The Hershey Bears punched their ticket to the Atlantic Division Finals after defeating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-2 in the series’s deciding Game 5.
Riley Sutter played the hero, scoring twice and notching the game-winning goal. The two tallies doubled his career mark in 37 previous playoff games. Hunter Shepard, after yielding the net to Clay Stevenson in Game 4, stopped 19 shots to earn the victory.
Playing their best hockey of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs thus far, Hershey fed off a capacity crowd of 10,421 (and 6,800 loud giveaway bells) at Giant Center.
Spencer Smallman got the Bears on the scoreboard first, finding a ricocheting Hendrix Lapierre centering pass in the slot and firing it past Phantoms goaltender Cal Petersen. The tally, at the 5:19 mark of the first period, sent Chocolate and White faithful into a frenzy.
The Bears extended their lead to 2-0 after Sutter scored his first of the night with 3:47 remaining in the stanza. The checking-line center finished a two-on-one break with Matt Strome after some pinpoint passing.
Sutter added another in the second period, rifling home a shot from the right circle after Garrett Roe hustled to a puck behind the net and set him up brilliantly. The tally ended up being the game-winning goal.
Anthony Richard lit the lamp on a Phantoms power play and broke Shepard’s shutout bid 2:08 in the third period. The Phantoms’ left wing sent his shot off the right post and in, beating Shepard over the pad and past his catching glove.
Hunter McDonald added another with 5:47 remaining to bring the Phantoms within one, but that was as close as they would get.
Bogdan Trineyev hustled to score an empty-net goal — his second of the series — to seal the victory.
Sutter missed out by feet on a hat trick, missing on an empty-net attempt with 11.9 seconds remaining.
The Bears will play the Charlotte Checkers in the Atlantic Division Finals.
