Photo Courtesy of Nina Weiss
Anthony Stolarz has been nothing short of incredible in his second season as a pro, and Wednesday's 3-2 shootout win over the Syracuse Crunch served as a reminder.
Stolarz stopped 51 of 53 shots, topping the franchise record and becoming the second-ever Phantoms goalie to save 50 or more pucks in a game. The previous record was held by Carson Chubak, who made 50 saves in a 4-3 win over Albany on April 6, 2014.
Former Phantom Tye McGinn helped add to the dramatics for the Crunch (22-23-9-3), tying the game with 29.1 seconds on the clock for his 18th of the season. Danick Martel opened the scoring for the Phantoms (27-26-2-3), with his team-leading 20th goal of the season.
Mike Blunden added a goal and an assist — scoring the Crunch's first of the night on a second-period powerplay tally and setting up McGinn's game-tying goal. He failed to capitalize on his shootout attempt, however, as he shot last. Cole Bardreau's 10th of the year with 10:30 to play gave the Phantoms a 2-1 lead that was able to hold for all but 30 seconds of game play.
Stolarz was pressed into duty early, facing 17 shots in the third period. He faced 17 more in the second period and 14 in the stanza, followed by five in the overtime period. His performance was topped off with saves on all three shots faced in the shootout.
The Crunch scored one power play goal on three attempts, while the Phantoms found themselves scoreless on their lone opportunity.
Tonight's win was also the seventh-consecutive one-goal decision for the Flyers' farm club, and they find themselves now 4-1-2 in their last seven games. With 59 points and the seventh-place spot in the (tight) Atlantic Division, however, their playoff chances still remain slim.
The Phantoms return to PPL Center for a quick stop on Friday, hosting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before embarking on a five-game road trip.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
