The defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears face their nearest rival, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 12 times during the 2023-24 regular season. The first matchup for standings points happens on October 28, but it was hard to believe that Sunday’s game wasn’t for keeps. Both teams iced lineups that featured plenty of regulars as well as players looking to land roles with their respective clubs. Lehigh Valley rallied from a 3-1 deficit to earn a 4-3 win on Tanner Laczynski’s overtime tally.
Hershey got on the board in the first period with a pair of players roaring for more teaming up as Nicky Leivermann’s point shot was deflected by Tyson Empey past Cal Petersen. The duo of Bears has played all three exhibition games and impressed in all of them while looking to land full-time roles in the American Hockey League. The goaltending matchup of Petersen and Hunter Shepard figures to be one seen often when the two teams face off in the regular season.
The Bears doubled their lead with the only goal of the second period when rookie forward Ryan Hofer was awarded a penalty shot on a shorthanded rush. Hofer, whose older brother Joel made his way through the AHL ranks, made no mistake with the chance to make it 2-0. Lehigh Valley needed to turn up the heat in the third, and they’d do just that when Adam Ginning broke through early to cut the lead to one.
Lehigh Valley’s rally in the valley would suffer a setback when Dmitry Osipov would connect with Bogdan Trineyev for the young Russian’s first of the preseason. After breaking through for their first goal at home during the preseason, the Phantoms didn’t go out quietly as they’d rattle off goals separated by 25 seconds. Alexis Gendron’s first goal was followed up by Evan Polei’s tally to send the game to overtime. Those two players are looking to earn regular time with the Phantoms, adding to the importance of the rally for them. The Phantoms needed all of 40 seconds to find the winner in the extra session to net an exhibition win.
Both teams were still evaluating their lineups. The Bears left out a number of regulars who cleared waivers on Saturday while the Phantoms had their own scratches. Sunday’s level of play was a step up from the earliest exhibition matches in the AHL, bringing it closer to what is expected in the regular season. It was a fun tune-up that helps set the tone for the return of regular season play in a key Atlantic Division matchup.
Now, the focus shifts to balancing the lineups for opening night. Both teams open their seasons on October 14 and need to hit the ground running, and decisions will be made to put the best possible group on the ice. They’ll use the leadup to the 14th to make those calls, and Sunday’s game may have been the last chance for players on the bubble to turn the heads of team executives.
