LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa – Andrew Gordon had 2 goals, and the Phantoms pulled to within one goal three separate times, as the Portland Pirates won a wild game in front of a PPl Center record crowd of 8.843 Saturday night.
Francis Wathier broke through first at 6:26 of the opening period. Eric Sellecy passed the puck from the near corner to Wathier in the slot, and Wathier one-timed it over the glove of Lehigh Valley netminder Rob Zepp. It was Wathier’s 4th of the season. The 
Phantoms would tie it roughly six minutes later as Kevin Goumas found Andrew Gordon at the edge of the crease with a slick pass from the corner. It was Gordon’s 16th of the season. 2:02 later, Portland would pull ahead. Phillip Samuelsson would net his third of the season off of the rebound of a Lucas Lessio shot. Brendan Shinnimin also picked up an assist on the goal. Shots in the period favored the visitors 12-11.
Most of the second period was a case of both teams pushing back and forth. Portland gained a two goal advantage at 16:52 on the power play with Brendan Shinnimin’s 14th. With Jay Rosehill in the box for boarding, Shinnimin took a pass from former Vancouver Canuck Alexandre Bolduc and buried a wrister from the bottom of the near circle.
Lehigh Valley was down, but certainly not out, as they got a marker exactly one minute later. Adam Comrie got his third with a bomb from the far point off of a pass from Darroll Powe as the puck escaped a screened Mike McKenna and again, pulled the Phantoms within one. Shots in the period agan went the way of the visitors 10-8.
The intensity ratcheted up in the third. Zack Stortini was hitting the brothers’ Samuelsson every chance he got. Alexandre Bolduc was chirping anyone who got near him, things were just getting fun. Henrik Samuelsson scored from the top of the near circle with a man draped all over his back. It was his 12th of the season, Alexandre Boldc got the assist, along with Jordan Martinook.
48 seconds later, Andrew Gordon would again score in tight on the power play. With Eric Selleck in the penalty box, Gordon buried a shot past Mckenna from the near circle at 4:02. With 90 seconds left and trailing by one, the Phantoms’ pulled Zepp with an offensive zone faceoff. There was just one problem, they didn’t win the draw. Bolduc scored from the Pirates blue line into the empty net. Scott Laughton, scratched last night with illness, would score with ten seconds left, but that’s as close as they would get. As a result, Lehigh Valley’s playoff odds’ got longer.
Notes: Phantoms’ Defenseman Brandon Manning was recalled by the Flyers before the game. The Phantoms honored former Phantom and current Portland Assistant Coach John Slaney before the game. Lehigh Valley Forward Petr Straka left the game in the second period with an upper body injury apparently suffered Friday against Bridgeport. The Phantoms’ Jay Rosehill on the importance of the road trip that will keep team away from Allentown for two weeks: “It’s huge. We got a couple weeks here before we’re back in our home barnd and we’ve had some good success on the road. We need to try to replicate that. We’re at the point now, with the position we put ourselves in, where every game is a must win. Other teams may only have a couple of those every year. Hopefully we get some points.”
Terry Murray on the decision not to call a timeout with a minute and a half left and the draw in the Portland zone: “I talked to the players about a timeout with about 1:45 left. Akeson and Gordon and….Cousins had been out there for a shift and it’s another faceoff in the offensive zone. I talked to them about a timeout at that time, they said they were all good, ready to go. I thought about, and everybody said ‘we’re good to go, let’s get after it.’” “We stood around and watched them with the puck, that’s the bottom line.”
3 Stars: 3) POR-Alexandre Bolduc (Goal and 2 assists) 2) LV-Andrew Gordon (2 Goals) 1) POR-Phillip Samuelsson (Goal)
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