Hershey drops first game of the season to Phantoms, 7-2
In the first game of the 80th AHL season in Hershey Bears hockey history, goaltender Parker Milner would get the call as both Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek were ruled out due to injuries. Milner would have to deal with a Phantoms team looking for revenge after the Bears knocked them out of the playoffs last season.
Lehigh Valley put themselves on the board first with a two-on-none break on Parker Milner. After the first attempt did not make it past Milner, a wraparound pass from Mike Vecchione to Danick Martel gave Lehigh Valley that 1-0 lead.
Hershey got their first break of the night on a bang-bang play with Riley Barber backhanding a puck to Colby Williams, setting up a one-time shot from Chandler Stephenson and tying the game 1-1 midway through the second.
But the Phantoms would respond quickly with a goal from Martel again, deflecting a puck into the back of the net and making it a 2-1 game.
The Bears would score their first power play goal of the season as John Albert would clean up a Wayne Simpson rebound and make it a 2-2 game with under three minutes left in the second.
Again, Lehigh Valley would respond with a goal. T.J. Brennan’s shot would go off a body in front and slip through Milner’s five-hole to give the Phantoms the lead back heading into the final period of play.
Phil Varone would score 33-seconds into the third period with a weird shot that would squeak through Milner’s armpit and in. With under three minutes left Greg Carey would make it 5-2 with a shot from the right faceoff circle. An empty netter added on under two minutes left made it 6-2, and then Martel would add his third of the night for a hat trick and 7-2 defeat of the Bears.
Lines:
Bourque-Boyd-Simpson
Albert-Stephenson-Barber
Bau-Langlois-Gazley
O’Brien-Sill-Mitchell
Labrie-Bowey
Siegenthaler-Williams
Johansen-Lewington
Bears are back in action on Saturday for the home opener against Belleville for game two of 76 this season.
Photo: Scott Payonk / Chocolate Hockey
