The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (31-24-6) continued their five-game homestand on Friday night with a rematch against the Hershey Bears (36-16-7) for the final time at the PPL Center. This was the twelfth meeting of the season. The Phantoms are 2-8-1 against Hershey this year.
The Phantoms got some good news before the game as Elliot Desnoyers (illness) and Kevin Connauton (injury) returned to the lineup. Desnoyers played on the second line.
Furthermore, Hayden Hodgson (injury) was out for the game. Bobby Brink took Hodgson’s place on the third line as Adam Brooks moved up to the first line.
In addition to Hodgson, Troy Grosenick, Emil Andrae, Ryan Fitzgerald, Will Zmolek, and Wyatte Wylie were out of the game. Sam Ersson (19-13-2, 2.67 GAA, .905 SV%) started in goal with Nolan Maier backing him up.
In the first period, the Phantoms had eight shots on goal. Hershey took a delay of game penalty four minutes and fifty-four seconds in the period. However, the Phantoms could not capitalize. Lehigh Valley had five power play opportunities and did not score during them in this game.
They are ranked 22nd in the league in power-play goals. Lehigh Valley was disorganized, scattered on the ice, and therefore missing a ton of passes. When Hershey got the puck out of their zone, the Phantoms were busy chasing it and the Bears did a good job stalling to kill time.
Hershey struck first with a minute and five seconds left of the first period. Joe Snively’s (10) shot bounced off Ersson’s left pad but Ethen Frank (26) was there for the putback and fired it over Ersson’s glove and into the net. It was 1-0 Hershey.
Throughout the game, the Phantoms did some good things like blocking shots and disrupting plays but had trouble generating momentum themselves.
As time expired, Olle Lycksell was tripped by Shane Gersich and the Phantoms went on the power play to start the second period. Hershey led 1-0 and had seven shots.
In the second period, the Phantoms had six shots on goal. The Phantoms tied the game sixteen minutes and nine seconds in the period.
After Adam Ginning (15) passed the puck to Ronnie Attard (11), he skated with the puck and maneuvered around several Hershey players before rifling the puck over Hunter Shepard’s left should and into the net. The game was tied 1-1 with 3:51 left. Late in the second period, Sam Ersson made three great saves to keep the game tied. The game remained tied 1-1 after two periods.
Eight minutes and fifty-seven seconds into the third period, Garrett Wilson went to the penalty box for hooking. The Phantoms committed two penalties throughout the game.
Unfortunately, Hershey capitalized when Sam Anas (8), in his first game back from injury, fired the puck from the right circle that went over Ersson’s right pad and into the net for a power play goal. It was 2-1 Hershey with 9:13 left. Julian Napravnik (1) and Bobby Nardella (17) assisted with his goal.
With two minutes and forty-eight seconds left in the game, Sam Ersson was pulled for an extra attacker. Sam Ersson finished the night with 17 saves. The Phantoms got off one shot and fell to the Hershey Bears by the final score of 2-1. The Phantoms had four shots on goal in the third period and 22 shots overall. Hershey finished with 19 shots, 1-2 on the power play, and Hunter Shepard made 21 saves.
After the game, head coach Ian Laperriere said the team did not create momentum on power plays and was not moving the puck quickly enough. The Phantoms have now lost two straight games.
The Phantoms wrap up the five-game homestand on Sunday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 4:05 pm on AHL.TV. Tickets for the game are available on StubHub.
