Philadelphia Flyers
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Fall 2-1 To Hershey Bears In First Game Of Atlantic Division Semifinals
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms fell to the Hershey Bears 2-1 in the first game of the Atlantic Division Semifinals as they continue their pursuit of the Calder Cup.
© Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports - Lehigh Valley Phantoms Fall 2-1 To Hershey Bears In First Game Of Atlantic Division SemifinalsThe Lehigh Valley Phantoms started the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs last night against the Hershey Bears. While the Phantoms got a boost from several Philadelphia Flyers being sent down after their season ended in April, they faced some fresher NHL-caliber legs in this game against their Atlantic Division rivals.
The Washington Capitals, who got swept by the New York Rangers in round one of the NHL playoffs, allowed a handful of players to be sent down to the Bears just in time for their matchup against the Phantoms, adding to the game's intensity.
Unfortunately for the Phantoms, Hendrix Lapierre opened up the scoring for the Bears with a little over three minutes into the opening frame.
Lapierre was a massive asset for the Capitals late in the season and in the playoffs. He almost made it a 2-0 game after the initial goal, but with a missed shot, the Phantoms could regain the momentum. While the rest of the first period remained scoreless, it was a battle for the Phantoms' defense to step up and keep the game at a one-goal deficit. The Phantoms had a late scoring chance as the period had its final minutes, but the attempt proved unsuccessful.
In the second frame, the Phantoms battled hard to try to get their first goal of the game. While the Phantoms struggled to find a breakthrough, Garrett Wilson had one of the closest chances early in the period. Hershey's goalie, Hunter Shepard, was on his "A" game with enormous saves for the defending Calder Cup champions. Hershey increased their lead to 2-0. Henrik Rybinski scored with only two minutes remaining.
Heading into the final frame trailing 2-0, the Phantoms had to give it their all to try to have a chance to equalize the game. Tanner Laczynski's goal came just a little too late. Laczynski scored with under five minutes remaining, assisted by Bobby Brink and Ronnie Attard.
The final score of the game would remain 2-1. The Phantoms held their own, even though the outcome differed from what they wanted, and will be looking to bounce back during this best-of-five series.
Hershey will host the Phantoms for Game 2 of the series on May 4 at 7:05 p.m.
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