The Hershey Bears fell to third place in the Atlantic Division with their 3-2 shootout loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Caps prospect Travis Boyd started the Bears scoring in the first period. The goal would be Boyd’s eighth of the year and occurred on the power play. Paul Carey’s assist on the goal pushed his point streak to 16 games.
Three minutes later, the Bears would end their scoring for the night on a Stan Galiev goal in his first game back from injury. Galiev has been out since November 12 with an upper-body injury. Boyd received an assist on Galiev’s marker for his team leading 25th point of the year.
Vitek Vanecek was outstanding in the shootout loss stopping 32 of the 34 shots against.
Travis Boyd goal
Stan Galiev goal
Full highlights
Game recap
(Hershey, PA- December 16, 2016)-Paul Carey extended his point streak to 16 games, but the Lehigh Valley Phantoms earned a 3-2 shootout victory over the Hershey Bears on Friday night at the PPL Center.
Scoring started late in the first period Friday as the two teams traded goals, but Hershey ended the frame with a 2-1 lead. Travis Boyd broke the ice with his eighth goal of the season at 16:43. With Hershey on the power play, Liam O’Brien fed Boyd on the backdoor. The forward redirected the puck from the top of the crease past Lehigh Valley goaltender Alex Lyon to make it 1-0 Hershey. Paul Carey also assisted, extending his point streak. He is now tied for the fifth longest point streak in Hershey team history.
Greg Carey scored to tie the game for Lehigh Valley at 18:11, but Hershey responded with just 46.6 seconds left in the period. In his first game back since November 12, Stan Galiev scored his third goal of the year to put Hershey up 2-1. O’Brien fed a wide-open Galiev in the slot. The forward skated in and beat Lyon over the glove.
The lone goal of the second period came from Lehigh Valley’s T.J. Brennan. He beat Chris Bourque to the puck along the left wing boards and snapped a shot from an extreme angle. The shot beat Vanecek over the right shoulder to make it 2-2 at 17:21.
Despite numerous chances in the third period and overtime, neither team was able to break the deadlock. Ryan Bourque had Hershey’s best chance early in the third period, striking the crossbar with a shot from the crease. On the other end, Vanecek robbed Nic Aube-Kubel on a play where the fans, goal judge, and goal horn operator all thought the puck had entered the net.
In the shootout, Andy Miele scored the lone goal of the shootout in the third round, lifting a backhand shot over the glove of Vanecek. Christian Thomas was denied by Lyon to secure the victory for the Phantoms.
Hershey held Lehigh Valley’s talented power play to 0-for-4 on Friday. The Bears went 1-for-2 on the power play but were outshot 34-23 on the evening.
The Bears are at home tomorrow for UGI Snow Globe Night and Healthcare Night as the Hartford Wolf Pack visit at 7 p.m. Sunday is Hersheypark Pass Night, Hall of Fame Night and a 20th Anniversary 96-97 Championship Team Silent Jersey Auction as the Bears host Springfield at 5 p.m. Ticket information is available at HersheyBears.com.
