The Hershey Bears were burned by bad special-teams play in a playoff loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night.
After shutting out the Phantoms in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Semifinal at Giant Center, the Bears could not find back-to-back wins in the best-of-five series. The Phantoms scored two shorthanded goals and came away with a 3-1 victory in a very physical and penalty-killed contest.
From the first drop of the puck, both teams were throwing their weight around, with Hershey’s Spencer Smallman getting called for an illegal check to the head just 1:54 into the first period. Before half of the first frame had elapsed, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Bogdan Trineyev also got involved in a scrum with Lehigh Valley’s Louie Belpedio and Hunter McDonald.
Temperatures further flared when Givani Smith got away with an uncalled high stick on Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard. The two-time Calder Cup-winning netminder had his mask popped off by Smith’s stick.
The animosity continued into the second period and reached its boiling point when Phantom’s captain, Garrett Wilson, delivered a check from behind to Bears defenseman Nicky Leivermann. Wilson received a five-minute major penalty for boarding and was ejected from the game.
Leivermann struggled to get back onto the Bears’ bench and eventually went down the tunnel. Hershey later announced he would not return to the game due to an injury suffered on the hit.
After the Bears were unable to strike on their extended power play, the Phantoms opened the game’s scoring with 1:19 remaining in the second period through Anthony Richard. Shepard saw his shutout streak to start the series end at 98:41.
Phantoms forward Elliot Desnoyers put the Bears on a power play 1:53 into the third period, but the Bears almost immediately gave up a shorthanded goal to Zayde Wisdom. Miroshnichenko was boxed out on a net drive by Wisdom, who shoveled a backhand past Shepard.
The Bears immediately responded on the same power play, getting a goal from Alex Limoges. The tally was reviewed by AHL officials as goaltender Parker Gahagen had knocked the goal off its pegs, but the marker ultimately stood.
Limoges now has two points (1g, 1a) through two games of the series, leading the Bears.
Hershey then had a chance to tie the game on a power play 4:38 into the third, but again gave up a shorthanded goal to Wisdom.
Shepard finished with 17 saves in his second start of this year’s playoffs. Gahagen took the win for the Phantoms in Game 2, making 14 saves on 15 shots.
Game 3 of the series is on Sunday at Lehigh Valley’s PPL Center. Puck drop is at 5:05 pm.
The Bears are attempting to become just the second team in AHL history to three-peat as Calder Cup champions, joining the 1960-62 Springfield Indians.
