5 hours Ago By Staff Report
For the second consecutive season, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms showed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a quick exit in the Calder Cup playoffs. Helge Grans scored with two minutes left in regulation as the Phantoms beat the Penguins, 3-2, in Game 2 of their AHL Atlantic Division first-round best-of 3 series Friday night at PPL Center in Allentown. Lehigh Valley posted a two-game sweep to eliminate the Penguins and advance to the Atlantic Division semifinals against either the Hershey Bears or Charlotte Checkers.
The Penguins were trying to send the series back to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza for a deciding Game 3 on Sunday. They took a 2-1 lead early in the third period when Harrison Brunicke scored his first professional goal at 6:26 off assists from Tristan Braz and Ville Koivunen. However, just 88 seconds later, Jacob Gaucher scored for Lehigh Valley off a rebound to tie the game at 2.
It appeared as if the game might be headed to overtime when Anthony Richard redirected a shot by Jett Luchanko that Penguins goalie Sergei Murashov stopped. A Penguins defenseman fanned on clearing the rebound and the puck went to Grans, who was down on the ice in the right faceoff circle. From his knees, Grans backhanded the puck past Murashov for the game-winner at 18:00.
Murashov, who was reassigned Friday by Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from Wheeling after Joel Blomqvist was injured in Game 1, was pulled for an extra attacker. The Penguins pressed, but could not produce the tying goal and time expired on their season. Murashov finished with 28 saves.
Following a scoreless first period, Lehigh Valley struck first when Richard scored at 14:33 of the second period. But the Penguins tied it on a power play goal by Broz with 26.4 seconds left in the period.
Phantoms goalie Parker Gahagen stopped 31 of 33 shots..
