Roaring in the Den: Bears tear apart Phantoms in Game 2
Hershey takes a commanding 2-0 lead with a 5-1 victory as the series heads to Lehigh Valley
Luke Brown for Chocolate Hockey
It’s well known that the first game of the AHL division semifinal series between the Hershey Bears and Lehigh Valley Phantoms was defensive. The Bears scored 229 goals in the regular season, the second highest in the division, but Lehigh Valley kept it to a 2-1, one score game that became close all of a sudden on Wednesday night.
On Saturday night, Todd Nelson and the Bears tapped into their offense. The Bears put up five goals, hammering the Phantoms 5-1 to take a 2-0 series lead as the semifinals finished up in Hershey and heads to Allentown. Tonight, it was the Ethen Frank show with both of the opening goals, and an assist in the second period.
“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable,” Frank said in comparison to last year’s postseason. “I just try not to have a repeat of last year, with how inconsistent I played. I’m just trying to go out there with a different mentality, and just working hard and winning battles.”
Frank’s first quarter goals came at the 15:13 and 11:42 remaining marks, and the Phantoms didn’t go down with a scoreless opening period. Their goal from Hunter McDonald with 1:15 to go made it a 2-1 game, the same score from Wedneday night’s game one final.
Henrik Rybinski went on to score early in the second period, his second playoff goal in as many games, his first two playoff goals. Alex Limoges added onto the tally with his first playoff goal as a Bear. Hendrix Lapierre assisted the Limoges goal down the stretch of the second period, as Lapierre has been huge for the Bears coming up from Washington.
Lapierre was sent to the penalty box for cross checking later on in the third, and it gave Lehigh Valley a power play that they turned into a six on four, pulling their goalie. Once Lapierre got back on the ice, it was open season for that empty net, as Lapierre battled a Lehigh Valley defended before directing a puck into the net for the empty net score, solidfifying the win if there was ever any doubt with 3:30 remaining, now up 5-1.
With 2:57 to play, chaos erupted, both sides scrapping right behind Lehigh Valley’s net that Lapierre scored on moments before. Many received unsportsmanlike conduct, ten minute penalties including Louie Belpedio, Brendan Furry, Rhett Gardner, Hunter McDonald, Zayde Wisdom, and Ronnie Atard from Lehigh Valley. From Hershey, the offenders were Jimmy Huntington, Mike Vecchione, Alex Limoges, Hardy Haman Aktell, and Pierrick Dube.
Now, Hershey has outscored Lehigh Valley 7-2 in the series as it heads to Allentown for game three, the potential series-clinching game if Hershey completes the three-game sweep. According to head coach Todd Nelson, Saturday night’s win provides all the momentum they need.
“We have to have a killer instinct, this is a good hockey team we’re playing against,” said Todd Nelson after the win.
Tonight’s attendance was 10,520, the largest crowd for any first or second round playoff game in Hershey Bears history.
“If you watch some of the NHL games, the fans are cheering for everything, and that’s what our fans did tonight,” Matt Strome said postgame. “Everyone gets boosted energy when we hear the crowd cheering. It was so loud in there I couldn’t even hear myself think.”
