The Hershey Bears and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms met up on Sunday for their fifth matchup of the season. The two teams rematched after the Bears pulled off a wild comeback win in Allentown the day prior. In this installment, the two teams traded goals in a wild tilt, but Ethen Frank provided the late heroics in a 5-4 win. Hershey won its third straight game with Frank’s latest tallies moving him into first place in the goal scoring race.
Uno Reverse Card
The two teams traded goals and leads throughout the roller coaster ride on Sunday. Hershey opened the scoring early with their first shorthanded goal of the season. Henrik Rybinski, who has been playing great hockey of late, found Bogdan Trineyev on the rush for the tally. The goal is Trineyev’s sixth and continues a hot streak of three goals in his last four games.
However, Lehigh Valley had answers. Jon-Randall Avon responded with a goal that stood after a review for potential goaltender interference. The goal is Avon’s first of the season as he heats up with three points in his last two games.
The Phantoms pulled off a shorthanded goal much as they did a day prior. Sawyer Boulton’s day came to an end after he left the bench to fight Brennan Saulnier. On the ensuing five-minute major penalty, Zayde Wisdom struck shorthanded for his first goal of the campaign. It’s the third time this season that Hershey has allowed a shorthanded tally.
Hershey pulled even again with the remainder of the power play. Mike Vecchione potted the rebound of a Pierrick Dubé shot for his fifth of the year. It’d be the first assist of three for Dubé on the night while Vecchione registered a point for the fourth straight night.
Second Period See-Saw
The Bears appeared to be comfortably in the lead after a pair of second period goals. Both tallies beat netminder Parker Gahagen over the shoulder, with the first from Luke Philp. He found the back of the net for the first time since November 20 with a well-placed shot. Frank got into the act later in the frame after being held off the board on Saturday, firing a laser from the angle past Gahagen.
Despite the lead, things went off the rails for the Bears. It started with a Rhett Gardner goal just over a minute after the Frank tally as he deflected a shot past Hunter Shepard. Moments later, Spencer Smallman would be called for the latest major and misconduct. He’d be tossed after throwing a high cross-check during a scrum. Lehigh Valley got the advantage and capitalized once with Alexis Gendron finding the twine. He’d collect the puck with his skate to stick in one motion for the goal.
Frank Lifts the Bears
The third period was a choppy back-and-forth affair. Neither team got many shots on goal, a decline for both clubs from the first two periods. Lehigh Valley opted to put Cal Petersen in the net for the third period instead of Gahagen, who didn’t see much action. It would take a perfect play to find the win or risk overtime for the second straight night. Hershey found the game-winner with Frank finding time and space off of a Dubé pass. Jon McDonald, playing in his first AHL game, had the other assist for his first AHL point.
Frank buried the shot for his 18th, tallying seven goals and nine points in his last seven games. Overall, he has 25 points in 25 games this season on an electric pace to eclipse his previous best of 49 points. Hershey made the lead stand up to take a 5-4 win.
“We turned the puck over too many times,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said. “Against a team like Lehigh, they’re quick and transition up the ice well. That’s within our control and we can clean it up. We’ve had success off the rush, but we’re starting to get too cute. I don’t want to stifle creativity, but at the same time you can’t leave your teammates hanging by turning the puck over. It’s a work in progress right now.”
The Road Ahead
The pace does not slow down for the Bears just yet. Hershey visits Hartford for the first time on Wednesday followed by a stop in Syracuse. They’ll cap off a stretch of three games in four days at home against Charlotte. Hershey’s schedule gets lighter from there with a full week between games and less per week heading into the holidays.
Although the Bears are still a work in progress, according to Nelson, they’ve had solid results recently. They’re 7-1-2-0 in their last ten games and have found ways to win games like Sunday. None of Hershey’s opponents will be pushovers for the foreseeable future, and they’ll be challenged every step of the way.
