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Phantoms Top Bears 5-4, Improve to 3-0 in 2025

Phantoms Hang On with 4 Penalty Kills in Third Period

January 7, 2025

Hershey, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms raced out to a 3-1 lead in the first period and then held off a late push by the Hershey Bears to hang on for a 5-4 win at GIANT Center on Tuesday night. The Phantoms have won three straight to open 2025 and have also won seven of their last 10 games.

Leading 5-4 in the third period, the Phantoms killed four Hershey power plays including three in a row in the early minutes of the frame and then a 6-on-4 in the final seconds.

Hunter McDonald (2nd), Elliot Desnoyers (3rd) and Ethan Samson (6th) all scored in the team’s highest-scoring opening period of the season and then Emil Andrae (1st) and Jacob Gaucher (14th) found the back of the net in the second period as Lehigh Valley boosted its lead to 4-1 and 5-2. But the Bears responded with a pair of goals by Mike Sgarbossa (6th, 7th) to force the Phantoms to sweat it out all the way to the finish.

Lehigh Valley (16-13-5) has won three straight away games for the first time this season as the Phantoms improved to 3-2-1 against their I-78 rivals and also to 2-1-0 in Chocolatetown.

The Phantoms opened the scoring just 2:444 into the game on McDonald’s point-shot that missed goaltender Hunter Shepard on a drive that might have been accidentally deflected en route by a Hershey defender. Louie Belpedio and Massimo Rizzo both recorded the first of their two helpers on the night.

Hershey (21-11-3) answered at 5:32 on a shorthanded breakaway goal by Grant Cruikshank (3rd) after a blocked shot by Ethan Bear bounded out to the forwarded speeding past the Phantoms’ defense.

The Phantoms racked up consecutive goals just 39 seconds apart to break the tie beginning with Desnoyers (3rd) putting home the rebound of a Louie Belpedio shot that was nudged back to the slot by Samu Tuoaamala at 12:47 into the contest.

Next was Samson ripping a top-shelf snipe from the right dot following Rizzo and Garrett Wilson working the puck from the left boards to the slot and open to Samson for the big blast.

The Phantoms stretched the lead to 4-1 early in the second period with Emil Andrae joining the play and collecting a puck that was nudged off the possession of Zayde Wisdom. Andrae used his momentum to carry to the right slot where his elevated backhander deflected off the shoulder or helmet of Shepard and into the net for his first of the season at 1:05. J.R. Avon had rushed quickly into the zone to put the Bears on their heels thus securing the secondary assist.

The Chocolate and White cut it back to a two-goal game on Ethan Bear’s (6th) drive from the high slot at 3:34 of the second period to make it 4-2.

Gaucher and the Phantoms thought they had a goal at 16:58 of the second period when a deflected shot was picked up behind the goal and turned into a wrap-around into the net from the right of the cage. Initially ruled no goal on the ice, the officials conferences and eventually reversed their decision crediting the third-year forward with his team-leading 14th lamplighter of the season and giving the Phantoms a comfortable 5-2 advantage.

But the Bears got the break they were looking for in the concluding seconds of the period when a drive into the zone from behind the red line was not whistled down for icing. Bear’s shot from the point was tipped in at the net front by Sgarbossa with just 18 seconds left in the period making it 5-3 while the Phantoms contended that the goal should not have counted.

Sgarbossa would get the next one as well at 1:06 into the third period after a pickoff in front of the net. Petersen initially made a spectacular save to deny Alex Limoges but Sgarbossa was there with a follow-up try to cut Lehigh Valley’s lead to 5-4. And there were still almost 19 minutes left in the game.

Next up, it was penalty-kill time for the Phantoms. Almost six consecutive minutes down a man meant trouble for Lehigh Valley but the penalty kill came through in a big way. And so did Petersen whose diving save to his left on a Sgarbossa one-timer knocked the paddle out of his hands. Petersen had some hairy moments playing without the paddle which included a Hershey player continuing to nudge the stick out of his reach. Eventually, the Phantoms returned to full strength and still had the lead.

Another penalty late provided Hershey with a 6-on-4 opportunity in the final seconds but two big blocks from Rodrigo Abols helped the Phantoms finish off the wild victory. Lehigh Valley held the Bears to 0-for-6 on the power play.

The Phantoms improved to 12-5-5 in one-goal games and their 22 total one-goal contests is second-most in the AHL trailing only Hershey (23).

Lehigh Valley’s three-game win streak is tied for its longest of the season done three other times.

The first home game of 2025 is this Friday against the Hartford Wolf Pack on a Blackout Night at PPL Center including Blackout Knit Caps from The Morning Call. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game while the team dons its snazzy blackout jerseys for the first time this season.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st 2:44 – LV, H. McDonald (2) (L. Belpedio, M. Rizzo) (1-0)
1st 5:32 – HER, G. Cruikshank (3) (E. Bear) (SH) (1-1)
1st 12:47 – LV, E. Desnoyers (3) (S. tuomaala, L. Belpedio) (2-1)
1st 13:26 – LV, E. Samson (6) (G. Wilson, M. Rizzo) (3-1)

2nd 1:05 – LV, E. Andrae (1) (Z. Wisdom, J. Avon) (4-1)
2nd 3:34 – HER, E. Bear (6) (H. Rybinski, M. Strome) (4-2)
2nd 16:58 – LV, J. Gaucher (14) (E. Desnoyers, G. Wilson (5-2)
2nd 19:42 – HER, M. Sgarbossa (6) (E. Bear) (5-3)

3rd 1:06 – HER, M. Sgarbossa (7) (P. Dube, A. Limoges) (5-4)

Shots:
LV 25 – HER 25

PP:
LV 0/3, HER 0/6

Goaltenders:
LV – C. Petersen (W) (9-10-2) (21/25)
HER – H. Shepard (L) (15-7-1) (15/20)
HER – C. Stevenson (ND) (5/5)

Records:
Lehigh Valley (16-13-5)
Hershey (21-11-3)

UPCOMING

Friday, January 10 (7:05) – Hartford Wolf Pack at Phantoms – Blackout Knit Caps from The Morning Call

Saturday, January 11 (7:05) – Phantoms at Hartford Wolf Pack

Sunday, January 12 (5:00) – Phantoms at Bridgeport Islanders

Wednesday, January 15 (7:05) – Phantoms vs. Belleville Senators, Pregame Happy Hour, $2 Beers

Friday, January 17 (7:05) – Phantoms at Rochester Americans

Saturday, Janaury 18 (7:05) – Rochester Americans at Phantoms, Air Products Night, Children’s Book Drive