The Springfield Thunderbirds (11-13-1-4) registered 31 shots but could not find enough offense in a 2-1 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (13-11-2-1) on Friday night inside the MassMutual Center.
Things did not start on the right foot for the T-Birds, as a puck skittered into the middle of their own zone just 23 seconds into the contest, and veteran Artem Anisimov was the beneficiary of a slick between-the-legs pass from Olle Lycksell for a slam dunk goal at the side of Vadim Zherenko’s cage, giving Lehigh Valley the 1-0 advantage.
The rest of a penalty-free first period saw lots of stoppages anyhow, but the two clubs each managed to fire 12 shots on goal, with Zherenko stopping 11 straight following the Anisimov goal. 35-year-old Phantoms backstop Pat Nagle denied all 12 Springfield shots on the net through 20 minutes.
In the last meeting between the clubs, the T-Birds power play diced the Phantoms penalty killing unit for four power-play goals. However, in the middle period of this affair, the Lehigh Valley shorthanded group had a standout performance, turning away three separate Springfield advantages. Zherenko’s middle stanza was less hectic, as he made all seven stops asked of him.
A quiet third period brought about an insurance marker by Phantoms captain Cal O’Reilly at the 12:28 mark to make it 2-0. Springfield battled and finally cracked Nagle as Keean Washkurak funneled a wraparound into the crease, where Mitchell Hoelscher deposited his second goal in two nights to cut the lead to 2-1 with 4:34 to play.
The Thunderbirds were granted a power play when Jordy Bellerive flipped the puck out of play with a minute to go, but the Lehigh Valley penalty kill survived the final moments to bring home their second win in three tries over Springfield so far this season.
The T-Birds return after a brief holiday break on Wednesday, Dec. 28 as they square off in another I-91 rivalry matchup with the Wolf Pack. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Thunderdome.
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