By Tommy Hendricks, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms used another late comeback to beat the Springfield Thunderbirds, 4-3, on Monday afternoon.
Greg Carey led the way with two goals and Scott Laughton and Andy Miele added the others. The Phantoms were outplayed much of the afternoon, but ultimately came out with the win.
Springfield dominated the first period of this afternoon's contest, outworking the Phantoms all over the rink. The Thunderbirds used two power-play goals just five minutes apart to capitalize on their strong play.
The first goal came just 1:26 into the game and just 11 seconds after Sam Morin was taken off for cross-checking. Matt MacKenzie scored the goal, rifling a shot off the back bar and out past Anthony Stolarz. Because of how fast the puck went in and out of the net, the officials took a look at it, but ultimately ruled it a good goal.
The second Springfield goal came off a shot from Jayce Hawryluk that hit the post to the side of Stolarz and rebounded out. Unfortunately for the Phantoms, that rebound found the stick of Sena Acolatse, who scored just 10 seconds into a power play.
The Thunderbirds needed just a combined 21 seconds on both power plays to score, going 2-for-2 in the first after having gone 1-for-26 on the man advantage coming into Monday's game.
The Phantoms answered the bell early in the second on a power play of their own. Greg Carey put in his own rebound after a centering feed from Chris Conner to cut the deficit in half. Carey scored his 12th power play goal of the season, which leads the AHL.
Springfield did not back down, however, scoring just 40 seconds later to retake their two goal lead. Kyle Rau benefited on a 2-on-1, firing a shot from the right wing circle top shelf on Stolarz to make it 3-1. Rau scored his third goal in just six games after being returned to the Thunderbirds from the Florida Panthers.
The remainder of the period saw the intensity pick up between the two teams, division rivals who had not met since Nov. 5. Even with the time apart, the frustrating start for the Phantoms fueled the fire for a dicey period.
In that Nov. 5 meeting, the Phantoms used a four-goal third period to overcome a 4-2 deficit and beat the Thunderbirds. On Monday, they used a three-goal third period to erase a 3-1 deficit to beat the T-Birds.
All three goals came in the final 5:31 seconds of the game, with Laughton getting the first to start the comeback. Laughton tipped home a point shot from Robert Hagg while positioned between the hash marks to make it a 3-2 game.
Just 27 seconds later, Greg Carey unleashed a one-time slapshot while on the power play that not only tied the game, but tied him for the league lead in goals with 21.
Chris Conner got up to his old tricks to set up the game winning goal, going behind the net and using his signature behind the back pass. This time, the play drew the attention of goalie Reto Berra to the wrong side, leaving Andy Miele wide open at the post for an easy tap in goal of Conner's feed to take the lead with just 1:38 left.
Lehigh Valley did not have the best of the play, but used a third period comeback for the third time this season to power themselves to the win. Carey has played a huge role in all three of those comebacks, and he lead the way in the comeback today.
Next up for the Phantoms is a huge matchup between the top two teams in the AHL, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and these Phantoms, coming up Friday night at PPL Center.
Notes
- Greg Carey now has 11 goals in his last 15 games, tied for the league lead in goals with 21 and leading in power play goals with 13.
- The Phantoms are now a perfect 3-for-3 against Springfield this season.
- Lehigh Valley scored four goals again on Monday and came into the game averaging 3.7 goals a game. That leads the league by 0.2 goals, more than any other team.
3 Stars
3. Sena Acolatse (SPR) – Goal, Assist
2. Andy Miele (LV) – Goal, Assist, +1
1. Greg Carey (LV) – 2 Goals
