Bears Roar to Series Win Over Lehigh Valley, Leave No Doubt What Team Runs PA
Luke Brown for Chocolate Hockey
After leading the series 2-0 and giving up game three, Hershey knew what they had to avoid; making the
ice any more thin. As much as Hershey loves playing in GIANT Center, they didn’t want to spend their
Mother’s Day in Chocolatetown, playing the game five that would’ve been necessary if they hadn’t gotten
the job done Saturday in game four, defeating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 5-3, closing the Atlantic
Division Semifinal series.
The Phantoms started the game outpacing the Bears in shots 11-8, but the common theme for the Bears
has been making the most of shots, and Shepard saving the ones coming at him. Despite getting outshot
11-8, it was still tied 2-2.
The first period goals for Hershey came from Ivan Miroshnichenko with 10:42 to go, and Pierrick Dube
with 4:52 to go, both of which were equalizers, tying the game at 1-1, then 2-2, respectively. Lehigh
Valley got on the board first with 10:57 to go from Rhett Gardner and 7:42 to go from Garrett Wilson.
Hershey was all about responding hard in the first.
Hershey struck first in the second period, with their first shot of the second going in for a go ahead goal.
It came just two and a half minutes into the period from Miroshnichenko for his second score of the
playoffs, and second of the game. Ethen Frank went on to score just over eight minutes later to make it
4-2, prompting many to restore their faith that this series wouldn’t go the distance, and the Bears would
get it done. Tanner Laczynski made those same people to go back slightly on their words, when he scored
late in the second to go back into a one-goal game.
With a one score game, it became all about defense for the Bears, making it through to the intermission
but then another 20 minutes of hockey. They stayed strong, allowing nothing and gaining a bit of late
insurance with a Hardy Haman Aktell goal with 5:08 left to play, making it a 5-3 Hershey lead with little
time to go.
Hershey relied on their depth in the series clincher, as three of four goal scorers scored their first playoff
goal with the exception being Ethen Frank, who’s been consistent and extremely impactful lately. For
Ivan Miroshnichenko, it was his first two playoff goals of his AHL career. The Bears also began the
second and third period with their fourth line, evermore declaring how important the depth has been to
this team as they battle through another best-of-five series coming up.
Speaking of that series, they’ll face the Hartford Wolf Pack, who not only upset the Charlotte Checkers in
the first round, but took care of the second seeded Providence Bruins in the division semifinals for the
right to visit Hershey. They will do just that on Thursday, when the series begins at GIANT Center for
game one, then again in Hershey on Saturday before the series heads to Hartford, Connecticut for game
three and possibly four. If necessary, the series’ fifth and final game will be back in PA on Sunday, May
The winner will face whoever comes out of the series between the Cleveland Monsters and Syracuse
Crunch in the conference finals.
In the west, one division semifinal series still remains in the Texas Stars and Milwaukee Admirals series
finishing Sunday night. The winner will face the Grand Rapids Griffins for the division title, and the
Pacific division has a matchup of last year’s AHL runner-up, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and the
Ontario Reign.
