ALLENTOWN, PA – Ken Appleby stopped all 25 shots he faced while Jacob MacDonald and Kevin Rooney each had a goal and an assist as the Binghamton Devils went on the road and shut down the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 3-0, on Wednesday.
Appleby stopped a breakaway chance in the opening period to keep the Phantoms off the scoreboard and neither team was able to find the net in the first frame. Binghamton led Lehigh Valley in shots, 9-7, and took a power play into the second period.
Late in the second period, MacDonald fired in his seventh goal of the season to put the Devils ahead heading into the third. Rooney started a rush down the right wing side and found MacDonald joining the rush who beat goaltender Alex Lyon for the lead. The lone assist on MacDonald’s goal came from Rooney with just 0:29 left in the second. Binghamton took the one-goal lead into the final period and outshot the Phantoms, 17-14, through 40 minutes.
Rooney put the Devils up 2-0 early in the third period while shorthanded. Rooney intercepted the puck and went in below the goal line and threw the puck on the net that slipped through Lyon for the two-goal lead. The goal was Rooney’s fourth goal of the season, and third shorthanded, at 5:31 of the final period.
Joe Blandisi added to the lead later in the third with help from Yaroslav Dyblenko. Dyblenko fed Blandisi on a breakaway in the neutral zone and he beat Lyon top shelf under the cross bar for his third of the season at 16:31. Blandisi’s tally was assisted by Dyblenko and MacDonald and the Devils came away with the shutout victory.
Appleby stopped all 25 shots for the win and Lyon denied 21 of 24 in the loss.
The Binghamton Devils stay on the road Friday and Saturday night in Providence to face the Bruins at 7:05 p.m. The next home game is Friday, December 8 against the Syracuse Crunch at 7:05 p.m. It’s Teddy Bear Toss Night and fans can order a special Teddy Bear Package that includes a ticket to the game and a teddy bear to throw on the ice! Call the Devils’ front office at 607-733-7367 for more information.
