GAME STORY: Hershey - 3 at Lehigh Valley - 4 (3/3/21)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-1-2) had another third period comeback win Wednesday night against Hershey, overcoming a 3-2 deficit in the final eight minutes of regulation on back-to-back goals from captain Cal O'Reilly and Derrick Pouliot to secure a regulation victory.

Linus Sandin opened the scoring with his second of the season and added an assist, while his linemates Tanner Laczynski (primary assist) and Garrett Wilson (two assists) also had strong nights offensively. Lehigh Valley also got a 2nd period tally from Tanner MacMaster, his first in the orange and black. Felix Sandstrom picked up his first win of the season, stopping 23 of the 26 shots he faced.

### Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Felix Sandstrom got the start in the net Wednesday for Lehigh Valley, his second consecutive start, with veteran Zane McIntyre backing up.

The big news revealed officially (and we mentioned it in our weekly report: ) during the warmup that Sam Morin took rushes as left defenseman. With injuries on defense to Tyler Wotherspoon, Logan Day and Chris Bigras, the Phantoms only had five healthy defensemen. Morin made it six.

Up front, Isaac Ratcliffe and Tyson Foerster returned to game action. For Ratcliffe, his first action of the season after off-season training injury (broken rib, then lung). Foerster returns after a broken shinbone in the Phantoms' regular season opener Feb 6 in Hershey.

Lines/Pairings:

Ryan Fitzgerald - Cal O'Reilly - Zayde Wisdom Max Willman - Chris Mueller - Tyson Foerster Garrett Wilson - Tanner Laczynski - Linus Sandin Isaac Ratcliffe - Tanner MacMaster - David Kase

Egor Zamula - Linus Hogberg Sam Morin - Wyatte Wylie Mason Millman - Derrick Pouliot

Felix Sandstrom - Zane McIntyre

Scratches: Eamon McAdam, Tyler Wotherspoon (injured), Maksim Sushko (injured), Matthew Strome, Ralph Cuddemi, Brennan Saulnier, Logan Day (injured) Chris Bigras (lower body) and Pascal Laberge (injured, upper body?)

Hershey Bears Roster Notes

Lines/Pairings

Joe Snively - Michael Sgarbossa - Garrett Pilon Axel Jonsson-Fjallby - Connor McMichael - Damien Riat Matt Moulson - Mason Morelli - Kody Clark Shane Gerisch - Riley Sutter - Brett Leason

Martin Fehervary - Paul LaDue Cameron Schilling - Reece Willcox Rob O'Gara - Will Graber

Pheonix Copley - Zach Fucale

Scratches: Tyler Nanne, Lucas Johansen, Macoy Erkamps, Kale Kessy, Eddie Wittchow, Zach Malatesta Blake Pietila and Caleb Herbert

GAME RECAP

1st Period

The Phantoms and Bears dropped the puck on some weeknight AHL hockey Wednesday at the PPL Center, and while it was low event (the shots in the period finished at 4-3 in favor of Lehigh Valley) there was a lot to like about the opening frame for the home team.

Tanner Laczynski stood out in a big way in the first stanza. He was making plays in all three zones.

Early in the period, he took an end to end rush - a nice deke past a forward in the neutral zone, and turned on the jets to burn past a defender down wing before centering for a tip by Garrett Wilson that just went over the top of the net.

Their next shift together, the line provided the opening goal of the hockey game. And all three linemates contributed to play.

First, Wilson brought the puck into the offensive zone along the right-wing wall. He was tripped entering the offensive zone, but had the awareness while falling to his knees and stomach to nudge the puck ahead for Laczynski. The rookie forward patiently waited for a Bears' sliding defender to take himself into the corner before feeding a cross-ice pass on the tape to Linus Sandin for a quick snap shot past Bears' goalie Pheonix Copley. 1-0 Phantoms with 10:08 left in the 1st period.

There simply weren't a lot of shots getting through. And a credit to both teams for their play in the neutral zone.

Late in the period, Rob O'Gara put the Phantoms on the game's first power play after being whistled for a holding minor with 15 seconds left before the first intermission.

2nd Period

The goals started coming, and pouring in quickly in the middle frame. There was a lot going on in the middle frame.

Lehigh Valley not only failed to convert on the carry-over power play to begin the period, but they allowed Hershey to tie things up at 1-1 with a shorthanded tally.

The Phantoms missed on a keep-in at the offensive zone blue line, and Riley Sutter jumped on the loose puck - springing himself and Martin Fehervary on a 2-on-1 against Tyson Foerster.

Sutter slid a pass across for Fehervary for a quick shot by Phantoms' netminder Felix Sandstrom just 52 seconds into the period.

Less than two minutes later, the Phantoms responded with a go-ahead goal after a great keep in at the left point by Linus Hogberg.

Hogberg kept a puck alive in the offensive zone, and flung it across ice to Isaac Ratcliffe at the right-wing circle. Ratcliffe made a move to the inside of the circle before firing a shot that Tanner MacMaster redirected past Copley to put the Phantoms back in front, at 2-1, under three minutes into the period.

A gutsy penalty kill from Laczynski saw the rookie forward hobbled after blocking a shot. He was slow to get up, but play continued. He later got a stick on a shot from the center point to deflect a puck out of play and get the whistle. His teammates on the bench noticed, as they were all standing and slamming their bench on the boards showing their approval of Laczynski's efforts.

The good vibes were haulted on the next shift, however, as Sutter won the ensuing offensive zone face-off and Shane Gerisch flung a quick shot past Sandstrom to tie the game back up at 2-2 with 10:39 left in the period.

Later in the period, with the Phantoms on their 2nd man advantage chance of the contest, turned a puck over at center ice and paid the price.

Brett Leason nudged a puck ahead for Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, who scored on his break-in to put Hershey ahead 3-2 with 7:44 left beore the second intermission.

3rd Period

The Phantoms had to kill off some carry over penalty time themselves to open the third, and appeared to tie the game at 3-3 when Tanner Laczynski had a put-back tap in in front of the net but a penalty was assessed to the Phantoms for a high-stick at the netfront.

Instead, the Phantoms went to the PK - killing the penalty and getting a power play of their own. Unfortunately for Lehigh Valley, the man advantage came up empty.

It wasn't until the second half of the period that there was a real sense of urgency by Lehigh Valley, trailing at the time by a 3-2 count. They were able to tie the game with 7:38 remaining after some good puck work down low by Cal O'Reilly and Zayde Wisdom.

O'Reilly and Wisdom teamed up to win a puck battle behind the net, and it was Wisdom getting it to the left point for Sam Morin. Morin flung one to the net, where O'Reilly was able to get a piece of it and redirect it past Copley for his first goal of the season.

Less than two minutes later, an absolute laser of a shot by Derrick Pouliot from the left-circle beat Copley high to the glove side to give Lehigh Valley the lead at 4-3.

It came down to the waning seconds, but the Phantoms were able to hold off Hershey and secure the regulation win.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

9:52: LV - Sandin (2) - Laczynski, Wilson 19:44: HER - (PP) O'Gara, minor (holding)

2nd Period

0:52: HER - SHG Fehervary (1) - Sutter 2:47: LV - MacMaster (1) - Ratcliffe, Hogberg 7:00: LV - (PP) Willman, minor (boarding) 9:21: HER - Gerisch (1) - Sutter 10:58: HER - (PP) Fehervary, minor (holding) 12:16: HER - SHG Jonsson-Fjallby (2) - Leason 17:49: HER - (PP) Schilling, minor (hooking) 18:33: LV - (PP) Foerster, minor (slashing)

3rd Period

5:45: LV - (PP) Wilson, minor (high-sticking) 8:25: HER - (PP) Gerisch, minor (tripping) 12:22: LV - O'Reilly (1) - Morin, Wisdom 14:01: LV - Pouliot (1) - Wilson, Sandin

BOXSCORE

Hershey Bears  0 - 3 - 0 = 3 Lehigh Valley   1 - 1 - 2 = 4

Shots

Hershey Bears  3 - 9 - 14 = 26 Lehigh Valley   5 - 6 - 8 = 19

Goalies

HER: Pheonix Copley (15 saves - 19 shots) LV: Felix Sandstrom (23 saves - 26 shots)

Power Play

HER: 0-for-3 LV: 0-for-4

Penalty Kill

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