Akeson Leads Lehigh Valley Past Bridgeport

Jason Akeson had a four point night (2G-2A) in Phantoms win this evening.

You got the sense on Saturday night that Lehigh Valley Phantoms forward Jason Akeson was on the verge of having a breakout game. Did he ever this afternoon in the rematch against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Akeson figured in on four of the five Phantoms goals in a 5-3 win over the Sound Tigers, tallying two goals and two assists - including points on three power play goals. Darroll Powe tallied a goal and an assist, while Andrew Gordon and Brandon Manning also tallied goals in the Phantoms' win. Blair Jones added two assists, both of which came on Akeson's goals.

Rookie goaltender Anthony Stolarz picked up his third win of the season, stopping 34 of the 37 shots he faced, which included several big stops on a 5-on-3 penalty kill in the waning moments of the 3rd period. Stolarz was under siege in the 2nd period as well, facing 21 Bridgeport shots and stopping 19 of them.

The Phantoms (10-9-2-1) took three of a possible six points in the standings in their three-game weekend, with another three-in-three weekend starting next Friday night in Binghamton.


The Phantoms went an abysmal 0-for-9 on the power play last night, but the man advantage was clicking this afternoon in Connecticut - converting on three of their six power play chances today.

Andrew Gordon got the Phantoms on the board with his 6th tally of the season, putting home a rebound of an Akeson point shot to even things up with a power play goal of their own with 9:03 left in the 1st period after Bridgeport's C.J. Stretch tallied a power play goal four minutes into play.

In a wild second period that featured five goals, Powe got credit for own-goal after Bridgeport's Scott Mayfield accidentally played a puck into his own net trying to fight off a heavy fore check from Powe. Then the Phantoms power play went back to work.

Akeson tallied his first goal of the season 6:23 into the 2nd period, just five seconds after Sound Tigers' forward Brett Gallant was whistled for tripping. Jones tallied the lone assist on the power play tally that extended their lead to 3-1.

Former Phantoms forward Harry Zolnierczyk made it a one goal game with an even strength goal midway through the period, but the Phantoms re-gained their two-goal lead at 4-2, again scoring five seconds into a power play. Manning took a pass from Akeson and fired a shot past Sound Tigers netminder Kevin Poulin with 4:02 left in the middle frame. Taylor Leier also added an assist on Manning's 6th of the season.

Promising New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock had a game-high seven shots, one of which made it a one-goal game at a 4-3 Phantoms lead after the Sound Tigers' rookie blasted a power play point shot past Stolarz with a minute left before the second intermission.

The Phantoms clamped down defensively in the third period and prevailed after some strong penalty killing efforts in the final minutes. Akeson tacked on an empty net goal for his 2nd tally of the night and 4th point of the game to complete the 5-3 final score.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

3:07: LV - (PP) Mathers, bench minor (too many men)
3:59: BST - PPG Stretch (5) - Vaughn
4:36: LV - (PP) Leier, minor (tripping)
9:09: BST - (PP) Ness, minor (tripping)
10:57: LV - PPG Gordon (6) - Akeson, Powe
14:37: BST - (PP) Mayfield, minor (tripping)
15:35: BST - (PP) Langkow, minor (charging)
18:23: LV - Goumas, minor (diving/embellishment)
18:23: BST - Halmo, minor (tripping)
18:42: LV - (PP) Stortini, minor (boarding)

2nd Period

1:45: LV - (PP) Straka, minor (tripping)
5:57: LV - Powe (5) - unassisted
6:18: BST - (PP) Gallant, minor (tripping)
6:23: LV - PPG Akeson (1) - Jones
9:46: BST - Zolnierczyk (9) - Ness
11:03: LV - Manning, minor (roughing)
11:03: BST - McDonald, minor (roughing)
15:52: BST - Ness, minor (holding)
15:58: LV - PPG Manning (6) - Akeson, Leier
17:07: LV - (PP) Straka, minor (tripping)
17:39: LV - (PP) Goumas, minor (closing hand on puck)
19:00: BST - PPG Pulock (9) - Ness, McDonald
 
3rd Period

9:09: BST - (PP) Stretch, minor (unsportsmanlike conduct)
5:14: LV - (PP) Lauridsen, minor (interference)
16:16: LV - (PP) Gordon, minor (delay of game)
17:06: LV - (PP) Stolarz, minor (interference)
19:27: LV - ENG Akeson (2) - Jones

ROSTER NOTES

Rookie Anthony Stolarz (34 saves - 37 shots) got the start in net at the tail end of the three-in-three. Veteran Rob Zepp backed him up.

No other lineup changes as Brett Flemming and Jay Rosehill were both healthy scratches for the 2nd straight game.

Scratches: Brett Flemming (healthy), Shayne Ghostisbehere (ACL injury) and Jay Rosehill (healthy).

Lines

Taylor Leier - Blair Jones - Zack Stortini
Jason Akeson - Nick Cousins - Petr Straka
Darroll Powe - Kevin Goumas - Andrew Gordon
Brett Hextall - Austin Fyten - Derek Mathers

Brandon Manning - Mark Alt
Robert Hagg - Steven Delisle
Oliver Lauridsen - Jesper Pettersson

Anthony Stolarz - Rob Zepp