It’s just one win in a best-of-five series, but the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-2-0) found how to stop or slow down the Hershey Bears (2-1-0). They put the exclamation point on a home-ice victory, staying alive in the AHL Atlantic Division Semifinals.
Perfection is a requirement. The pressure is on the Phantoms like a top hat. Taking Game 3 from the Bears forces a potential back-to-back to finish if Lehigh Valley repeats the result on Saturday. Hershey finished with the most points and the best record in the AHL this season. Step by step, the team with the third-lowest points to qualify for a postseason berth is climbing back into the battle with the outright favorite to win and repeat as AHL Calder Cup Champions.
It’s just one win, but it sounds off about the character of the Phantoms.
“It would have been easy, the way the series has gone, to just pack it in. That’s not the kind of team we are. We were loose and confident.” – Cal Petersen; 5/8/2024
Lehigh Valley lost, 5-1, in Game 2. They didn’t allow the Bears to get under their skin in Game 3. In fact, they did ‘Rally the Valley.’
First Period
From the onset, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms generated a lot of offense, but at even strength, both goaltenders held their ground between the posts. Hunter Shepard robbed the Phantoms on plenty of occasions. Tanner Laczynski, Olle Lycksell, Adam Brooks, Cooper Marody, and Bobby Brink were lively around the crease throughout the game, and in most cases, Shepard did his job.
Just when it felt like Lehigh Valley pinned the Hershey Bears in their defensive zone, Ronnie Attard had his pocket picked along the boards at the blue line by Ethen Frank. It led to a breakaway chance, but Cal Petersen proved as patient as Shepard.
Jacob Gaucher, who you will remember from his overtime game-winner to send the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins home, drew a penalty from Dylan McIlrath. A late hit put McIlrath in the box for a roughing. The lack of discipline cost the Bears. Emil Andrae scored the eventual game-winner, sinking a powerplay goal from the blue line, 1-0, with 14:16 remaining in the first period.
Then, Hendrix Lapierre served a minor penalty for hooking. Lycksell and Marody caused mayhem in close on Shepard. A rebound from a shot by Marody, initially saved, deflected off Lycksell while crashing the net with Aaron Ness. In all the chaos, the puck crossed the goal line, 2-0, with 12:32 remaining in the first period. The Phantoms finished 2/3 on the powerplay.
Before the end of the first period, Lycksell served a minor penalty for high sticking. It carried into the second period, and Lehigh Valley set a trend. The Phantoms finished 5/5 on the penalty kill.
Second Period
Hunter McDonald served a double-minor for high sticking. He provided the best opportunity for the Hershey Bears to mount some offense and sustain possession, but Petersen continued with his perfect performance. Laczynski skated the puck deep into the offensive zone to kill a chunk of the penalty, too. Draining a four-minute penalty helped shift the entire game in the favor of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Adam Ginning and Attard helped Petersen keep the Bears off the scoreboard on a later penalty kill. They cleared the crease, wiping away any quality opportunities for Hershey. However, Shepard matched Petersen. Laczynski had a point-blank opportunity denied by Shepard.
A disjointed period featuring a handful of powerplay chances for each team didn’t generate the shot production you would think. The Phantoms took the shot advantage, 6-5, in the second period.
Third Period
Lycksell and Laczynski continued to buzz at even strength. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms controlled the third period, holding the Hershey Bears without a shot for the opening 9:45. For additional context, that means the Bears didn’t register a shot on goal when Brendan Furry served a minor penalty for high sticking.
However, the Phantoms didn’t forget their defensive identity. Hershey did catch pace, in terms of shots, with Lehigh Valley.
Unfortunately for the Bears, pulling Shepard didn’t help. A six-on-five advantage didn’t put Hershey on the scoreboard. Petersen sprawled onto the ice and out of position, but Pierrick Dubé missed his chance wide of the post.
Up Next
Next, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms host the Hershey Bears at the PPL Center on Saturday, May 11th, at 7:05pm.
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