January 4, 2025
Syracuse, NY – Brendan Furry (3rd) slid home the overtime winner to end a four-game win streak for the Syracuse Crunch and cap a perfect weekend in snowy central New York for the Phantoms with a 3-2 win on Saturday night. Alexis Gendron (10th) and Helge Grans (4th) also scored for the Phantoms who played to their 13th overtime game of the season, most in the AHL, while also recording their seventh overtime win of the year, also tops in the entire league.
It was Furry’s second game-winner in consecutive Saturdays along with his shorthanded breakaway beauty last week against Charlotte in a 2-1 win last week on December 28. The Phantoms won back-to-back road contests for a second time this season and have started off 2025 with a 2-0-0 record while solidifying their hold on fifth place in the Atlantic Division placing some distance between themselves from Hartford and Springfield with whom they were tied in the standings last week.
The Phantoms have won three of their last four and are also 6-3-0 in their last nine games since December 14.
Lehigh Valley (15-13-5) dominated in the first period with a 15-4 shots advantage and two goals against Brandon Halverson who entered action with a league-leading 1.70 goals-against average.
Alexis Gendron rifled one through Halverson from the left dot on a quick set-up by Rodrigo Abols to get the Phantoms on the board at 8:06 into the game. Gendron has scored in consecutive games and also has goals in three of the last four as the 21-year-old rookie became the second Phantom to reach double-digits in goals joining Jacob Gaucher who leads the team with 13.
The Phantoms were dominating in board battles and hard-fought scraps for the puck and it would be another board win that would lead to the team’s next goal. Jacob Gaucher and Zayde Wisdom out-muscled a pair of Syracuse defenders to work the puck free back to Emil Andrae who quickly slid it over to Grans for a top-shelf blast from the top of the right circle making it 2-0 at the first intermission.
Syracuse (15-9-8) wasn’t going to go away quietly and found a better game in the second period with stronger chances that were repelled by Parker Gahagen (3-1-1). But the Crunch finally got the break they were looking for late in the period when a hard-around hopped over the paddle of Gahagen and quickly made it all the way around to Jesse Ylonen who was trying to feed Daniel Wolcott in the slot. Instead, the puck went off the stick of a Phantoms defenseman and across the line before Gahagen could scramble back to the crease for the denial.
The Crunch were back in the game at 2-1 after two periods.
Syracuse was primarily held to the outside for much of the third period but finally found the tying goal with just seconds remaining on another fluky play with a Derrick Pouliot point-shot going straight up off the top of the paddle of Gahagen and then landing over his left shoulder where Fortier scored with just 16.1 seconds left.
But Overtime is Phantoms-Time and Lehigh Valley thrived yet again as Louie Belpedio picked it off in the Syracuse end and left it for “Fuzz” who scored his first career overtime winner and then gestured to some rambunctious Syracuse agitators in the front row that he couldn’t hear them anymore. Furry had successfully quieted the crowd with his game-winner at 2:02 of overtime capping a 3-on-3 session in which Syracuse probably only touched the puck once and that was at the very end when they briefly had it before Belpedio stole it back.
The Phantoms look to stay perfect in 2025 when they conclude their three-game road trip on Tuesday night at the rival Hershey Bears.
The first home game of 2025 is Friday, January 10 on a Blackout Night at PPL Center with the team donning its snazzy blackout jerseys for the first time this season and fans receiving blackout knit caps from The Morning Call. Fans are also encouraged to wear black jerseys or shirts to the game to complete the blackout look!
SCORING SUMMARY
1st 8:06 – LV, A. Gendron (10) (R. Abols) (1-0)
1st 17:40 – LV, H. Grans (4) (E. Andrae, Z. Wisdom) (2-0)
2nd 18:52 – SYR, J. Ylonen (7) (J. Teasdale, S. Walford) (2-1)
3rd 19:43 – SYR, G. Fortier (5) (D. Pouliot, J. Ylonen) (6×5) (2-2)
OT 2:02 – LV, B. Furry (3) (L. Belpedio)
Shots:
LV 29 – SYR 22
PP:
LV 0/2, SYR 0/1
Goaltenders:
LV – P. Gahagen (W) (3-1-1) (20/22)
SYR – B. Halverson (OTL) (10-4-5) (26/29)
Records:
Lehigh Valley (15-13-5)
Syracuse (15-9-8)
UPCOMING
Tuesday, January 7 (7:00) – Phantoms at Hershey Bears
Friday, January 10 (7:05) – Hartford Wolf Pack at Phantoms – Blackout Knit Caps from The Morning Call
Saturday, January 11 (7:05) – Phantoms at Hartford Wolf Pack
Sunday, January 12 (5:00) – Phantoms at Bridgeport Islanders
Wednesday, January 15 (7:05) – Phantoms vs. Belleville Senators, Pregame Happy Hour, $2 Beers
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