The Hershey Bears secured their spot in the Atlantic Division Finals with a 4-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Game 5 at GIANT Center. The Bears built a commanding 3-0 lead before holding off a late Phantoms comeback to clinch the series 4-2.
First Period:
5:19 – Goal (HER): Spencer Smallman opened the scoring, assisted by Alex Limoges and Hendrix Lapierre.
16:13 – Goal (HER): Riley Sutter doubled Hershey’s lead, assisted by Matt Strome and Luke Philp.
Shots on Goal: Hershey 10, Lehigh Valley 6.
Penalties:
Hershey: 1 minor penalty.
Lehigh Valley: 2 minor penalties.
Second Period:
13:09 – Goal (HER): Sutter struck again, assisted by Garrett Roe and Jake Massie, making it 3-0.
Shots on Goal: Hershey 9, Lehigh Valley 7.
Penalties:
Hershey: 2 minor penalties.
Lehigh Valley: 1 minor penalty.
Third Period:
2:08 – Goal (LV): Anthony Richard got the Phantoms on the board with a power-play goal, assisted by Emil Andrae.
14:03 – Goal (LV): Hunter McDonald cut the deficit to 3-2, assisted by Jett Luchanko and Louie Belpedio.
18:20 – Goal (HER): Bogdan Trineyev sealed the win with an empty-net goal, assisted by Strome and Vincent Iorio.
Shots on Goal: Hershey 7, Lehigh Valley 8.
Penalties:
Hershey: 1 minor penalty.
Lehigh Valley: 2 minor penalties.
Player Stats:
Hershey Bears:
Riley Sutter: 2 goals
Spencer Smallman: 1 goal
Bogdan Trineyev: 1 goal
Matt Strome: 2 assists
Hunter Shepard (G): 19 saves on 21 shots, .905 SV%.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms:
Anthony Richard: 1 goal
Hunter McDonald: 1 goal
Jett Luchanko: 1 assist
Emil Andrae: 1 assist
Cal Petersen (G): 18 saves on 21 shots, .857 SV%.
With the win, Hershey advances to the Atlantic Division Finals for the third straight season, where they will face the Charlotte Checkers in a best-of-five series starting Friday, May 16 in Charlotte.
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