Recap: Phantoms 4, Islanders 1
Apr 2, 2025Calle Odelius scored his first career AHL goal on Wednesday morning, but the Bridgeport Islanders (15-44-4-3), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, suffered a 4-1 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (33-26-5-2) in front of 6,843 fans at Total Mortgage Arena.
Alexis Gendron scored the eventual game-winning goal when he converted late in the first period. Anthony Richard, Jon-Randall Avon, and Ethan Samson also registered a goal for Lehigh Valley. Adam Ginning logged two helpers, while Parker Gahagen (11-3-2) stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced.
Hunter Miska (2-7-0) made 25 saves for the Islanders.
The Phantoms jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back. Richard gave Lehigh Valley an early advantage 2:43 into the first period when he intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and darted through the left circle. He slipped a shot under Miska’s pads from just above the crease to make it 1-0.
At the 15:47 mark, Garrett Wilson settled the puck near the end boards and found Gendron at the doorstep. Gendron got around Sam Bolduc and lifted a wrist shot into the top left corner to make it 2-0.
The Phantoms started the second period right where they left off in the first, potting two goals in a 3:39 span. Avon redirected Rhett Gardner’s left-wing shot at 6:32 to make it 3-0 before Samson lasered a wrist shot past Miska from the right circle to extend Lehigh Valley’s lead at 10:11.
Odelius got the Islanders on the board 17:51 into the second period with a power-play goal. After Samson was accessed a slashing penalty, Alex Jefferies found Odelius near the blue line, where he hammered a one-timer through traffic and past Gahagen’s blocker for his first AHL goal. Matt Maggio collected the secondary assist.
Despite having chances in the third period, including two power-play opportunities, the Islanders could not come back. Bridgeport’s power play went 1-for-5, while the penalty kill went 2-for-2. Lehigh Valley led in shots, 29-26.
The Islanders finished their six-game series with the Phantoms 1-5-0-0.
Next Time Out: The Islanders continue a five-game homestand on Saturday night with a 5 p.m. faceoff against the Charlotte Checkers at Total Mortgage Arena. The game can be heard for free via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network or seen live on AHLTV on FloHockey, beginning with the Connecticut Lottery Pregame Countdown at 4:45 p.m.