‘We want Hershey!’
That’s something your children would say, then you take them to ‘Chocolate World.’ However, that statement takes on a different meaning after last night.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2-0) swept the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (0-2) to move on from the AHL Atlantic Division First Round to the Atlantic Division Semifinals. Cal Petersen was the netminder for both victories in the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza and the PPL Center. Rhett Gardner scored the game-winner in Game 1, and Jacob Gaucher slammed home the overtime game-winner to complete a Game 2 comeback.
Next up are the Hershey Bears.
FIRST PERIOD
Starting for the Phantoms, along with Petersen, were Gaucher, Garrett Wilson, Brendan Furry, Adam Ginning, and Ronnie Attard.
Valtteri Puustinen put the Penguins ahead. Jack Rathbone fired a shot on goal from near the blue line and redirected off Puustinen, 1-0, with 17:43 remaining.
Two skaters who weren’t in the lineup for Game 1, Jon-Randall Avon and Marc Johnstone, exchanged pleasantries. Neither team committed to dropping the gloves and fighting, but the contest was chippy, as expected. The Phantoms didn’t play a tight game in the defensive or offensive zones, relying on Petersen to find a groove. He recovered, making saves on Jonathan Gruden and Austin Rueschhoff.
Hunter McDonald served a minor penalty for slashing. Attard and Emil Andrae cleared the defensive zone. Andrae sacrificed his body, blocking a shot to help Petersen. McDonald began a trend, disjointing the game due to penalties. It seemed like neither team, from this point on, could play with discipline.
Vinnie Hinostroza served a minor penalty for slashing. Corey Andonovski had a shorthanded breakaway chance for the second time in as many games in the series, but Petersen denied him again. The Phantoms had a poor start to their power play, setting the momentum comfortably with the Penguins.
Hinostroza drew the ire of a few Phantoms in the first period. The context dates back to Game 1 when he tripped Gaucher and Furry on empty-net chances. Ian Laperrière was furious with the officiating at the end of Game 1 because he felt an empty-net goal should have been awarded instead of a power play. Alas, Hinostroza seemed to be a focal point in Game 2.
Ginning served a minor penalty for tripping. This time, the Phantoms nearly drew a shorthanded breakaway. Petersen successfully held his ground, and after the successful penalty kill, Ginning and Gardner helped alleviate the pressure out of the defensive zone.
Louie Belpedio served a minor penalty for cross-checking. It carried into the second period, where the Phantoms would begin on the penalty kill for 1:44. At the end of the first period, the Penguins had a 1-0 lead. Lehigh Valley were 0/1 on the power play and 2/2 on the penalty kill.
SECOND PERIOD
Helge Grans helped the Phantoms on their lingering penalty kill with Belpedio in the box. Then, Ginning served another minor penalty for tripping. Petersen kept battling in the man disadvantage and kept the Penguins from extending their lead.
Scooter Brickey served a minor penalty for holding. Bobby Brink looked for a centering pass, but Jack St. Ivany made a timely sliding check. Andrae nearly deflected a shot past Joel Blomqvist, but he made the save. Adam Brooks had a scoring chance, too.
Radim Zohorna served a minor penalty for tripping. This time, the Penguins paid for serving time in the penalty box. Blomqvist made the initial save on Attard, but he reset along the blue line with Victor Mete. On the second attempt, Mete set Attard with a beautiful dish for a one-timer, 1-1, with 10:41 remaining. Attard made the Phantoms 1/3 on the power play.
For a brief period, the Phantoms and Penguins special teams had a break. Cooper Marody forced a takeaway on the forecheck but opted not to shoot. It was hard to tell, but either Marody had an immediate look at Blomqvist, or he thought a teammate was trailing into the slot as he took the puck behind the net.
Belpedio served a minor penalty for delaying the game. For as hard as the Phantoms worked to tie the game, an unforced error put the Penguins ahead again. Hinostroza shot on goal, and Petersen used his leg pad to make the save. Zohorna lifted the rebound past Petersen, 2-1, with 5:54 remaining. Lehigh Valley finished 4/5 on the penalty kill.
Rathbone added to the Penguins’ lead. Ville Koivunen found Rathbone entering the slot, and Andrae didn’t commit to blocking the shot. The puck beat Petersen, 3-1, with 2:02 remaining.
THIRD PERIOD
A sense of urgency overcame the Phantoms, down two goals on home ice with the chance to eliminate a division rival. Attard and Tanner Laczynski began to pressure Blomqvist, creating a net-front scramble. The Penguins’ defense deserved a lot of credit to this point. Their defense forced Lehigh Valley to play from the outside, mitigating high-danger chances and creating a ton of traffic to shut down passing lanes.
Gruden and Xavier Ouellet were in the penalty box for illegal checking penalties (check to the head and cross-checking). Suddenly, the Phantoms had a chance to take back the momentum on a five-on-three powerplay. Andrae waited for St. Ivany to poke check, changed his shooting angle, and beat Blomqvist, 3-2, with 7:45 remaining.
Then, Laczynski tipped an outside shot by Brink past Blomqvist, 3-3, with 7:23 remaining. Lehigh Valley finished 3/6 on the power play.
Zohorna scored his second of the night, recapturing a lead for the Penguins. Puustinen crossed his pass to Zohorna, and Elliot Desnoyers didn’t have an active stick in the passing lane. He flashed the puck past Petersen, 4-3, with 3:48 remaining.
Ginning and Puustinen both served simultaneous penalties once the Penguins regained the lead. If you recall, the last time these teams were in a four-on-four scenario, the Phantoms scored in Game 1. This time, Laczynski matched Zohorna, scoring his second of the game. On the forecheck, a highlighted aspect of his game, he recovered the puck from the boards and quickly shot high on Blomqvist, 4-4, with 3:14 remaining.
Petersen and Blomqvist took the contest to overtime. If there’s one thing we love, it’s overtime hockey!
OVERTIME
Perseverance is a trait often rewarded. Gaucher received more than his fair share of hits into the boards, and Hinostroza robbed him of an empty-net goal in Game 1. He got his sweet revenge, walking the Penguins out of the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs at the PPL Center. Furry created the rebound, and Gaucher punched the puck home for the series sweep, 5-4, in 2:11.
UP NEXT
Next, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms visit the Hershey Bears on May 1st at the Giant Center for Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals.
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