Phantoms Use Force to Blow Past Hershey
April 12, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Lehigh Valley Phantoms News Release
Allentown, PA - The Force was strong with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Star Wars Night, as they struck down the Hershey Bears with a commanding 5-1 victory Saturday night at PPL Center. Four different defensemen lit the lamp for the Orange and Black, while Cal Petersen turned into a brick-wall droid in net, making 33 dazzling saves to earn First Star honors and foil any Imperial advances.
A sold-out crowd of 8,437 faithful fans turned PPL Center into a cantina of galactic celebration, many dressed as Jedi Masters, Sith Lords, Rebels, and droids, setting the scene for an epic showdown in this battle for in-state supremacy.
The opening period was like a tense duel between Jedi and Sith. Lehigh Valley fired the first shots, with Olle Lycksell nearly blasting one into the net in the opening minute-only to strike the crossbar like a lightsaber glancing off a blast shield. Minutes later, Lycksell had another golden chance with the net open on the backdoor, following a slick dish from Jacob Gaucher, but whiffed on the finish.
Eventually, it was Ben Gleason-channeling his inner X-wing pilot-who broke through the Empire's shields. At 17:38, he launched a laser beam from the blue line that rang off the iron and found the back of the net for his first goal as a Phantom. The opportunity came after Spencer Smallman's turnover in the Hershey zone-proof that fear and hesitation lead to mistakes.
The Phantoms' penalty kill, a crew of elite Rebel defenders, then stood tall to preserve the 1-0 edge going into the first intermission.
Barely into the second period, Rodrigo Abols doubled the lead with the precision of a bounty hunter. After a turnover by Hershey's Riley Sutter, Oscar Eklind sprinted down the left wing like a podracer on Boonta Eve. His pass across found Abols, who coolly finished for his 13th of the campaign.
Cal Petersen, now fully in Jedi Grand Master mode, denied the Bears any chance to strike back-most notably with a spectacular, acrobatic stop on Ivan Miroshnichenko late in the period, gliding to his right with the grace of Yoda in combat.
The third period? Pure domination from the light side.
Ethan Samson lit the lamp at the 4:00 mark to give Lehigh Valley a 3-0 lead, reinforcing the stronghold with his 12th goal of the season. Though the Bears momentarily broke the shutout spell on a goal from Matt Strome at 6:43-charging the crease like a rogue stormtrooper-Lehigh Valley wasn't about to let the Dark Side gain momentum.
Hunter McDonald, with the strength of a Wookiee and the firepower of the Millennium Falcon, unleashed a cannon blast that screamed past Clay Stevenson at 13:04. It was the kind of goal that even Darth Vader would've applauded-if he had lungs to cheer.
Just 99 seconds later, Helge Grans went full Jedi Knight on an odd-man rush, slicing into the low slot and fooling Stevenson with a slick forehand-backhand maneuver to complete the 5-1 scoreline. The fans, already over the moon of Endor, erupted once more.
Final shots favored Hershey 34-24, but the Phantoms executed a flawless 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, proving their Rebel defense was impenetrable.
With this emphatic win, Lehigh Valley closes out the home portion of the regular season on Friday, April 18, against the Cleveland Monsters at 7:05 p.m.
The Phantoms are IN! For a third consecutive season, the Lehigh Valley Phantomshave punched their ticket for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Single-game playoff tickets and Playoff Ticket Strips for the duration of Lehigh Valley's postseason run are on sale now.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st 17:38 - LV, B. Gleason (2) (Unassisted) (1-0)
2nd 3:41 - LV, R. Abols (13) (O. Eklind) (2-0)
3rd 4:00 - LV, E. Samson (12) (J. Gaucher) (3-0)
3rd 6:43 - HER, M. Strome (8) (D. Smith) (3-1)
3rd 13:04 - LV, H. McDonald (4) (R. Abols, E. Desnoyers)
3rd 14:43 - LV, H. Grans (8) (B. Furry, A. Ciernik)
Shots:
LV 24 - HER 34
PP:
LV 0/2, HER 0/3
Goaltenders:
LV - C. Petersen (W) (12-15-3) (33/34)
HER - C. Stevenson (L) (18-8-5) (19/24)
Records:
Lehigh Valley (34-28-8)
Hershey (43-18-7)
UPCOMING
Friday, April 18 (7:05 pm) - Cleveland Monsters at Phantoms. Regular Season Home Finale
Saturday, April 19 (7:00 pm) - Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Hershey Bears. End of Regular Season
Calder Cup Playoffs - Round 1, Best of 3 Series - Dates and Opponent TBD
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