PREVIEW: HAMMERS HEAD TO ALLENTOWN FOR PHANTOMS REMATCH
Nov 13, 2026
The Hamilton Hammers (5-9-0-2) take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-7-1-0) Friday night, marking the second meeting between the two teams in less than a week.
Winners of two straight, the Hammers will look to keep rolling as they make their way to Allentown. Hamilton opened its four-game road trip with a 4-1 victory over the Hershey Bears on Wednesday, while the Phantoms enter the matchup having lost four of their last five games.
Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST with live coverage available on AHLTV on FloHockey.
Here's what to keep an eye on:
ROUND TWO WITH THE PHANTOMS
Hamilton has enjoyed success against the Atlantic Division this season, putting together a 3-1-0-0 record while outscoring their opposition 19-13.
One of those victories came in a 6-3 win over the Phantoms at TD Coliseum on November 7. Six different players found the back of the net for Hamilton, led by Pierre Engvall, who recorded a three-point night and reached 100 goals in his professional career. Matt Luff also reached a career milestone with his 300th professional point, while Antonio Stranges scored his first goal in a Hammers uniform. In between the pipes, Josh Kotai turned aside 33 of 36 shots to help secure the victory.
Lehigh Valley will look to respond on home ice and even the season series in the second and final meeting between the two teams.
SPECIAL TEAMS KEY TO RECENT SUCCESS
Special teams played an important role in Hamilton's win over Lehigh Valley last week, with the Hammers scoring twice shorthanded and adding a power-play goal. While both teams sit in the bottom half of the AHL's power-play rankings, Hamilton has found its rhythm recently, converting three of 12 opportunities (25.0 per cent) over its last four games.
The Hammers have generated plenty of opportunities with the man advantage this season, earning 74 power plays, the fourth-highest total in the AHL, and converting 13 of them.
ENGVALL ON A ROLL
Engvall has found another gear offensively, scoring in three straight games while piling up six points (three goals, three assists) over that stretch. He continued his hot run in Wednesday's win over Hershey, delivering a two-point performance that included the game-winning goal and an assist.
Engvall has been a driving force behind Hamilton's recent offensive success and now sits second on the team leaderboard with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 16 games.
THE NEWCOMERS
The early success of Robby Fabbri and Stranges has been a welcome boost for the Hammers. The duo has combined for eight points through their first three games, led by Fabbri's five points, including a pair of multi-point performances.
Stranges has been equally impactful in key moments, picking up assists on the game-winning goals in each of Hamilton's last two victories. The pair will look to keep their strong starts rolling as the Hammers continue their road trip.
DEFENDING AGAINST THE PHANTOMS
Lehigh Valley, who have not played since Saturday's meeting with Hamilton, features several offensive threats throughout their lineup. In last week's loss to the Hammers, Danila Klimovich, Alex Bump and Alex Ciernik found the back of the net, while Jack Studnicka chipped in with a pair of assists.
Bump and Jacob Gaucher lead the Phantoms offensively with 10 points apiece this season, although Bump holds the edge in goals with nine. The forward has been a consistent scoring threat, recording at least one goal in eight of the nine games he's played.
Gaucher, meanwhile, got off to a hot start with five points, including three goals, through his first four games, but has since collected just one goal and one assist over his last five outings. Hamilton will need to keep both forwards in check as it looks to repeat its success from the first meeting.
MILESTONE WATCH
Hamilton defenceman Ethan Bear is closing in on a career milestone, entering the matchup with 197 professional points, just three shy of the 200-point mark.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
Hamilton is back in action Saturday night as they make their way to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a matchup with the Penguins. The contest marks the third stop on their four-game road trip, with puck drop set for 6:05 p.m. EST. Watch the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
The Hammers are back at TD Coliseum on November 20 to host the Belleville Senators for its inaugural Hockey Fights Cancer game in partnership with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation. Specialty warm-up jerseys will be auctioned, with all proceeds supporting robotic-assisted cancer surgery and care at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Tickets are available at HamiltonHammers.com, with game broadcast live on CABLE14 and AHLTV on FloHockey.