Vanecek Stops 34, Bears Take Down Phantoms
October 28, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears concluded the month of October with a dominant performance in a 3-1 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday night at Giant Center. Bears goaltender Vitek Vanecek stopped 34 of 35 shots, and Hershey concluded a three-in-three after capturing four out of six standings points.
The Bears stormed out of the starting gate and grabbed the lead on their first shot of the night. After Connor Hobbs sent a pass across the blue line to fellow defender Aaron Ness, Ness unleashed a shot towards the net en route to a perfect deflection by Mike Sgarbossa. At the net front, Sgarbossa's tip beat Phantoms goaltender Alex Lyon to give Hershey a 1-0 lead at 1:17. The primary assist for Ness marked his 200th career AHL point in his 459th career AHL game. Shots after 20 minutes were 10-9 Lehigh Valley.
Hershey opened their lead to 2-0 with another early period tally in the second frame. At 1:51, Liam O'Brien scored his sixth goal of the season after cleaning up a loose rebound left by Lyon. Lehigh Valley answered to cut the Bears lead in half with a goal at 10:16. After a stop by Vanecek, Connor Bunnaman scored on the rebound for his first AHL goal. Shots after 40 minutes were 23-22 Phantoms.
Into the third, the Chocolate and White continued the theme of scoring early in the period. Riley Barber was awarded a penalty shot at 3:36 and successfully converted on Lyon for the key insurance tally. The Bears penalty kill finished the night 2-for-2 en route to a successful, shutdown defensive effort until time expired. Barber's goal marked the first time Hershey scored on a penalty shot since March 11, 2017 when Christian Thomas scored against the defunct Binghamton Senators. Final shots on goal totals were 35-34 Phantoms.
With the win, Hershey's record improved to 4-6-0-1. The Bears return to the ice on Friday, November 2 with a 7:05 p.m. tilt at the Rochester Americans. Voice of the Bears Zack Fisch will have the call on the Bears Radio Network.
American Hockey League Stories from October 28, 2018
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- Rampage Top Wolves for Binnington's 100th Win - San Antonio Rampage
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