An Atlantic Division rivalry will continue into the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Hershey Bears will face off against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the second straight year in a best-of-five series. The two teams follow a familiar route to get to this point. After a very even regular season series, the stage is set for a fierce playoff matchup.
Familiar Playoff Foes
The two teams follow a nearly identical route to the Calder Cup Playoffs from one year ago. Hershey earned a bye from the play-in round courtesy of a first-place finish. Lehigh Valley, on the other hand, pulled off an upset win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the second straight year. By virtue of the Providence Bruins defeating the Springfield Thunderbirds, the matchup is set to kick off Wednesday at Giant Center.
A year ago, the Bears took two wins at home and a decisive win in Game Four to take a 3-1 series win. Hershey went on to win the Calder Cup for the second straight year. There’s plenty of players on both sides from that series, but more than a few new ones. Hershey has won five of six playoff matchups between the two teams dating back to 1997.
The two teams became instant rivals when the Philadelphia Flyers established their own nearby affiliate. When the Flyers moved into the Wells Fargo Center, they created the Phantoms to play in the Spectrum. The only issue? They dropped Hershey as their affiliate in the process. Hershey partnered with Colorado and the teams became instant rivals.
Regular Season Rivals
The two teams played each other ten times in the regular season. Hershey took a narrow edge in the season series with a 5-4-1-0 record. It’s been a very narrow margin for most of that time with seven of those games decided by one goal. Both teams will be mostly fully healthy to do battle against each other to make a good series that could go the distance.
For the Phantoms, top point producers in the regular season like Olle Lycksell and Rodrigo Abols will be ready to go. In addition, the Phantoms have a pair of rookie sensations in Jett Luchanko and Alex Bump who made an impact in the prior series. Luchanko had four assists in two games against Wilkes-Barre while Bump scored twice in the first game.
Hershey, meanwhile, will ice a fully healthy team with a few exceptions. Top scoring defender Ethan Bear was called up to serve as an extra with Washington. Health concerns in goal have led to Clay Stevenson remaining with the big club. However, prolific scoring forward Mike Sgarbossa is eyeing his first game since early March due to injury. Captain Aaron Ness is back from injury as well.
With Stevenson out, it’s Hunter Shepard’s crease for the Bears to start the playoffs. Although Shepard’s numbers have been down this year, the netminder has led the Bears to the Calder Cup in two straight seasons. Meanwhile, Parker Gahagen delivered the Phantoms the opening round win with solid numbers. Although Cal Petersen has been good versus the Bears, Gahagen is likely the goaltender going forward.
Fierce Fighting
Lehigh Valley is looking to exact revenge in this matchup for last season. The Phantoms were the only team to shut the Bears out during last year’s playoffs. They led two different times in Game Four before the Bears stormed back to take the game and the series. As the Flyers rebuild continues, it’s a matchup that is bound to only get better as time goes on. Despite a lower finish in the standings, Lehigh Valley brings toughness and a grinding physical edge that is now matched with skill. They won’t be rolled over in these playoffs.
Hershey, meanwhile, is looking to achieve history in this playoff run. The Bears have the opportunity to become the second team to win three straight Calder Cups. No team has achieved the feat since the Springfield Indians in the early 1960s. Although Hershey has struggled a little more this season, they still finished second overall in the AHL and are a force to be reckoned with.
Early leads will be key to winning this series. Both teams have struggled to reverse the situation after going down early in games. This series could shape up into a defensive one between two bitter rivals, with the first one to blink likely the one to lose. It will be a fierce matchup between two of the most storied AHL clubs.
