Hockey can be a cruel game at times. The Hershey Bears played a better defensive game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night on the road. However, the game came down to a single goal in overtime, and the Phantoms emerged with a 2-1 win on home ice. Olle Lycksell had a pair of goals including the game-winner in the extra session. Hershey did extend their point streak to six games by taking the game beyond sixty minutes.
Pennsylvania Rivalry
Friday’s game kicks off a set of five straight games against interstate opponents for the Bears. They’ll play a home-and-home set against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins followed by a set with the Phantoms next weekend. This game was the third of ten meetings overall between the two storied rivals this season. The road to playoff contention in the Atlantic Division is largely paved through the Keystone State.
This outing featured some impressive goaltending from Lehigh Valley’s Cal Petersen and Hershey’s Clay Stevenson. Both netminders made their contributions to getting the game to overtime as Petersen made 29 stops to Stevenson’s 24. Most impressive was Stevenson’s late save on a breakaway for Anthony Richard late in the third period.
Stevenson is battling back from injury while Petersen is taking the reins after Eetu Makiniemi was injured earlier this month. Makiniemi’s injury is expected to be long-term, and the Phantoms have less options in net as a result. Their NHL affiliate in Philadelphia is missing former Phantom Sam Ersson, with brief Lehigh Valley backstop Alexei Kolosov taking major minutes for the Flyers.
Lifted by Lycksell
Lycksell scored his first goal of the day about midway through regulation time. He finished serving a hooking penalty and jumped out of the box behind everyone. Hunter McDonald sprung him with a perfect pass and he beat Stevenson on a breakaway to make it 1-0. Lycksell was quiet for a couple games after tallying six points in four games. He tallied a pair of assists in Lehigh Valley’s latest win over Hartford and carried it into Friday’s game.
Hershey’s top power play unit evened the count at one in short order to start the third period. Mike Sgarbossa made an excellent pass across the ice to a waiting Ethen Frank in prime real estate. Frank made no mistake for his 14th goal of the season, giving him goals in three straight games. His goal count is tied with Calgary’s Rory Kerins for the top mark in the AHL.
Overtime took all of 27 seconds to determine a winner. The Phantoms cycled the puck in the Bears’ zone and Lycksell knocked down Hershey defenseman Ethan Bear in the corner. With Bear down in the corner, Lycksell had time and space to receive a pass and bury the winning goal. Despite the frustration from Hershey, the goal stood and the game was over.
Bears’ Point Streak Extends
The Bears pushed their point streak to six games (4-0-2-0) by getting the game beyond regulation. It’s the first time they’ve held an opponent to fewer than three goals since November 10. Conversely, it’s only the second time in 12 games that they’ve been held to just one goal scored. Finding ways to win is crucial to the team’s success, and they’ll look for more of it in Saturday’s game.
Saturday is a late start to one of the AHL’s biggest rivalries and 12 games in the regular season series. Hershey and Wilkes-Barre will do battle for the first time at Giant Center before the scene shifts to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. The triumvirate of teams from Pennsylvania will battle it out for key standings points. This matchup takes place during Hershey’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night in one of the most powerful games of the season.
