The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (21-16-5) continued their five-game homestand on Wednesday night. They took on the first-place Hershey Bears (28-10-5) from the PPL Center in a rematch from last Saturday’s 7-3 blowout loss. This was the eighth meeting between the two teams with Hershey winning all of them.
There were several lineup changes before the game. Cal O’Reilly was scratched with an illness and Jordy Bellerive took his place. Meanwhile, Cooper Marody, Adam Karashik, and Isaac Ratcliffe all returned from their injuries.
In addition to O’Reilly, Troy Grosenick, Linus Hogberg, Ryan Fitzgerald, Zayde Wisdom, Adam Brooks, and Wyatte Wylie were out of the game. Sam Ersson (12-9-1, 2.72 GAA, .909 SV%) started in goal with Pat Nagle as the backup.
Early in the first period. Hershey was in control. They had a couple of breakaway opportunities but Sam Ersson denied them. The Phantoms’ defense did not protect Ersson and were instead playing offense. Lehigh Valley had issues with puck control, too many passes, not being in their right positions, and not winning the one-on-one battles.
However, the Phantoms made some good hits to slow down the game a bit but it did not slow Hershey down. The Phantoms almost took the lead when Cooper Marody scored a goal but it was waived off after Garrett Wilson made contact with Zach Fucale.
Then, Hershey struck first with 11:38 left. Connor McMichael (10) won the faceoff inside the Phantoms’ zone. The puck was retrieved by Lucas Johansen (2). Johansen fired the puck that McMichael redirected it through the five-hole and into the net. It was 1-0 Hershey.
The Phantoms had eight shots in the first period. Their next best chance to score came when Max Willman stole the puck and Bobby Brink went with him for an odd-man rush. However, Hershey’s defense got back quickly to break up the play and the Phantoms had no chance. Hershey led 1-0 after one period and dominated the faceoff wins 10-2. The shots were tied at eight apiece.
A minute and thirty-eight seconds into the second period. The Phantoms went on their first power play on an interference call against Ethan Frank. It was the first penalty of the night. The Phantoms only got one shot off and that was by Egor Zamula. Lehigh Valley went 0/1 on the power play.
The Phantoms started to generate momentum as the second period went along. They were winning the one-on-one battles, forcing turnovers, but they remained hesitant in shooting and made too many passes. Cooper Marody had an opportunity to shoot the puck with no one near him and instead passed the puck to Louie Belpedio. It’s those plays that have plagued the team all season.
After Belpedio missed the shot. Marody (7) stayed with the play and made a pass to Elliot Desnoyers (10). Then, Desnoyers quickly passed the puck to Louie Belpedio (5) and he ripped it past Fucale’s right shoulder and into the net. The game was tied 1-1 with 13:37 left.
Less than a minute later. The Phantoms went on their second power play after Riley Sutter got called for boarding. It took a minute and thirty-four seconds for the Phantoms to take the lead. Bobby Brink (5) won the faceoff inside the Bears’ zone. After Louie Belpedio made a pass to Cooper Marody (8). Marody found Elliot Desnoyers (11). Desnoyers made a terrific backhand pass to Bobby Brink for a quick shot over Fucale’s left shoulder and into the net. It was 2-1 Phantoms with 12:03 left.
Two minutes and thirteen seconds later. The Phantoms added another goal. Cooper Marody (9) made a pass to Garrett Wilson (13) to start the Phantoms’ rush. Wilson had Elliot Desnoyers with him. Then, Wilson made a nice cross-ice pass to Kevin Connauton (2) and he slapshot the puck through the five-hole and into the net. It was now 3-1 Phantoms with 9:16 left. In addition, it was Marody’s third assist of the night. It was his first three-assist game since 2019, and the fourth for the Phantoms this year. Adam Ginning did it once and Olle Lycksell twice.
A minute and twenty-eight seconds later. The Phantoms continued to score. This time, it was Tyson Foerster (16). After coming off the bench, Foerster’s breakaway opportunity was denied by Fucale. The Phantoms stayed with the play. Olle Lycksell (24) forced a turnover and sent the puck to Artem Anisimov (9). Then, Anisimov went back to Foerster and he chipped it in past Fucale’s left skate and into the net. It was now 4-1 with 7:44 left.
The Phantoms committed one penalty in the second period after having a clean slate for the game. Lehigh Valley killed the power play. The Phantoms had 12 shots in the second period and led 4-1 after two periods. They also won the faceoff draws 13-4.
Lehigh Valley did a good job in the second period. They were disciplined, and aggressive, staying in their respective positions, and shooting.
In the third period. Hershey got aggressive. They started hustling for the puck and forcing the Phantoms to make quick decisions. Some were good and some were bad. The Phantoms did get some rushes going but they mainly aimed for killing the clock.
Hershey had eight shots on goal before they added a goal. Hendrix Lapierre (13) led the Hershey rush inside the Phantoms’ zone. He shoveled the puck mid-air before Aliaksei Protas (1) batted it in past Ersson’s stick side and into the net. It was now 4-2 Phantoms with 4:08 left.
Hershey tried to build momentum by pulling Zack Fucale. Nevertheless, the Phantoms put the game away on an empty-net goal by Olle Lycksell (8). He shot the puck from the left boards inside the Phantoms’ zone and the puck slowly rolled into the net.
Adam Ginning (11) assisted with Lycksell’s goal. The Phantoms won the game by the final score of 5-2. It is the Phantoms’ first win over Hershey this year.
After the game. Phantoms coach Ian Laperriere was pleased with the effort the guys showed out there. Everyone bought in, contributed, and played the right way. The Phantoms finished the night with 23 shots, 1/2 on the power play, and Sam Ersson made 20 saves. On the side other, Hershey had 22 shots, 0/1 on the power play, and Zach Fucale made 18 saves.
The Phantoms are now 6-3-1 in their last ten games. They are three points behind Charlotte for third place in the Atlantic Division.
Lehigh Valley concludes the five-game homestand on Friday night. They take on the Providence Bruins at 7:05 pm on AHL.TV. Tickets for the game can be purchased on StubHub.
