GAME STORY: 2019-20 Season - Hershey at Lehigh Valley 11/9/19

ALLENTOWN, PA -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-2-4) host rival Hershey Bears (6-5-2) in the beginning of a home-and-home series between Atlantic Division rivals. Saturday night's puck drop is 7:15 p.m. ET at the PPL Center, while Sunday's faceoff at Giant Center is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Line rushes in warmup:

Maksim Sushko - Morgan Frost - David Kase Greg Carey - Cal O'Reilly - Kyle Criscuolo Mikhail Vorobyev - German Rubtsov - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Isaac Ratcliffe - Gerry Fitzgerald - Kurtis Gabriel

T.J. Brennan - Andy Welinski Tyler Wotherspoon - Reece Willcox Nate Prosser - Mark Friedman

Alex Lyon - J-F Berube

Scratches: Sam Morin (out for season), Matthew Strome, Connor Bunnaman (lower body) and Chris Bigras

GAME STORY

1st Period

For Lehigh Valley, the first seven or so minutes of the first period started like many of the team’s opening periods on home ice this season; pinned in their own zone without the puck.

Alex Lyon came up huge for the Phantoms in the early portion of the frame, recording eight saves through that seven-minute stretch.

The momentum on the ice shifted when Mikhail Vorobyev, fresh off one game of NHL action, intercepted a pass from Hershey Bears forward Shane Gersich and broke in alone on goaltender Pheonix Copley, burrying a back-handed shot for his third tally of the season and the Phantoms’ first shot of the period.

From that point on, the Phantoms outshot the Bears 9-4 in the period.

However, that is the good that came from the period.

There was a scary moment, however, when Phantoms defenseman Mark Friedman was checked into the boards and looked to have hit his head awkwardly. As he skated away --about two feet in front of Alex Lyon’s net— he lost his footing and was down on the ice for a few moments. He needed help getting to the Phantoms bench and did not return.

2nd Period

The second period was one of the more action-packed frames the Phantoms have played on home ice all season.

It all started three minutes and forty-three seconds into the period when Lehigh Valley forward Kurtis Gabriel and Hershey forward Kale Kessy dropped the gloves at center ice. It was a fight of the year candidate as both players traded major blows.

The Bears would go on to score two-unanswered goals; one a backhander by Matt Moulson just seven seconds after the fight and one by forward Liam O’Brien. O’Brien’s tally was crazy, as his shot, which went high over Alex Lyon’s cage, deflected off the glass and back towards the net, hitting Lyon in the back and crawling into the net.

The Phantoms tied the game on a crucial 5-on-3 opportunity. Greg Carey and Mikhail Vorobyev had a nice give-and-go with each other. Carey fired home his fourth goal in his last six games and Vorobyev tallied his second point of the game.

The goal, which was scored at the 19:13 mark of period, could be a huge momentum shifter for this game. The Phantoms will start the third on a power play.

3rd Period/Overtime

In overtime, Phantoms defenseman Andy Welinski scored on a wrister from between the circles to give the team a 3-2 victory.

The opportunity was created by Morgan Frost’s strong effort along the boards. As he was falling down, the 20-year-old was able to pivot around the defender and setup the 26-year-old defenseman for his second goal in three games and his sixth point in five games.

This is coming off the heels of a dominant third period performance by Lehigh Valley. The team outshot the Bears 10-4 in the frame. Three of the Bears four shots came in the final four minutes of regulation.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

4:34: LV - (PP) Ratcliffe, minor (cross-checking) 6:28: LV - SHG Vorobyev (3) - unassisted 13:00: HER - Kessy, minor (roughing) 13:00: LV - Vorobyev, minor (roughing) 14:27: LV - (PP) Willcox, minor (interference)

2nd Period

3:43: HER - Kessy, minor (unsportsmanlike conduct - removing helmet) 3:43: HER - Kessy, major (fighting) 3:43: LV - Gabriel, minor (unsportsmanlike conduct - removing helmet) 3:43: LV - Gabriel, major (fighting) 3:50: HER - Moulson (5) - Fehervary, Sgarbossa 7:54: HER - O'Brien (4) - unassisted 8:35: HER - (PP) Snively, minor (elbowing) 11:32: LV - (PP) Sushko, double-minor (high-sticking) 18:08: HER - (PP) Kessy, minor (holding) 19:06: HER - (PP) Hobbs, minor (delay of game) 19:16: LV - PPG Carey (4) - Vorobyev, Frost

3rd Period

8:45: HER - (PP) Pilon, minor (high-sticking) 9:33: LV - (PP) Brennan, minor (tripping)

Overtime

4:27: LV - Welinski (2) - Frost, O'Reilly

BOXSCORE

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

Shots

Hershey  12 - 10 - 4 - 4 = 30 Lehigh Valley  9 - 11 - 10 - 2= 32

Goalies

HER: Pheonix Copley (29 saves - 32 shots) LV: Alex Lyon (28 saves - 30 shots)

Power Play

HER: 0-for-5 LV: 1-for-4

Penalty Kill

HER: 3-for-4 LV: 5-for-5