The Hershey Bears completed a comeback for the second straight game.
Heading into the third period down 2-1, the Bears scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-2 at PPL Center. The Bears were led by a star performance by Mike Vecchione, who scored both the opening goal and the eventual game-winner.
Since joining the Bears during the 2021-22 season, Vecchione has scored 12 goals in 33 games against the Phantoms, his former team. The winger was originally signed by the Philadelphia Flyers out of college in 2017.
The victory marked the second time Hershey has completed a stunning comeback this week. On Saturday, against the Toronto Marlies, the Bears tied the game with under a minute to go in the third period and won in overtime after Joe Snively scored with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Wednesday, the Bears seemed like they’d have an easier time, grabbing the leade early with a a power-play goal from Vecchione. The scorer of the Bears’ 2023 Calder Cup-winning goal went bardown with a shot after taking a heads-up pass from defenseman Chase Priskie. Ivan Miroshnichenko was credited with the secondary assist.
The Phantoms scored two unanswered in the second period, giving Lehigh Valley a 2-1 lead heading into the third.
But the Bears, like they have all season long, refused to lose. Jimmy Huntington found pay dirt early first, beating Phantoms goaltender Felix Sandstrom 1:16 into the period.
Then Vecchione scored again with 6:19 remaining in the period to give the Bears a 3-2 lead. He raced down the left wing on a two-on-one break, beating the goalie short side. It was Vecc’s first multi-goal game of the season.
Pierrick Dube would later score an empty-net goal to seal the Bears with a 4-2 victory.
Bears head coach Todd Nelson congratulated the team on its work ethic post game, suggesting the players held themselves accountable during the second intermission.
“You know it’s amazing when our team wants to dig in and work hard,” Nelson said. “We got the win. That’s all it was — work ethic and the choice that guy guys wanted to work. So it’s awesome. F***, you guys are good coaches.”
Vecchione was then awarded the postgame bear head for his efforts in leading the team and his First Star of the Game recognition for the pair of goals.
“There’s nothing we can’t do,” Vecchione said before doing his signature ROAR celebration.
With the victory, the Bears are now 6-1-0-1 against the Phantoms this season. The two teams will rematch on Friday in Lehigh Valley.
Below is the full Bears press release:
VECCHIONE SCORES TWICE TO LEAD BEARS TO 4-2 WIN OVER PHANTOMS
Hershey wins sixth straight; has earned points in last nine games
(Allentown, PA – Jan. 31, 2024) – Mike Vecchione scored twice and Pierrick Dubé had a three-point night as the Hershey Bears (35-7-0-2) rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the third period for a 4-2 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (17-17-5-2) on Wednesday night at PPL Center. Hershey has now won six straight games and extended its point streak to nine contests (7-0-0-2).
The Bears improved to 6-1-0-1 against Lehigh Valley this season with the victory. The game was aired on national television via NHL Network.
The Bears opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period when Ivan Miroshnichenko flipped the puck across to Chase Priskie as Hershey entered the attacking zone, and the defenseman found Vecchione in the slot. The forward snapped a shot off the crossbar and past Felix Sandstrom at 13:11 for his 12th of the season.
The Phantoms tied the score at 1-1 at 11:03 of the second period during a four-on-four sequence when Adam Ginning slid the puck across to Cooper Marody at the right side of the net, and Marody put a shot past Clay Stevenson.
Lehigh Valley took its first lead of the night at 12:25 during another four-on-four sequence, with Ronnie Attard finding the net to make it 2-1 for the hosts.
Jimmy Huntington leveled the score for Hershey at 1:16 of the third period when he corralled a rebound beneath the goal line at the right of the net and banked it into the cage off the leg of Sandstrom for his 11th of the season. Dubé picked up his first point of the night with an assist on the goal.
Vecchione scored his second of the night at 13:41 to re-take the lead for the visitors when he took a pass from Dubé and skated in with Huntington on a 2-on-1 before snapping a shot past the stick-side of Sandstrom for his first multi-goal game of the campaign. Aaron Ness, playing in his 700th career AHL game, earned a secondary helper.
Dubé sealed the game with an unassisted empty-net tally from the defensive zone at 17:56.
Shots finished 31-27 in favor of the Bears. Stevenson went 25-for-27 to secure his 16th victory of the season for Hershey; Sandstrom took the loss for Lehigh Valley with a 27-for-30 effort. The Bears went 1-for-4 on the power play; the Phantoms went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
