(Tommy Hendricks/Sports Talk Philly)
By Tommy Hendricks, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Defenseman Mark Alt got his first goal of the season with 3:53 left to play in the third period of Friday night's contest between the St. John's IceCaps and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The goal turned out to be the game-winner, with Cole Bardreau adding an empty-netter to lead their team to a 4-2 victory.
A hard-fought game resulted in the Phantoms 32nd win of the season. Although it didn't always seem like that was how Friday's night's game was going to turn out.
Things did not start off well for the Phantoms, taking the first minor penalty of the game just 5:07 into the first. To that point, St. John's already had a 4-0 shot advantage, and had a power play to try to take full control early. A delay of game call on Alt 74 seconds later gave the IceCaps a 5-on-3, and virtually all momentum.
The Phantoms penalty kill came up big however, only allowing St John's to get one shot on Anthony Stolarz during their man advantage.
The IceCaps did score just over two minutes later, with former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin Bobby Farnham tipping home a point shot from Julien Brouillette that seemed to be going wide.
The Phantoms answered with a goal of their own as Travis Sanheim unloaded a wrist shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic to beat Charlie Lindgren. The goal came with 7:08 left on the first period clock, just over a minute after the Phantoms had gotten their first shot on goal.
The Phantoms appeared to break that tie two minutes later, with Chris McCarthy putting the puck behind a sprawling Lindgren to score his first of the year with the Phantoms. The goal was denied however, as the refs determined Bardreau had interfered with Lindgren, sending him tumbling to the ice.
St John's took the lead just 24 seconds into the second frame, with Charles Hudon speeding into the Phantoms zone down the near-side wing and rifling a shot past Stolarz to make it 2-1. The Phantoms almost imploded from there, giving the IceCaps the next two man-advantage opportunities and a chance to go up by two.
Lehigh Valley killed both off, making them 4-for-4 on the PK for the game to that point. The Phantoms got a power play of their own when Ryan Johnston got taken off for high sticking Danick Martel. Chris Conner capitalized on a pass cross crease from Greg Carey, who had just stolen a St. John's clearing attempt. Conner tapped the pass from Carey behind Lindgren to tie the game at two going into the third.
Past the midway point of the third, neither team had been able to break the tie. The Phantoms had an early power play, but could not convert. The IceCaps got their chance with 9:29 left as Robert Hagg went off for slashing. The penalty created a pivotal moment late in the game, bringing the crowd to life.
Lehigh Valley killed off the penalty, and came up ice on a rush. Conner got behind the defense, and tried to come in on goal with a purpose. An IceCaps defender upended him into the net, causing the ref to signal for a penalty shot, Conner against Lindgren one-on-one with another pivotal moment at hand. Conner tried to skate right and shoot left on the St. John's netminder, but Lindgren flashed his right pad out to make the stop.
With the game coming down to the final minutes, the Phantoms finally broke the tie. An initial shot came in off Lindgren and the rebound ended up at the top of the near side circle, within reach of Alt. Alt spun around, and with a St. John's defender closing in on him, threw the puck toward the net. The shot changed direction on its way in, but went in nonetheless to give the Phantoms the lead.
Bardreau added an empty net goal with just over a minute to play, sealing another win for the Phantoms. These two teams meet up again on Saturday night for a rematch at PPL Center.
Notes
- Colin McDonald returned to the Phantoms lineup on Friday night, but Taylor Leier and Boyd Gordon remained sidelined with injuries.
- Scott Laughton never returned after the second intermission after colliding with Chris Conner and Sam Morin during the second period. No update was given on him postgame.
Quotes
- Mark Alt on his first goal of the season: "I just wanted to get the puck on net at that point. We had a lot of traffic in front, so it was good to find the back of the net. The puck was rolling a little bit, so I was lucky. I didn't know how much time I was going to have with their guys, but everyone kind of froze so it gave me a second to get a hold of it and let it go. Still didn't get as much on it as I wanted to but it did find a way."
- Head coach Scott Gordon on how the depth of his team has made them successful even with injuries and call ups: "Knock on wood we've been fortunate that we've been healthy. We've had quite a few games where we've had to sit people out, and now our depth has been a strength for us. We've had guys that have played fairly regularly, even the guys who have sat out. They've been in the mix, now with the injuries, guys are getting bigger roles. It's their job to make the most of it."
3 Stars
3. Charlie Lindgren (STJ) – 33 saves on 36 shots
2. Cole Bardreau (LV) – Goal, Assist, +2
1. Mark Alt (LV) – Goal, Assist, +1
