The excitement was palpable as I took my two laps around Giant Center pregame. Playoff hockey in Hershey, a springtime tradition like no other.

This year, a repeat of last years Atlantic Division Semifinals matchup- Hershey vs Lehigh Valley.

The Bears would get a boost from the injured list- Mike Sgarbossa, who missed the last 21 games of the season through injury, would return for game one, providing a huge upgrade to the Bears center depth and the top six. He would slide right into the top line with Mike Vecchione and Pierrick Dube.

Lehigh Valley would not start 2024-25 Bears killer Cal Petersen, starting Parker Gahagen in net.

Hershey would roll with Hunter Shepard in their goal.

First Period

Hershey would start strong and keep it that way throughout the period. The Bears outshot the Phantoms 12-6, in one of their strongest first period performances I’ve seen in a couple weeks.

All four lines were rolling, while for the Phantoms it was really only the line of Jett Luchanko, Olle Lycksell and Anthony Richard causing problems for Hershey.

It would be Chase Priskie who would start the scoring. After Ivan Miroshnichenko and Garrett Wilson got matching minors for roughing after some pushing and shoving after the whistle, the Bears took advantage of a delayed penalty against the Phantoms. In a 6 on 5 situation, Priskie would rip one home from the short side, beating Gahagen to make it 1-0 Bears.

That’s how the score would stay, with Hunter Shepard making a couple key saves on mini breakaways, and the Bears nearly taking advantage of some Gahagen turnovers, as the young goalie did not look comfortable playing the puck behind the net. It would be 1-0 Bears heading into the second.

Second Period

This period was all Hunter Shepard’s. The Phantoms jumped on the Bears early this period and had them on the back heel for much of the second. Hunter Shepard would let nothing past him though.

Shepard would make nine crucial saves that period to keep the Bears lead at 1-0 in a second that was defined by defense and less action.

Third Period

The Bears would face their biggest test early in the third. The Bears would get the extra penalty after some net front shenanigans that put them on the PK and then 41 seconds into the kill Matt Strome would put the puck over the glass for a delay of game that would put the Bears on a extended 5 on 3.

However, the Bears showed toughness and mental fortitude, putting their bodies on the line as Hunter Shepard continued to be solid throughout the kill. The Bears would kill off that 5 on 3 and have the momentum the rest of the way.

It would pay off in the form of a Spencer Smallman goal exactly seven minutes into the period, which was confirmed after a confusing review from the referees, who were looking at a potential Lehigh goal on that 5 on 3.

Hershey would hold steadfast the rest of the way, as Bogdan Trineyev finished things off with an empty netter to give the Bears the 3-0 win and a 1-0 series lead in this best of five.

Postgame Quotables

“There always is in the playoffs, we have a lot of depth here in our hockey team. Everybody, minus the young guys, they’ve been here all year. They’ve done a great job for us and I told them we’re going to need everyone to make another deep playoff run.” – Head Coach Todd Nelson on if there were any tough lineup decision to make after the fill week of practice.

“Believe by Cher.”- Chase Priskie on what the Bears victory song is for the playoffs this year.

“It was amazing. It was super cool and electric. They really gave us energy, I really thought so in the third period too, especially during that big (five on three) kill. They really made the building special and energized us the whole way through.” – Spencer Smallman on his first playoff crowd experience as a Bear.