Photo Credit: Nina Weiss/Flyerdelphia
Last season, under Terry Murray, fast starts were a trademark of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It seems that will be the case under new bench boss Scott Gordon, as well.
Four different Phantoms tallied goals, and Anthony Stolarz made 19 saves as Lehigh Valley beat the Springfield Falcons by a score of 4-1 at MassMutual Center on Friday night.
The Phantoms almost scored four minutes into the frame on a 2-on-1 by Nick Cousins and Danick Martel. Cousins broke into the slot and dropped a pass to Martel, but Springfield goaltender Louis Domingue stopped him with the blocker.
However, just 2:25 later, Chris Conner wasn't to be denied. After Mark Alt ripped a shot from the left circle, Conner stuffed home the rebound to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Despite numerous other chances, the first period ended with the Phantoms ahead 1-0.
In the second, the Phantoms made it 2-0 on the power play moments later, as Petr Straka found Martel on the doorstep for an easy goal at the back post.
Springfield carried the play from there and nearly tallied at 5:09. With Springfield's Brendan Shinnimin in the box, the Phantoms' Shayne Gostisbehere bobbled the puck at the blue line, causing the Falcons' Jordan Szwarz to have a breakaway. Stolarz stopped him with the glove to keep the score as it was.
Former Phantom Steven Delisle did cut the Falcons' deficit in half at 10:55. He floated a shot from the half-wall that deflected off of the stick of Samuel Morin and through the legs of Stolarz.
In the third, Lehigh Valley busted the game wide open. Petr Straka put a puck off of the crossbar and in after Domingue lost his stick on a net-mouth scramble at 1:56. Assists went to Conner and Andrew MacDonald.
Tyrell Goulbourne closed the scoring at 10:26 with his first professional goal. After stealing a puck at center ice, he busted down the right side and ripped a shot past Domingue. The goal was unassisted.
Notes: Before the game, Scott Gordon said Captain Colin McDonald was "in better shape than was initially to be expected." McDonald suffered an injury in Saturday's opener against the Syracuse Crunch. Danick Martel blocked a shot in the second period and did not return. His availability for Saturday afternoon's contest in Wilkes-Barre is unknown. The ECHL affiliate Reading Royals are in South Carolina, so the Phantoms could be stuck with 11 forwards. The lone healthy scratch was Defenseman Jesper Pettersson. Injury scratches were McDonald and Logan Pyett, who is out indefinitely after Sarcoma was found in his left leg.
3 Stars: 3) LV-Tyrell Goulbourne (Goal) 2) LV-Petr Straka (Goal and an assist) 1) LV-Chris Conner (Goal and two assists)
Brent Baldwin is Lehigh Valley Phantoms beat writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @BBFlyerdelphia.
