Lehigh Valley Phantoms' Get Shutout Win; Still Facing Elimination
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms stay alive after shutting out the Hershey Bears 2-0 in last night's game on the verge of elimination.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports - Lehigh Valley Phantoms' Get Shutout Win; Still Facing EliminationThe Lehigh Valley Phantoms, displaying their unwavering resilience, found themselves in a must-win game last night, pulling out a crucial win to draw their best-of-five playoff series against the Hershey Bears to 2-1.
The Phantoms dropped the first two games in the series, which were played away in Hershey in the series, but returned home to Lehigh with a determination to play their best hockey yet.
In a display of impeccable teamwork and strategic play, the Phantoms went on an early power play in the first five minutes of the contest, where Emil Andrae was able to secure the all-important first goal of the game.
This was a significant momentum booster for the Phantoms, who had been struggling to score first against the dominant Hershey team. Two minutes later, the Phantoms found themselves back on the power play, and this time, Olle Lycksell was able to get the puck past Bears' goalie, Hunter Shepard.
Luckily for Lehigh, getting two goals in under the first 10 minutes was enough. Cal Petersen was in the net for the Phantoms and was able to record a shutout with 22 saves. Petersen is now 3-2 in the Calder Cup Playoffs. While goaltending was vital, the Phantoms' defense stepped up big time by killing all 5 Hershey power plays. The Phantoms had a 2-0 victory. Hershey still leads the series 2-1.
After the game, Cal Petersen stated how the Phantoms are "loose and confident." This statement highlighted how Lehigh played since this was their best game yet of the playoffs, on the verge of elimination
The Phantoms will need to win the next two games in order to advance to the Atlantic Division Finals.
The Phantoms will get home ice advantage again for the next game of the series—which will be played on May 11—before heading up to Hershey for Game 5, if needed.
Fans won't want to miss Game Four, as an appearance by Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce could be in the works for pre-game hype ceremonies.
While an appearance by the beloved center would definitely fire up the crowd, it will ultimately still be up to the Phantoms players to bring the energy on the ice to play the way they did on Wednesday and remain in the fight for the next round of playoffs.
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