Bears Fall to Phantoms, 4-2

Published on October 5, 2024 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release

(Allentown, PA) - The Hershey Bears (1-1-0-1) concluded their 2024 preseason slate with a 4-2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-1-0-0) on Saturday night at PPL Center.

Jon-Randall Avon gave Lehigh Valley a 1-0 lead late in the first period with a power-play strike that beat Clay Stevenson at the 17:06 mark.

The Bears swapped Stevenson out for Mitch Gibson to begin the second period, ending Stevenson's night after going 9-for-10 in 20 minutes of work.

Mike Vecchione beat Alexei Kolosov to level the score at 2:40, with Luke Philp and Hudson Thornton assisting on the play.

The Phantoms went ahead on goals from Garrett Wilson (4:57), Brendan Furry (10:55), and Matthew Brown (12:59).

With Hershey maintaining possession in the offensive zone in the third, Hardy Häman Aktell called for a pass as he crossed the blue line and snapped a feed from Zac Funk past Kolosov at 11:05 for his first of the preseason, trimming the deficit to 4-2; Alexander Suzdalev contributed a secondary helper.

The Bears pulled Gibson for an extra skater with less than three minutes to play in regulation, but were unable to close the gap.

Shots finished 32-22 in favor of the Phantoms. Gibson finished with a 19-for-22 performance in the loss; Kolosov picked up the victory for Lehigh Valley by going 20-for-22. The Bears went 0-for-2 on the power play; the Phantoms went 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

The Bears open the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they host the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center. Purchase tickets for the game.

American Hockey League Stories from October 5, 2024

• Phantoms Top Bears in Preseason - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
• Kuntar's Second Period Hat-Trick Leads P-Bruins Past T-Birds - Providence Bruins
• Bears Fall to Phantoms, 4-2 - Hershey Bears
• Roadrunners Score Three in the First, Hang on for 4-2 Victory Over the Henderson Silver Knights - Tucson Roadrunners
• T-Birds Drop Preseason Finale in Providence - Springfield Thunderbirds
• Detroit, Grand Rapids Announce Multiple Transactions - Grand Rapids Griffins
• Islanders Drop Preseason Finale 5-1 - Bridgeport Islanders
• Penguins Reduce Training Camp Roster Ahead of Preseason Finale - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
• Dallas Loans Bichsel, Blümel and Hyry to Texas Stars - Texas Stars
• Five Different Scorers Propel Wolf Pack by Islanders in Preseason Finale - Hartford Wolf Pack
• Rangers Assign Brennan Othmann and Ryder Korczak to Wolf Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
• Sgarbossa Returns as Bears Announce Training Camp Roster Moves - Hershey Bears
• Morning Skate Report: October 5, 2024 - Henderson Silver Knights
• Moose Release Pair of Goaltenders - Manitoba Moose
• Preseason Game Preview: Bears at Phantoms, 7:05 p.m. - Hershey Bears
• Monsters Announce Additions to Training Camp Roster - Cleveland Monsters
• Roadrunners Score Five in the Second, Defeating Henderson 6-2 in Game One of the Preseason - Tucson Roadrunners

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