Muse, Phantoms Blank T-Birds

ALLENTOWN, PA - The Springfield Thunderbirds (28-31-5-1) could muster only 23 shots as they were blanked, 3-0, by the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (42-16-3-5) at the PPL Center on Sunday afternoon.

 

Unlike much of the season series between Springfield and Lehigh Valley, the first period featured surprisingly little in the way of offensive attacks, with the Phantoms firing just seven shots on Harri Sateri, while John Muse stopped all six Thunderbirds shots.

 

The Thunderbirds would pick up the only power play in period one, but Springfield failed to get a shot to the net on the two-minute advantage.

 

The second period was a penalty-filled affair with neither team able to do anything on power plays. Springfield and Lehigh Valley each went 0-for-2 in the period with the man advantage and also went scoreless through a couple stints of 4-on-4 hockey.

 

The game's turning point may have came at the 15:30 mark of the period. First, Bobby Farnham found his way into the slot, but was denied from point blank range by Muse. Just moments later and almost 200 feet away, Danick Martel took a drop pass from Mikhail Vorobyev and wired a wrister over Sateri's glove to put Lehigh Valley in front, 1-0.

 

The Phantoms pulled away in the third, with Muse again in the middle of it. With the Thunderbirds working shorthanded, Muse made a kick save on a Springfield rush, which led Phil Varone and Chris Conner the other way on a 2-on-1. Conner finished it off to make it 2-0 at 2:55 of the third.

 

Former Springfield Falcon Greg Carey added one more for good measure in the final four minutes to put a three-spot on the board for Lehigh Valley in their 10th win in 12 tries against Springfield.

 

The Thunderbirds complete their third straight three-game weekend with a contest in Allentown tomorrow afternoon against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Next weekend, Springfield makes their only visits to Rochester and Toronto on March 24-25.

 

Springfield Thunderbirds fans are encouraged to visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com to learn more about 2018-19 Thunderbirds Season Ticket Memberships. Packages include a wide range of benefits, including the lowest prices for the 2019 AHL All Star Classic presented by MGM Springfield. For more information or to order now, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.