GAME STORY: Lehigh Valley - 4 at Hershey - 1 (11/10/21)

HERSHEY, Pa. - Don't look now, but the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (3-6-2) are 3-1-0 in their last four games after four unanswered second period goals Wednesday night in Hershey allowed them to break open a mid-week matchup with the Bears in route to a 4-1 win.

Max Willman has goals in three straight games, and five points (3G-2A) on this road trip.

Gerry Mayhew tallied a second period power play goal, and the Phantoms exploded for two shorthanded goals 44 seconds apart (Jackson Cates and Cal O'Reilly) to seize control in the middle frame.

Morgan Frost has points in four of his last five games (one goal, six assists).

Felix Sandstrom was spectacular again, stopping everything he faced after a bad bounce 3:19 into the game saw the Phantoms trailing 1-0. Sandstrom finished with 31 saves on 32 shots.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Felix Sandstrom got the start in net, making his fifth straight start between the pipes for Lehigh Valley. Kirill Ustimenko once again served as the Phantoms' backup.

Phantoms Scratches:  Samuel Ersson (inj), Adam Clendening (presumed injury) , Mason Millman (inj) , Linus Sandin (inj), Wyatte Wylie (inj), Hayden Hodgson (suspension) & Tyson Foerster (inj)

Lines/Pairings:

Max Willman - Cal O'Reilly - Connor Bunnaman Garrett Wilson - Morgan Frost - Gerry Mayhew Isaac Ratcliffe - German Rubtsov - Maksim Sushko Matthew Strome - Jackson Cates - Brennan Saulnier

Cam York - Logan Day Egor Zamula - Cooper Zech Linus Hogberg - Ryan MacKinnon

Felix Sandstrom - Kirill Ustimenko

GAME RECAP

1st Period

It was a bit of a rocky start for the Phantoms Wednesday night in Hershey.

After a defensive zone face-off, a bouncing puck hopped over Logan Day's stick in the slot and the Bears pounced on the turnover. Garrett Pilon centered for Mike Sgarbossa for an easy tap-in on what was essentially a 2-on-0 down low to give Hershey an early 1-0 lead just 3:19 into the contest.

As the period wore on, Lehigh Valley started began to get to their game - getting pucks in behind the Bears' defense and making their life difficult on the breakout.

They drew themselves two power plays in the period, but were unable to cash in - and remained trailing Hershey 1-0 heading into the middle frame.

2nd Period

Lehigh Valley came out and took it right to Hershey to start the middle frame.

After a relentless forecheck on the opening shift, Max Willman forced a turnover from behind the Bears' net. The puck wound up going to Cal O'Reilly on the left-wing wall, and the Phantoms' captain turned and flung the puck toward the net - with Willman set up in front for an expert deflection for his team-leading fifth of the season to tie the game at 1-1 just 53 seconds into the period.

Hershey seemed to re-group, and drew themselves a power play at the 4:16 mark, but after a strong PK effort from the Phantoms they were able to re-gain momentum - getting a power play chance of their own just past the midway mark of the period.

Coming in to tonight's game, the Phantoms' power play ranked dead-last in the AHL. But that changed after an absolutely gorgeous cross-ice feed from Morgan Frost to Logan Day opened things up for Lehigh Valley to strike on the man advantage and take a 2-1 lead. Frost's pass across to Day was on the money, and Day quickly centered it for Gerry Mayhew to direct it into the net at 11:32.

The Bears looked ready to even the game up when they got a power play chance about a minute and a half after Mayhew's go-ahead goal, but it was the Phantoms scoring shorthanded not once, but twice, in a span of 44 seconds to break the game open to the tune of a 4-1 Phantoms' lead.

First, Connor Bunnaman sent Jackson Cates off to the races and Cates beat Copley five-hole for his second goal of the season. Oddly enough, both of Cates' two career AHL goals this season have come shorthanded.

Then, on the next shift, Willman stole a puck near the defensive zone blue line and blew past the Bears's defense - slowing things down in the offensive zone and allowing O'Reilly to drive the net from the left wing before Willman put a pass on O'Reilly's tape for the Phantoms' fourth goal of the period with 5:20 left before the second intermission.

3rd Period

Hershey came out for the third period with some jump, getting an early power play after Day was whisted for holding at 4:24, but were unable to get anything going offensively to creep back into the game.

Instead, the Phantoms went back to their bread and butter - getting in lanes to block shots, chipping it behind the Bears' defense and making their lives difficult on the forecheck and the breakout.

Felix Sandstrom was busy in the third period, stopping all 15 shots he faced to finish the game with 31 saves on 32 shots.

The Bears pulled Copley for the extra attacker with 3:30 left in regulation, but the Phantoms stood tall and preserved the 4-1 lead to two points.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

3:19: HER - Sgarbossa (2) - Pilon, Moulson 6:37: HER - (PP) Snively, minor (slashing) 14:13: HER - (PP) Rymsha, minor (tripping)

2nd Period

0:53: LV - Willman (5) - O'Reilly 4:16: LV - (PP) Zamula, minor (tripping) 10:43: HER - (PP) Alexeyev, minor (high-sticking) 11:32: LV - PPG Mayhew (5) - Day, Frost 12:54: LV - (PP) MacKinnon, minor (tripping) 13:56: LV - SHG Cates (2) - Bunnaman 14:40: LV - SHG O'Reilly (1) - Willman 16:37: HER - (PP) Malenstyn, minor (high-sticking)

3rd Period

4:24: LV - (PP) Day, minor (holding) 6:59: LV - Hogberg, minor (roughing) 6:59: HER - Clark, minor (roughing)

BOXSCORE

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

Shots

Lehigh Valley   6 - 9 - 7 = 22 Hershey Bears  9 - 8 - 15 = 32

Goalies

LV: Felix Sandstrom (31 saves - 32 shots) HER: Pheonix Copley (18 saves - 22 shots)

Power Play

LV: 1-for-4 HER: 0-for-3

Penalty Kill

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