GAME STORY: Lehigh Valley - 0 at Hershey - 3 (5/8/21)

HERSHEY, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (16-7-4) were shutout again in Hershey in a 3-0 loss to the North Division-leading Bears (22-7-2) Saturday afternoon. The win moves Hershey Bears one standings point away from capturing the Teddy Oke Trophy.

Pheonix Copley picked up his 100th career AHL win in style, stopping all 34 shots he faced to earn his second shutout on the season. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby picked up his 10th of the season and seventh goal against the Phantoms in the 11-game season series in the first frame, while Joe Snively added an insurance marker in the middle frame and Philippe Maillet completed the score with an empty net tally in the third.

Phantoms' goalie Zane McIntyre stopped 24 of 26 in the loss.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Lines/Pairings:

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

Tyler Wotherspoon - Linus Hogberg Egor Zamula - Logan Day Chris Bigras - Derrick Pouliot

Zane McIntyre - Eamon McAdam

Phantoms Scratches: Mason Millman, Maksim Sushko, Ralph Cuddemi, Pascal Laberge and David Kase

GAME RECAP

1st Period

The Phantoms' killer, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, gave the Bears an early 1-0 lead 3:17 into the first period on a fortunate, or unfortunate, bounce depending your vantage point. His backhander to the net from atop the right-wing circle was stopped initially by Phantoms' netminder Zane McIntyre, but the pad save and subsequent rebound pushed the puck up the middle where it hit off the back of a defenseman's leg and bounced into the net.

It marked Jonson-Fjallby's 10th of the season, with seven of of those 10 coming against Lehigh Valley. Defenseman Michael Kempny, the 4-year NHL veteran of 232 games of experience, picked up the primary assist in his second career AHL game on a conditioning stint from the Washington Capitals. Goalie Pheonix Copley added a secondary assist on the play.

Lehigh Valley responded with several chances on a power play shortly after the Bears' early goal, but were unable to get one past Copley. In all, the Phantoms were credited with 16 first period shots but headed to the first intermission trailing 1-0.

2nd Period

The middle frame was a little more evenly played than the first frame, but it was still a period that the Phantoms did - for the most part - all the right things.

Lehigh Valley had their chances, particularly two Grade-A's coming after a questionable hooking minor on Tyson Foerster.

Copley stopped Foerster on a breakaway with the Phantoms forward exiting the penalty box behind the defense. Seconds later he stopped a two-on-1 and Hershey went the other way and extended their lead to 2-0.

Joe Snively got the goal from inside the left-wing circle with linemates Philippe Maillet and Matt Moulson recording assists on Snively's sixth of the season.

3rd Period

The Phantoms didn't get too much in the way of quality chances in the opening half of the period, but when they did get offensive pressure and shots to the net Copley was there every time.

After killing off a penalty near the midway mark, Lehigh Valley started to generate some momentum and seemingly raised the intensity in the second half of the period much you would expect a team down 2-0 to do.

Phantoms' head coach Scott Gordon pulled McIntyre for the extra attacker with 3:58 left to play, and Maillet hit the empty net with 3:20 to go to complete the 3-0 final score and shutout win for Hershey.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

3:17: HER - Jonsson-Fjallby (10) - Kempny, Copley 4:35: HER - (PP) Wittchow, minor (hooking)

2nd Period

5:11: HER - (PP) Willcox, minor (hooking) 9:00: LV - (PP) Foerster, minor (hooking) 12:21: HER - Snively (6) - Maillet, Moulson

3rd Period

7:25: LV - (PP) Pouliot, minor (roughing) 16:40: HER - ENG - Maillet (6) - Moulson

BOXSCORE

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

Shots

Lehigh Valley    16 - 9 - 9 = 34 Hershey Bears  10 - 10 - 7 = 27

Goalies

LV: Zane McIntyre (24 saves - 26 shots) HER: Pheonix Copley (34 saves - 34 shots)

Power Play

LV: 0-for-2 HER: 0-for-2

Penalty Kill

LV: 2-for-2 HER: 2-for-2