Tori Hartman

On Friday, May 2, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms silenced the roar at Giant Center after a 3-1 win tied the Atlantic Division Semifinals series at 1-1. Zayde Wisdom’s two goal performance was the catalyst behind a dominant Phantoms victory. The best of five series now shifts to Allentown.

First Period:

The first period of action was strikingly similar to a demolition derby, as both sides were unafraid to throw their weight around. Both teams came out of their respective dressing rooms looking to set the tempo early, and solid structuring in both defensive zones eliminated prime scoring real estate. Hershey’s Penalty Killing unit was called upon at 1:54 into the first period, as Spencer Smallman was guilty of head contact. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms failed to generate any substantial scoring chances, as the Hershey Bears PK unit only allowed one shot against during the two minute minor. Then at 9:20 into the first period, the Bears had to rely on their PK unit yet again, as Bogdan Trineyev was assessed a two minute minor for roughing. The Bears PK unit answered the bell, keeping the game knotted up.

The tight checking reached a boiling point when Louie Belpedio took a run at Ivan Miroshnichenko well after the play was whistled dead for offsides. This unnecessary contact spurred a feisty scrum between both sides, and the officiating crew dished out a two minute minor to Belpedio for the initial roughing.

“Obviously, it’s a rivalry between us, and we have played them about 14 times already, so we understand that’s how the games shake up,” says Bears assistant captain, Mike Vecchione. “It’s the playoffs — it’s going to happen. We have to keep our heads level and try to stay out of that stuff, but obviously you have to protect your teammates when things happen. It goes both ways, but I thought we did a pretty good job staying out of the scuffles and got a couple power plays out of it.”

Unfortunately, this power play opportunity was relatively dormant, as the only threatening chance came from the stick of Spencer Smallman, who delivered a powerful wrist shot from the nearside dot. Smallman saw a sliver of room up top, but Phantoms netminder Parker Gahagen slid across the crease to snatch it with the glove.

Upon the conclusion of a knock out drag out first period, it was Hershey who led in the shot department by a final count of 6-3.

Second Period:

The second period assumed a less than ideal start for the Chocolate and White, as Nicky Leivermann was handed a two minute minor for high sticking. Shortly after Leivermann’s penalty time expired, Phantoms Captain Garrett Wilson forcefully crunched Leivermann into the boards out of retaliation. Leivermann was injured as a result of the contact, and after a lengthy deliberation, the officials sent Wilson to the locker room for the remainder of the evening. 

“We’ve had injuries up front and now on the back end, so our group is no stranger to the next man up mentality,” says Ness. “The guys are always prepared to fill the open spots, so I have no doubt they’ll be ready and play good hockey for us.”

After the major power play expired, Lehigh’s Elliot Desnoyers grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and raced into the offensive zone all alone. After a set of dangles, Shepard was able to extend the pad just enough to keep this game tied. After the masterful save from Shepard, Matt Strome was able to break free for a breakaway opportunity of his own. His shot was turned aside by the blocker of Gahagen. 

After both teams had breakaway chances denied, Hershey’s Riley Sutter received a double minor for high sticking at 11:25 of the second period. Lehigh’s power play unit failed to capitalize, as the Bears penalty killers continued to rise to the occasion.

In the final moments of the second period, Lehigh was able to connect for a back breaking tally. At 18:41 into the second period, Nikita Grebenkin won the board battle behind the net and threaded the needle to a wide open Anthony Richard, who ripped the puck into the top corner over the shoulder of Hunter Shepard. This was Richard’s third goal of the Calder Cup playoffs, and the Phantoms secured a crucial 1-0 lead at the conclusion of the period.

“It was a tough break for us,” says Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson. “Sgarbossa broke his stick off the faceoff draw, and all of a sudden a guy who usually plays low wasn’t able to contest the play out in front. The message in the room was just, we’ve got to be better. We shifted our focus towards the third period, but I didn’t see much pushback. You got to give Lehigh credit, as they played a full 60 minutes and deserved to win the game.”

Third Period:

When it rains, it pours. Just 2:05 into the third period, Lehigh’s Zayde Wisdom drove to the net while shorthanded and was rewarded with a goal. This marker was Wisdoms’ first of the Calder Cup playoffs, and was assisted by Jacob Gaucher (2) and Adam Ginning (2).

“Bottom line is you can’t give up shorthanded goals and expect to win a game,” says Nelson. “That was the difference in tonight’s game.”

While the momentum seemed to favor the Phantoms, the Bears refused to back down. That relentless mentality was on full display at 2:50 into the third period, as Ivan Miroshnichenko picked off a pass in the Bears offensive zone and found Limoges down low for a top shelf snipe. The officiating crew decided to review the call on the ice, but ultimately upheld the original call. Both players would go onto record their first points of the Calder Cup playoffs.

The Bears were unable to catch a break, as Wisdom had more offensive firepower left in the tank. Wisdom delivered the eventual game winner at 6:34 into the third period, and Elliot Desnoyers and Helge Grans were each credited with assists. 

Hershey was gifted another powerplay opportunity after Helge Grans was penalized two minutes for tripping at 10:04 into the third period. The powerplay struggles would persist for Hershey, as this failed attempt would prove to be the final blow.

“I thought 5-on-5 or from the power play that they outworked us tonight,” says Nelson. “They wanted it more. Besides the power play, it started right in the faceoff dot. I think if we’re lucky, we’re probably at 30%, which is unacceptable.”

Looking Ahead:

The Bears continue their quest for the Calder Cup on Sunday when they travel to Allentown for Game 3 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. After finishing the regular season with a league-best .774 road points percentage and a 24-6-5-1 record away from home, the Bears will look to recapture that road success in a pivotal playoff matchup.

“We’re going in with a business-like attitude, like we have all year — that’s been one of our strengths, especially on the road,” Nelson said. “We’re playing an NHL-style schedule right now, so rest is important, but at the end of the day, our go-to guys have to work to be successful. Tonight, they got outworked, and that’s probably one of the main reasons we didn’t capitalize more on the power play.”