. An unlucky bouncing puck found its way behind Emil Andrae at the point and set up a 2-on-1 rush for Hershey penalty killers Jimmy Huntington and Lucas Johansen—but the tandem would be no match for Petersen.

The 29-year-old goaltender went across his crease and stacked his pads in windmill fashion, kicking away a shot from Johansen with his right toe for a jaw-dropping save reminiscent of legendary netminder Domink Hasek.

The tremendous single-handed effort sparked Lehigh Valley the rest of the way as Ronnie Attard’s tying goal in the third period and J.R. Avon’s continued craftiness in the shootout capped off an epic 4-3 comeback victory for the Phantoms.

1.) Jacob Gaucher’s OT Heroics Lifts Phantoms to Second Round (4/26/24)

The excitement surrounding the first playoff game at PPL Center in 2,164 days lived up to every expectation—a fierce battle with neighboring rivals Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, a series-clinching scenario at stake, and a late rally made for one of the greatest games in Lehigh Valley history.

Entering the final frame of regulation, the Phantoms’ late-game resiliency shined as a pair of power play goals from Emil Andrae and Tanner Laczynski erased a two-goal deficit to even the score at 3.

With time winding down in the third period, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton would regain a one-goal lead on a tally from Radim Zohorna that put the Phantoms in familiar territory once again. However, just 34 seconds later, Laczynski found the much-needed answer for Lehigh Valley as he netted the equalizer for his second goal of the contest that halted the scoring until overtime.

Over two minutes into sudden-death, Brendan Furry sliced through the offensive zone with speed after receiving a pass from Jacob Gaucher, and a fired a quick shot off the pad of Penguins’ netminder Joel Blomqvist.

What proceeded was an unforgettable moment in Phantoms history, as Gaucher gathered the rebound and buried the series-winner that rocked PPL Center and sent Phan-Nation into a frenzy six years in the making.

 

Join us for more exciting and remarkable moments this upcoming year as the Phantoms return the ice at PPL Center for regular season action on October 12th against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Click here to view the full 2024-25 schedule.

 

 

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