The Hershey Bears faced off against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a key Atlantic Division rivalry game. Sunday’s game had major implications on a crowded division battle. Hershey turned in a stellar performance as Hunter Shepard posted a 21-save shutout. Three different players tallied multiple points in a 4-0 victory for the Chocolate and White. The Bears have won five of their last six games, heating up as season winds down.
These Bears are Best
Much like Hershey’s win the day before, their visiting opponent looked to pull closer in the standings with a win. Lehigh Valley entered the day only six points behind Hershey in the Atlantic Division. The Phantoms, in fifth place, looked to pull closer to the Bears with a win. It was a tall order for Lehigh Valley, playing their third game in as many days.
Hershey got on the board on their first power play opportunity. Hendrix Lapierre passed with Ethan Bear, who put the puck in Ivan Miroshnichenko’s wheelhouse. The young Russian forward looked very much like a young Alex Ovechkin burying a shot from the left circle. Miroshnichenko lit the lamp for the third straight game, tallying five points (four goals, one assist) in that span. It took the Bears just 14 seconds to light the lamp with the power play.
The two teams naturally found their animosity for each other. Hershey would bend but not break under the pressure. Miroshnichenko dueled with Sawyer Boulton but focused on the play. He led the Bears on a rush the other way, setting up a perfect passing play with Nicky Leivermann and Lapierre.
Lapierre had the finish on the goal and registered a point for the sixth straight game. In that span, Lapierre has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in that span. He’d tally three points in Sunday’s game.
Smith’s Scoring
Hershey got some insurance with a first for veteran forward Dalton Smith. Inserted into Sunday’s lineup, Smith, who briefly played for Lehigh Valley in 2015-16, took a pass from Ethan Bear over the blue line. He’d wire a rising shot through a defenseman and past Keith Petruzzelli for his first goal in a Hershey uniform. The goal earned him first star honors and the team’s Bears Head in the locker room after the game.
“(Smith) is a good character guy in the room,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said. “He does a lot of heavy lifting for us. He works his tail off and I don’t have to worry about him systematically. If I need him on the penalty kill, he’s there for us. It was good to see him get rewarded tonight. All his hard work is paying off, he’s a veteran guy and has been around. It still feels good to score a goal, I was glad to see he got first star tonight and the Bears head.”
“It’s special,” Smith said. “This is a great organization, so many great players and amazing fans. Getting the first one was really special, it was a great play by Bearsy and I just tried to get the shot through.”
The Bears added one more goal before the game ended in the third period. Vincent Iorio took a pass from Brad Hunt off a face-off win by Lapierre. Iorio’s shot leaked through the goaltender’s pads for his fourth goal of the season. It’s a good reward for Iorio, his first goal since the end of November.
Stretch Run
Hershey won their third straight game, with Sunday’s win their second shutout in that span. The Bears combined offense with solid defense to limit the amount of quality chances for the Phantoms. Shepard stood tall when called upon for his second shutout of the campaign. Nelson said his team knew what to expect and brought the effort to match it.
“We knew that they’d be a bit tired with three games in as many nights,” Nelson said. “We felt that we should win this game, and the guys had a killer instinct. Their goalie made some really big saves, but we got the job done. I liked how we’re playing in the offensive zone.”
The Bears earned two more points to stay on top of the division standings. Hershey moves eight points ahead of Lehigh Valley with the win and move to five ahead of idle Wilkes-Barre. The Providence Bruins won on Sunday to stay within three points of Hershey in second place. In a division with a lot of hot teams, the Bears are in control of their own destiny with these wins.
Hershey is back on home ice on Wednesday to host the Belleville Senators. It’s the last home game for a long time for the Bears, who play ten consecutive games on the road in a challenging month. It’s a schedule that will test the team’s mettle as play heats up towards the postseason.
