GAME STORY: Hershey - 3 at Lehigh Valley - 5 (5/5/21)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (16-6-4) didn't have their best game Wednesday night against North Division-leading rival Hershey Bears (20-7-2), but they made the most of their opportunities in a 5-3 regulation win that allows the Phantoms to close the gap on first place with five games left on their schedule this season.

Tyson Foerster (one goal, two assists) and Cam York (one goal, one assist) both stood out in a big way, with the two setting each other up for goals on the evening. Felix Sandstrom (34 saves) turned in another strong performance in net in the win.

### Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Felix Sandstrom was reassigned to the Phantoms prior to Wednesday's game, and got the start in net for Lehigh Valley. Zane McIntyre served as the team's backup.

Only two other lineup changes from Sunday's game against Hershey, with Logan Day and Pascal Laberge returning to the lineup and Tyler Wotherspoon and Brennan Saulnier exiting.

Lines/Pairings:

Ryan Fitzgerald - Cal O'Reilly - Tyson Foerster Garrett Wilson - Chris Mueller - Linus Sandin Isaac Ratcliffe - Connor Bunnaman - Zayde Wisdom Max Willman - Tanner MacMaster - Pascal Laberge

Egor Zamula - Linus Hogberg Cam York - Logan Day Chris Bigras - Derrick Pouliot

Felix Sandstrom - Zane McIntyre

Phantoms Scratches: Eamon McAdam, Tyler Wotherspoon, Mason Millman, Maksim Sushko, Ralph Cuddemi, Brennan Saulnier and David Kase

GAME RECAP

1st Period

While many tuned in to watch the opening face-off of the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. ET - and their six fights in the opening five minutes - when it came time for the Phantoms and Bears 7:16 p.m. ET opening puck drop the AHL rivals played quite an eventful opening 20 minutes.

After being out shot 17-3 in the opening period on Sunday to these same Bears, it wasn't much better in that regard Wednesday as Lehigh Valley was out-shot 17-6 in the frame and they allowed a goal against on the opening shift of the contest.

Philippe Maillet put a rebound in past Felix Sandstrom to give Hershey the 1-0 lead just 24 seconds in. Matt Moulson and Cameron Schilling recorded asssists on Maillet's fifth of the season.

The physical play picked up as the period continued, and tempers flared after Isaac Ratcliffe caught a Bears forward with a high-stick and during the delayed call Ratcliffe clobbered Macoy Erkamps when the Bears' defender retrieved a puck behind the goal line in the defensive zone.

Erkamps retaliated by dropping his gloves, and Ratcliffe obliged - making the most of his first career pro fight by landing several punches before eventually taking Erkamps down to the ice to conclude the spirited bout.

Erkamps was assessed an instigating minor, negating the would-be Bears power play and the resulting 4-on-4 immediately paid dividends for Lehigh Valley.

Linus Hogberg picked off a Bears breakout just inside the Phantoms' offensive zone blue line and skated to left wing circle before going bar-down on Bears' goalie Pheonix Copley to even the game at 1-1 just 10 seconds after Ratcliffe's fight. Hogberg's second goal on the season was unassisted.

Lehigh Valley took a 2-1 lead just under three minutes later after the Phantoms cycled the puck around to the right point where Derrick Pouliot sent a pass across to Linus Sandin, and Sandin's subsequent hard and low shot bounced right out at the net front to Chris Mueller who tapped in his third of the season at 7:07 of the 1st period.

From there, a Phantoms penalty seemed to give Hershey momentum as they continued to expand the disparity in shots on goal - and they eventually tied the game on their second power play chance of the period with under three and a half minutes left before the intermission with Damien Riat tallying his third of the season to get the game to a 2-2 score.

2nd Period

The Phantoms were much better to start the second period, tallying five of the first six shots in the opening minutes - taking a 3-2 lead on an early power play chance.

Egor Zamula opened the period by ringing his shot from the left point off the post, and the result battle for the rebound resulted in Bears' defender Cameron Schilling taking an interference minor 18 seconds into the period.

On the ensuing power play, Cam York got a pass at the center point from Phantoms captain Cal O'Reilly, and his shot was re-directed in front by Tyson Foerster for Foerster's 10th of the season.

In his post-game press conference, Foerster admitted the puck bounced in off his shin pad.

Penalties crept in to the Phantoms' middle frame as well, with York's hooking minor in the neutral zone at 9:57 drawing the ire of head coach Scott Gordon - not because it was a bad penalty, it was quite soft, but because a Phantoms forward on the shift previous was grabbed and hugged in the neutral zone without a call made. Luckily for Lehigh Valley, they were able to kill off the penalty.

But the Bears, similarly to the 1st period, tallied a late period goal to tie the game at 3-3 heading to the third on Axel Jonsson-Fjallby's ninth of the season. AJF, as he's often referred to as by Bears faithful, has been a Phantoms' killer this season with six of his nine tallies on the campaign coming against Lehigh Valley.

3rd Period

It was tough sledding for the Phantoms to begin the final frame, surrendering five shots against in the opening 2:15 of the period.

Like he has in his recent outings, Sandstrom was strong in the third - equal to the task on those five shots to keep the game even at 3-3.

It wasn't until a Mason Morelli hooking minor 7:36 into the third that the Phantoms managed to get their first shot of the frame, but they certainly made it count.

York started the power play breakout with an early pass back behind him as he crossed the Phantoms' defensive zone blue line.  After dropping the pass he skated up the left wing by the team benches before making a beeline to the middle of the ice behind the Bears' defense but on the right side of the offensive blue line. Meanwhile, Tyson Foerster saw the opening and sent a perfect stretch pass to spring York on the breakaway for a quick deke and shot past Copley to put the Phantoms up 4-3 with 12:00 left to play.

Foerster's strong night continued later in the period, as he took a great pass across from Ryan Fitzgerald off the rush and fed captain Cal O'Reilly in front for an easy tap in with 5:50 left to give the Phantoms an insurance goal and a 5-3 lead despite only registering three shots on goal in the period to that point.

Hershey pulled Copley for the extra attacker with just over two minutes left, but were unable to get anything past Sandstrom - ultimately allowing the Phantoms to skate off the ice at PPL Center with a 5-3 win in regulation.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

0:24: HER - Maillet (5) - Moulson, Schilling 4:13: LV - Ratcliffe, major (fighting) 4:13: LV - Ratcliffe, minor (high-sticking) 4:13: HER - Erkamps, minor (instigating) 4:13: HER - Erkamps, major (fighting) 4:13: HER - Erkamps, ten-minute misconduct 4:23: LV - Hogberg (2) - unassisted 7:07: LV - Mueller (3) - Sandin, Pouliot 8:38: LV - (PP) Bunnaman, minor (slashing) 15:16: LV - (PP) Pouliot, minor (hooking) 16:33: HER - PPG Riat (3) - Leason, Protas

2nd Period

0:18: HER - (PP) Schilling, minor (interference) 2:02: LV - PPG Foerster (10) - York, O'Reilly 3:15: LV - (PP) MacMaster, minor (hooking) 9:57: LV - (PP) York, minor (hooking) 17:54: HER - Jonsson-Fjallby (9) - McMichael, Fehervary 18:16: HER - (PP) Morelli, minor (holding)

3rd Period

7:36: HER - (PP) Morelli, minor (hooking) 8:00: LV - PPG York (2) - Foerster, Sandstrom 14:10: LV - O'Reilly (4) - Foerster, Fitzgerald

BOXSCORE

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

Shots

Hershey Bears  17 - 8 - 12 = 37 Lehigh Valley    6 - 9 - 4 = 19

Goalies

HER: Pheonix Copley (14 saves - 19 shots) LV: Felix Sandstrom (34 saves - 37 shots)

Power Play

HER: 1-for-4 LV: 2-for-3

Penalty Kill

HER: 1-for-3 LV: 3-for-4