2024 Calder Cup Playoffs: Game 4, Hershey - 5 at Lehigh Valley - 3 (5/11/24)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - In a back-and-forth Game 4 where the intensity continued to mount with every passing shift, the Hershey Bears were able to overcome two first period deficits on their way to a series-clinching 5-3 win to eliminate their bitter Atlantic Division rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms Saturday night.

Ivan Miroschnichenko broke through with a big game for the Bears, tallying two goals in the opening 22:36 of the contest to pace Hershey's attack early, while the Bears also got contributions from Pierrick Dube (goal, assist), Hardy Haman Aktell (goal, assist) and Ethen Frank (power play goal) on their way to the win to close out the Atlantic Division Semifinals.

Hunter Shepard allowed two goals in the first period for the second consecutive game, but rebounded nicely - making several key saves during crucial moments in the final 40 minutes of play. Shepard finished with 29 saves on 32 shots in the win.

With the series win, Hershey advances to the Atlantic Division Finals where they will have home-ice advantage against the Hartford Wolf Pack in a best-of-five series beginning with Games 1 and 2 on Thursday, May 16 and Saturday, May 18.

Lehigh Valley had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first period on goals from Rhett Gardner and Garrett Wilson, but the Bears seemingly had the answer each time they scored.

Tanner Laczynski tallied with 3:43 left before the second intermission to get the Phantoms back within a goal heading to the third, but that's as close as they would get in a season-ending loss. Cal Petersen stopped 22 of the 27 shots he faced in the loss.

GAME STORY

The Bears got the first prime scoring chance of the contest after an Ethan Samson turnover in the neutral zone sprung Jimmy Huntington and Dube on a 2-on-1 rush the other way. Huntintgon slid a pass across to Dube in the right-wing circle, but Petersen slid from his right to left - denying Dube's shot and keeping the game scoreless a little over four minutes into the first frame.

Later on the same shift, Dube took a tripping penalty - giving the Phantoms an early first period power play similar to Wednesday night's Game 3.

This time, however, the Bears were able to kill off the Dube tripping minor - avoiding an early goal against despite being out shot by as much as a 9-3 count in the early going.

Lehigh Valley used the momentum generated on the power play to eventually net the game's first goal 9:03 into the period - with Bobby Brink flipping a puck from down low in the corner out to Brendan Furry, who was a step ahead of a Bears' defender.

Shepard stopped Furry's shot, but Gardner was able to bat in the rebound out of mid-air to give the Phantoms a brief 1-0 lead.

I say brief because on the ensuing shift following Gardner's goal, Chase Priskie sent a stretch pass ahead to Miroschnichenko for a mini-breakaway that Miroschnichenko would convert on to tie the game up just 15 seconds later.

The Phantoms re-gained the lead at 2-1 after a bit of a weird one as Jacob Gaucher dug a puck out along the wall near the Phantoms' offensive zone blue line - allowing Wilson to pick up the puck in stride entering the Phantoms' offensive zone before he flung a shot from the right point that Shepard was only able to get a piece of before it entered the net behind him, perhaps catching the Bears' goaltender off-guard.

The back-and-forth style of play continued with the Bears answering back just under three minutes after Wilson's go-ahead goal for Lehigh Valley, after a play was kept alive at the left point by Hardy Haman Atkell.

Atkell raced to the wall and kept a puck in play in the Bears' offensive zone before going D-to-D to Logan Day at the right point. Day was able to find Dube in the high-slot for a quick shot through a screen of Alex Limoges that found twine to even the game back up at 2-2 with 4:52 left before the first intermission.

The Bears struck first in the middle frame, taking a 3-2 lead after Dube nudged a puck off the wall into the left-wing circle where Miroschnichenko lasered an absolute snipe to the top corner of the net - an NHL-level shot release - to give Miroschnichenko two goals on the night 2:36 into the period.

After a Lehigh Valley delay of game penalty gave Hershey their first power play opportunity of the night just shy of the midway mark of regulation, the Bears converted on the ensuing power play to stretch their lead to 4-2.

Hendrix Lapierre got a puck from down low to Joe Snively in the right-wing halfwall, and Snively threaded the needle on a cross-ice pass for Frank that the Bears' speedy forward was able snap home from the left-wing circle with 9:03 left in the period.

Credit to the Phantoms for not packing it in from there.

Instead, they capitalized after a Bears' unforced turnover as a result of a cross-ice, D-to-D pass from Atkell to Day that the latter had trouble corralling off the wall - giving the Phantoms possession in the Bears' defensive zone and Laczynski beating Shepard to draw Lehigh Valley back within a goal with 3:43 left before the second intermission.

The two teams traded power plays in the opening half of the period, with the Bears penalty kill pressed into action to protect their one-goal lead with 9:39 left in regulation.

Shepard came up big on the penalty kill, sliding from his left to right to deny Olle Lycksell on the backdoor after an impressive cross-ice pass from Laczynski, to keep Hershey ahead 4-3 with just over seven and a half minutes left in regulation.

Hershey appeared to score on a 2-on-1 rush when Miroschnichenko took a pass from Garrett Roe and skated into the offensive zone with Vecchione. The pass across connected and Vecchione backhanded one to the net that Petersen was able to get enough of to keep it in the crease and not across the goal line.

Ultimately, it didn't matter as the Bears worked the loose puck to the point where Day got it to Aktell for a shot through traffic that eluded Petersen with 5:08 left - putting the Bears back in front by two at a 5-3 count.

The Phantoms pulled Petersen for the extra attacker with 3:34 left to play, down by that same 5-3 score.

Hershey Bears Lineup Notes

Hunter Shepard got the start in net for the Bears in Game 4, with Clay Stevenson serving as the team's backup goaltender.

Coming off Wednesday's loss in Game 3, the Bears made one lineup change up front with Garrett Roe checking in to the lineup and Matthew Phillips coming out.

Roe checked in at the 3C position with Mike Vecchione on the right wing instead of Phillips, with Jimmy Huntington reuniting with Alex Limoges and Pierrick Dube - a trio that had success during portions of the regular season.

Bears Scratches: Garin Bjorklund, Mitch Gibson, Jake Massie, Nicky Leivermann, Vincent Iorio (injured), Matthew Phillips, Tyson Empey, Riley Sutter (injured), Ryan Hofer, Dmitry Osipov, Andrew Cristall, Kevin O'Neil, Jon McDonald and Alexander Sudzalev

Lines/Pairings:

Joe Snively - Hendrix Lapierre - Ethan Frank Alex Limoges - Mike Vecchione - Pierrick Dube Ivan Miroschnichenko - Jimmy Huntington - Matthew Phillips Matthew Strome - Henrik Rybinski - Bogdan Trineyev

Aaron Ness - Dylan McIlrath Lucas Johansen - Chase Priskie Hardy Haman Aktell - Logan Day

Hunter Shepard (Backup: Clay Stevenson)

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Lineup Notes

Cal Petersen got the start in net for Lehigh Valley in Game 4, with Alexei Kolosov serving as the team's backup.

The Phantoms went with the same lineup as they did in Game 3 for Saturday's Game 4.

Scratches: Parker Gahagen, Felix Sandstrom, Helge Grans, Adam Karashik, Will Zmolek, Mason Millman, Zayde Wisdom, Jon-Randall Avon, Massimo Rizzo, Tyler Gratton, Samu Tuomaala, Jacques Bouquot, Matt Brown and Victor Mete

Lines/Pairings:

Olle Lycksell - Tanner Laczynski - Adam Brooks Brendan Furry - Rhett Gardner - Bobby Brink Garrett Wilson - Jacob Gaucher - Cooper Marody Evan Polei - Elliot Desnoyers - Matt Miller

Adam Ginning - Ronnie Attard Emil Andrae - Louis Belpedio Hunter McDonald - Ethan Samson

Cal Petersen (Backup: Alexei Kolosov)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

4:45: HER - (PP) Dube, minor (tripping) 9:03: LV - Gardner (2) - Furry, Brink 9:18: HER - Miroschnichenko (1) - Priskie 12:18: LV - Wilson (1) - Gaucher, Marody 15:08: HER - Dube (1) - Day, Atkell

2nd Period

2:36: HER - Miroschnichenko (2) - Dube 9:58: LV - (PP) McDonald, minor (delay of game) 10:57: HER - PPG Frank (3) - Snively, Lapierre 12:43: LV - (PP) Brink, minor (slashing) 16:17: LV - Laczynski (4) - Brooks

3rd Period

5:05: LV - (PP) Andrae, minor (hooking) 10:21: HER - (PP) Priskie, minor (hooking) 14:52: HER - Atkell (1) - Day 18:16: LV - (PP) Andrae, minor (tripping) 19:26: HER - Snively, minor (roughing) 19:26: HER - Snively, ten-minute misconduct 19:26: LV - Belpedio, minor (roughing) 19:26: LV - Belpedio, ten-minute misconduct

BOXSCORE

Hershey Bears  2 - 2 - 1 = 5 Lehigh Valley  2 - 1 - 0 = 3

Shots

Hershey Bears   8 - 9 - 10 = 27 Lehigh Valley    11 - 8 - 13 = 32

Goalies

HER: Hunter Shepard (29 saves - 32 shots) LV: Cal Petersen (22 saves - 27 shots)

Power Play

HER: 1-for-4 LV: 0-for-2

Penalty Kill

HER: 2-for-2 LV: 3-for-4

Post-Game EXTRA!

Video interviews with Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson and defenseman Hardy Häman Aktell!