GAME STORY: Hershey - 3 at Lehigh Valley - 6 (2/11/22)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (16-17-8) battled through with a depleted lineup and earned two points with a big 6-3 win over Hershey Friday night at PPL Center to kick off a busy three-game weekend.

Matt Strome had three points (one goal, two primary assists) in the first period to lead the Phantoms' attack while Brennan Saulnier, Alex Kile, Logan Day, Cal O'Reilly and Garrett Wilson each tallied goals in the win. Felix Sandstrom stopped 17 of 20, picking up his seventh victory of the season.

Brian Pinho tallied a power play goal to cut the Phantoms' early 2-0 lead in half, but they didn't find the back of the net again until the third period on goals from Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Mason Morelli in a too-little-too-late effort. Zach Fucale surrendered five goals on 13 shots in the opening two periods. He was replaced by Hunter Shepard to begin the third period, who actually ended up not facing a single shot in just over 14 minutes of action.

Beginning the game with 17 skaters (10 forwards, seven defensemen) - one short of a full bench - the Phantoms saw Cam York and Linus Sandin exit the game with injuries, forcing the Phantoms to finish the game with just 15 skaters (9F/6D).

The Phantoms are back in action Saturday night at home against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, while the Bears host Belleville tomorrow night before Lehigh Valley and Hershey rematch on SuperBowl Sunday at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Lineup Notes

Felix Sandstrom got the start in net for Lehigh Valley Friday night against Hershey. Kirill Ustimenko was called up from ECHL Reading and served as Sandstrom's backup.

Morgan Frost missed Friday night's game due to a non-COVID illness, per head coach Ian Laperriere. That helps explain why the Flyers recalled Jackson Cates under emergency conditions just prior to Friday evening's Phantoms game, but it still left Lehigh Valley with just 10 forwards and seven defensemen in the lineup to begin a three-in-three weekend one skater short of a full lineup.

Cooper Zech joined the 10 forwards and played sparingly in a fourth line role with Brennan Saulnier and a double-shifted centerman.

Phantoms' Scratches: Samuel Ersson, Pat Nagle, Garrett Metcalf, Morgan Frost, Nick Lappin and Tyson Foerster

Lines/Pairings:

Maksim Sushko - Cal O'Reilly - Hayden Hodgson Garrett Wilson - Matthew Strome - Linus Sandin Alex Kile - German Rubtsov - Charlie Gerard Brennan Saulnier - No One - Cooper Zech

Linus Hogberg - Adam Clendening Cam York - Wyatte Wylie Egor Zamula - Logan Day

Felix Sandstrom - Kirill Ustimenko

Hershey Bears Lineup Notes

Zach Fucale got the start in net for Hershey Sunday evening in Allentown. Hunter Shepard served as the team's backup goaltender.

Bears Scratches: Cody Franson, Macoy Erkamps, Mike Sgarbossa, Garrett Pilon, Matt Moulson, Alex Alexeyev and Bobby Nardella

Lines/Pairings:

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby - Mike Vecchione - Brian Pinho Shane Gersich - Aleksei Protas - Mason Morelli Beck Malenstyn - Riley Sutter - Kody Clark Kale Kessy - Drake Rymsha - Eddie Wittchow

Jake Massie - Dylan McIlrath Tariq Hammond - Cody Franson Lucas Johansen - Macoy Erkamps

Zach Fucale - Hunter Shepard

GAME RECAP

1st Period

Just as some fans at PPL Center were making their way to their seats following the opening faceoff, the home team made it 1-0 on the opening shot of the hockey game.

Matthew Strome dumped a puck into the corner and went after it, forcing an errant first touch from a Bears' defender and getting to the loose puck - sending it from behind the net out to the side where Brennan Saulnier was able to stuff it in past Bears' goalie Zach Fucale for his third of the season just 1:21 into the contest.

Linus Sandin had a pair of laser-like wrist shots from prime scoring areas in the opening eight minutes, both times just missing the mark and zipping the puck hard off the back glass behind Fucale.

The Phantoms continued to buzz, and later extended their lead to 2-0 after a great keep in at the right point by Adam Clendening.

Clendening stuffed a Bears' forward at the point, quickly taking the puck just inside the offensive zone blue line and centering for Strome who quickly continued it to the left wing for Alex Kile. Kile came down the wing from the circle with speed, switching from his forehand to backhand and putting his third of the season on the board with 11:36 left in the first frame.

The Bears seemed to get their legs under them from there, as they started to gain an edge in play and shots on goal before later getting themselves a power play tally to cut the Phantoms' lead in half with 3:24 left before the first intermission.

Former Phantoms forward Mike Vecchione got the Bears' power play setup with a face-off win, and later got a puck up to the center point for a shot from Cody Franson that Brian Pinho was able to get a piece of to redirect past Phantoms' goalie Felix Sandstrom at 16:36.

Still, the Phantoms grabbed momentum back on their side after continued strong play in the opening period from Strome.

Garrett Wilson and Linus Sandin connected on a cross-ice feed on a 3-on-2 rush in the final minute of the period, with Sandin floating a perfect area pass for Strome as he was cutting to the net. Strome got his stick out and tipped the puck in past Fucale for his third point (one goal, two assists) of the period.

2nd Period

A pair of penalties in the opening 6:56 of the middle frame saw the Phantoms on the penalty kill to begin the period, but after allowing three shots on goal in the opening 1:31 of the stanza they held Hershey without a shot on goal in the final nearly 18 and a half minutes before adding to their lead late in the period.

The big story of the period became the noted absence of Cam York, who took a big hit a few feet away from the team benches in the neutral zone late in the 1st period. York was slow to get up and was in obvious discomfort - getting treatment from the Phantoms' lead trainer Brian Grogetsky on the bench and actually returning for a shift before the first period came to a close.

But York didn't return for the middle frame. Cooper Zech, dressed as a forward to start the game, reverted back to defense to give the Phantoms 10 forwards and six defensemen to finish the contest two skaters short of a full bench.

It didn't stop the Phantoms from playing their game, being hard on pucks and forcing Hershey to make difficult plays in order to break the puck out of their own end.

Lehigh Valley extended their lead to 4-1 with 5:47 left before the intermission after Cal O'Reilly and Hayden Hodgson teamed up to keep a puck alive in the offensive zone. Logan Day later crept in from his position at the right point, taking a pass from Hodgson and picking the short side top corner on Fucale for his second goal of the season.

Late in the period, and down 4-1, Bears' defenseman Macoy Erkamps was looking to fight to try to spark a comeback from his team. He dropped his gloves in a scrum at the team benches with Hodgson, but the Phantoms forward wisely didn't take the bait - allowing Erkamps to take the lone penalty and give his team a power play with 2:19 left before the end of the period.

The Phantoms cashed in on the ensuing man advantage to add to their lead, with O'Reilly finishing one off a feed from Hodgson to make it a 5-1 Phantoms lead heading into the third.

3rd Period

The Phantoms' shorthanded bench got shorter to begin the final frame, as forward Linus Sandin was unable to return after taking a hit in the corner boards in the middle frame - leaving Lehigh Valley with just 15 skaters (nine forwards and six defensemen) to finish the contest.

Hershey got on the board 21 seconds into the period to cut the Phantoms' lead to 5-2 as the speedy Axel Jonsson-Fjallby raced down the left wing on the opening shift of the period and beat Sandstrom with a high-rising shot from the left-wing circle for his team-leading 14th of the season.

From there, the Phantoms seemed content to make Hershey bring the puck 200 feet up ice as Lehigh Valley didn't register a single shot on goal. There were plenty of dump-ins and short shifts with the bench short three players entering the period.

Bears' head coach Scott Allen opted to pull Shepard for the extra attacker with an offensive zone face-off and just under six minutes left in regulation - an interesting move in a 5-2 game. But at that point, what's to lose if you're Hershey? Right?

Hershey was able to cut the Phantoms' lead to 5-3 with 4:51 left in regulation with the extra attacker on the ice, as Mason Morelli put in a rebound of a Vecchione shot for his 5th of the season.

But that's as close as the Bears would get as Garrett Wilson tacked on an empty net marker to complete the 6-3 final score on what ended up being the Phantoms' lone shot of the final frame.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

1:21: LV - Saulnier (3) - Strome 8:24: LV - Kile (3) - Strome, Clendening 16:00: LV - (PP) Strome, minor (interference) 16:36: HER - PPG Pinho (4) - Franson, Vecchione 19:23: LV - Strome (2) - Sandin, Wilson

2nd Period

0:57: LV - (PP) Clendening, minor (slashing) 6:56: LV - (PP) Zech, minor (delay of game) 14:13: LV - Day (2) - Hodgson, O'Reilly 17:41: HER - (PP) Erkamps, minor (unsportsmanlike) 18:49: LV - PPG O'Reilly (10) - Hodgson, Wilson

3rd Period

0:21: HER - Jonsson-Fjallby (14) - Vecchione, Pinho 15:09: HER - Morelli (5) - Vecchione, Franson 19:22: LV - ENG Wilson (11) - Zamula 19:22: HER - Franson, minor (unsportsmanlike) 19:22: LV - Strome, minor (unsportsmanlike)

BOXSCORE

Hershey Bears 1 - 0 - 2 = 3 Lehigh Valley   3 - 2 - 1 = 6

Shots

Hershey Bears 9 - 3 - 8 = 20 Lehigh Valley   7 - 6 - 1 = 14

Goalies

HER: Zach Fucale (8 saves -  13 shots in 40:00) and Hunter Shepard (0 saves - 0 shots in 14:04) LV: Felix Sandstrom (17 saves - 20 shots)

Power Play

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

Penalty Kill

HER: 0-for-1 LV: 2-for-3