Game 42 Recap: Phantoms Defeat Hershey For Third Straight Time
HERSHEY - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms defeated the Hershey Bears in the 10th-ever AHL outdoor game Saturday night at HersheyPark Stadium, their third win against their bitter Atlantic Division rival in the last eight days.
The Phantoms jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and never really looked back thanks to a monster game from goaltender Alex Lyon, who stopped 41 of the 43 shots he faced to keep his team ahead all night long.
Chris Conner's goal with 6.4 seconds left the second period proved to be the difference as it turned a 2-1 lead into a two-goal advantage heading into the third period. Conner also tacked on an empty net goal to seal the deal, having another big game against his former team.
Looking Ahead: The Phantoms return home for three games next week before the AHL All-Star break, beginning Wednesday night against the Providence Bruins.
Phantoms Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Phil Varone - Cole Bardreau Chris Conner - Mike Vecchione - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Oskar Lindblom - Steven Swavely - Colin McDonaldRadel Fazleev - - Alex Krushelnyski
T.J. Brennan - Reece WillcoxWill O'Neill - Mark Alt Sam Morin - Phil Myers Mark Friedman
Alex Lyon - Dustin Tokarski
Scratches: Corban Knight (injured), Mikhail Vorobyev (injured), Danick Martel (injured), Max Lamarche (healthy), Matt Read (healthy/veteran) and Chris McCarthy (healthy)
Lineup Notes
Alex Lyon got the start in the 2018 AHL Outdoor Classic, while Dustin Tokarski - who played Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre - served as Lyon's backup.
The Phantoms dressed a lineup of 11 forwards and seven defensemen, and thankfully for Lehigh Valley they did as Reece Willcox left the game early in the 1st period after a hit from Garrett Mitchell.
Sam Morin's frustrating season continues as he left the game with seven minutes to play in the third period.
POST-GAME REACTION
POST-GAME RECAP
It was a great start to the 2018 AHL Outdoor Classic for the Phantoms Saturday night.
Oskar Lindblom fired a shot from the right-wing that was stopped by Bears' goalie Pheonix Copley, but it was Colin McDonald first to the loose puck atop the crease for a put-back to give Lehigh Valley a 1-0 lead just 2:59 into the contest. Sam Morin added a second assist on the play.
The Phantoms took a penalty on the next shift, but they were able to kill the penalty and keep their momentum going on their way to adding to their lead.
Alex Krushelnyski took a pass from Radel Fazleev and fired a hard shot that Copley got a piece of, but the puck blooped up into the air and went into the net off Copley's back 7:28 into the first period.
The Bears got to their game later in the period, but were unable to get one past Lyon before the first intermission. A recurring theme as the game wore on.
Things opened up a bit in the middle frame, as the two teams combined for 31 shots in the period.
It wasn't until there was just over three minutes left in the period that the Bears were able to get one past Lyon, and cut their deficit to 2-1.
Aaron Ness sent a pass to the left-wing to Travis Boyd for a hard one-timer that Lyon stopped, but the rebound was put in by Nathan Walker for his first goal since returning to Hershey after being claimed on waviers by Edmonton earlier this season.
It appeared the two teams would head to the third period in a one-goal game, but a bad giveaway in the final seconds provided a crucial Phantoms goal.
Chris Conner picked off a Bears pass attempt just inside the Phantoms' offensive zone blue line and beat Copley with a quick move and shot with 6.4 seconds left. The unassisted goal gave Lehigh Valley a 3-1 lead, and it proved to be a difference maker by the time things wrapped up from HersheyPark Stadium.
The Phantoms were under siege in the third period,but Lyon continued to steal the show - finishing with 41 saves on 43 shots.
The Bears made it interesting with 2:56 left as Travis Boyd made it a one-goal game, but that's as close as they would get.
T.J. Brennan took a face-off win in the defensive zone and floated one into the empty net from the bottom of the defensive zone circle to put the game away, and Conner added his second of the night on another empty net tally to complete the 5-2 final score.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
2:59: LV - McDonald (2) - Lindblom, Morin 3:04: LV - (PP) Aube-Kubel, minor (tripping) 8:28: LV - Krushelnyski (2) - Fazleev
2nd Period
6:34: LV - (PP) Bardreau, minor (interference) 11:07: HER - (PP) Walker, minor (slashing) 14:24: HER - (PP) Hobbs, minor (high-sticking) 16:54: HER - Walker (1) - Boyd, Ness 19:53: LV - Conner (8) - unassisted
3rd Period
17:04: HER - Boyd (9) - Walker, Bourque 18:21: LV - Brennan (8) - Vecchione 19:22: LV - Conner (9) - Bardreau, Varone
BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 2 - 1 - 2 = 5 Hershey 0 - 1 - 1 = 2
Shots
Lehigh Valley 8 - 16 - 8 = 32 Hershey 12 - 15 - 16 = 43
Goalies
LV - Alex Lyon (41 saves - 43 shots) HER - Pheonix Copley (27 saves - 30 shots)
Power Play
LV: 0-for-2 HER: 0-for-2
Penalty Kill
LV: 2-for-2 HER: 2-for-2
Attendance: 13,091
