Rookie goaltender Bjorklund stones all three in skills competition as Hershey salvages split

HERSHEY, PA — Twenty-four hours after watching Zayde Wisdom rip their hearts out with a late-game dagger, the Hershey Bears found redemption in the most dramatic fashion possible. Ilya Protas buried the only goal in a shootout, and rookie netminder Garin Bjorklund turned aside all three Lehigh Valley attempts to give the Bears a thrilling 4-3 victory on Saturday night at GIANT Center, salvaging a split of the home-and-home Pennsylvania rivalry series.

The Bears improved to 2-3-1-0 after rallying from deficits of 1-0 and 3-2, while the Phantoms dropped to 4-2-0-1 despite controlling much of the middle frame. In a game that featured just 52 combined shots and traded haymakers like a heavyweight bout, it was Hershey’s resilience—and Bjorklund’s ice-cold composure—that made the difference on Reese’s Trick-or-Treat Night.

The Turning Point

The shootout was over before it really began.

Protas, who had left the game briefly in the first period after absorbing a thunderous hit from Phantoms captain Garrett Wilson, stepped up first for the Bears. With the crowd of Halloween-costumed kids holding their collective breath, the 22-year-old Washington Capitals prospect glided in, sold a backhand, and snapped it blocker-side past Carson Bjarnason. One shot, one goal.

Then it was Bjorklund’s show. The Bears’ backup goalie—making just his second start of the season—was unflappable. He denied all three Phantoms shooters with textbook positioning, capping his 26-save performance with the kind of clutch stops that turn promising prospects into franchise cornerstones.

“You know what? He was excellent,” head coach Derek King said afterward, his relief palpable. “Obviously in the shootout, that’s when you need the saves and he made them.”

How It Unfolded

First Period: Hershey 2, Lehigh Valley 1

The Phantoms struck with lightning speed, as Carl Grundström beat Bjorklund just 62 seconds into the contest off a feed from Dennis Gilbert and Denver Barkey, silencing the home crowd before they’d settled into their seats. But this wasn’t the same shell-shocked Bears team that surrendered a gut-wrenching 5-4 loss Friday night.

The tone shifted at 4:50 when Garrett Wilson and Justin Nachbaur dropped the gloves in a spirited fight that had both benches on their feet. The five-minute major sent a clear message: this wasn’t going to be a finesse game. Hershey answered on their very first shot when Bogdan Trineyev redirected a Matt Strome feed past Bjarnason at 6:32, with Andrew Cristall picking up the secondary helper, igniting GIANT Center.

The Bears capitalized on their first power play opportunity when Emil Andrae was whistled for holding at 7:34. With the man advantage, Andrew Cristall buried his first professional goal—a power-play snipe at 14:17—with the primary assist going to Alex Suzdalev in his season debut and the secondary to veteran defenseman Calle Rosén. “Me and Suzy are pretty good friends, so I knew that on his end, he was going to find me,” Cristall beamed postgame. The chemistry was instant, the finish clinical.

A late scrum at 19:43 saw both Alexis Gendron and Nachbaur head to the box for matching roughing minors, but the Bears held a 7-6 shot advantage and a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.

Drama punctuated the period when Protas absorbed a crushing hit from Wilson and limped to the dressing room, leaving Bears fans fearing the worst.

Second Period: Lehigh Valley 3, Hershey 2

The Phantoms came out buzzing after intermission, hungry to erase the Friday heartbreak. Defenseman Helge Grans leveled the score at 3:14, beating Bjorklund cleanly from the point with helpers from Tucker Robertson and Emil Andrae.

The middle frame turned into a parade to the penalty box. Carson Bjarnason was called for a rare goaltender delay of game penalty at 5:34 for playing the puck in the restricted area—served by Alex Bump—giving Hershey another power play chance they couldn’t convert. Aaron Ness went to the box for hooking at 9:17, handing the Phantoms their first power play of the night, but Lehigh Valley couldn’t capitalize.

Robertson struck at 12:25, this time setting up captain Garrett Wilson to give Lehigh Valley a 3-2 advantage. Wilson’s goal came at even strength, but he’d later take a tripping penalty at 16:45 that the Bears couldn’t convert. Dennis Gilbert added an interference minor at 19:54, giving Hershey yet another man advantage they failed to cash in on. The Phantoms were controlling play, outshooting Hershey 12-8 in the period, and looked poised to complete the weekend sweep despite their undisciplined penalties.

Third Period: Tied 3-3

The Bears refused to fold. At 7:56, Spencer Smallman banged home his second goal of the season, assisted by defensemen Aaron Ness and Jon McDonald, to knot the game at three. The goal sparked a frenzied final 12 minutes where neither team could find the winner.

When David Gucciardi took a roughing penalty at 14:51, it gave the Phantoms a critical power play chance to win it in regulation. But Hershey’s penalty kill—which had been perfect on the night—stood tall once again, killing off the infraction and preserving the tie. Bjorklund made several clutch stops to keep Hershey alive, while Bjarnason matched him at the other end, setting up the dramatic overtime period.

Overtime: Still Tied 3-3

Five minutes of three-on-three chaos solved nothing. Both goaltenders stood tall, setting the stage for the shootout dramatics.

Player Spotlight: Garin Bjorklund

The 21-year-old Swedish netminder picked one hell of a time for his finest performance in a Bears sweater. Bjorklund stopped 23 of 26 shots through regulation and overtime, then denied all three Phantoms shooters in the shootout to secure his first win of the season.

The Numbers: 23 saves on 26 shots (.885 SV%), 3-for-3 in shootout

Context: After watching starter Clay Stevenson surrender the late goal Friday, Bjorklund seized his opportunity with both hands. His calm demeanor in the shootout belied his inexperience, and he proved why Washington’s development staff is so high on him. King’s assessment summed it up perfectly: “Since we started, our goaltending hasn’t been a problem… these guys hold us in games and keep us alive, give us a chance to win.”

What We Learned

About Hershey Bears: This young team has guts. Less than 24 hours after a soul-crushing loss where they’d rallied from down two only to lose with 44 seconds left, they could have folded. Instead, they showed the kind of character that wins championships.

Cristall’s first career goal and two-point night (1G, 1A) led the offensive charge, though he finished -1 in a game decided by special teams and the shootout. Suzdalev’s first AHL point (assisting on Cristall’s goal) injected fresh energy into a lineup dealing with multiple injuries from Friday’s physical affair. Smallman paced the team with three shots on goal and scored the crucial tying marker.

The depth contributions were vital: Matt Strome and Jon McDonald both finished +1 (team-high) and collected assists, while veteran defenseman Calle Rosén added a helper on the power play. Nachbaur took seven penalty minutes but helped set the physical tone early with his first-period fight.

The unsung hero? Hershey’s penalty kill, which went a perfect 2-for-2 despite facing pressure situations, including a late third-period kill that could have cost them the game. While the power play sputtered at 1-for-5, the Bears showed discipline, taking only four penalties compared to Lehigh Valley’s seven infractions. The shootout win won’t erase all the early-season struggles (2-3-1-0 is still below .500), but it’s the kind of adversity-conquering performance that can spark a turnaround.

King’s philosophy is becoming clear: “We’re not overly big and strong. We’re young and we’re a little smaller, but the one thing we do have that other teams don’t have is we can skate. So we’ve got to use that to our advantage.” Speed and skill over size and strength—a risky but potentially rewarding approach.

About Lehigh Valley Phantoms: The Phantoms have to be kicking themselves. They dominated Friday, controlled stretches of Saturday, and still walked away with only three of a possible four points. The power play went 0-for-2 after going 2-for-3 the night before, and that special teams inconsistency proved costly—especially when they couldn’t convert on a late third-period opportunity that could have won it.

More concerning was the discipline. Seven penalties for 17 minutes gave Hershey five power play chances, and while the Bears only converted once, it was the difference-maker (Cristall’s first period goal). Captain Wilson had a rough night in the box with both a first-period fighting major and a second-period tripping minor, leading the team with seven penalty minutes despite scoring a goal. Carl Grundström led the Phantoms with five shots on goal but couldn’t get another past Bjorklund after his early tally. Even goaltender Bjarnason found himself in the penalty book for a delay of game violation.

Tucker Robertson was the bright spot with two assists, finishing +2 on the night. Wilson (1G, +2) and Robertson (2A, +2) led the team in plus-minus, while young talents like Denver Barkey and Emil Andrae chipped in with assists, showing the Phantoms’ prospect pipeline is flowing. But they couldn’t solve Bjorklund when it mattered most. At 4-2-0-1, they’re still in good shape, but letting a wounded rival off the ropes after taking 17 penalty minutes could haunt them down the road.

Key Stat: Lehigh Valley took seven penalties for 17 minutes compared to Hershey’s four infractions for 11 minutes, resulting in a 5-2 power play opportunity advantage for the Bears. While Hershey converted only once, that Cristall goal proved to be the difference. More impressively, Hershey’s penalty kill went 2-for-2, including a crucial late third-period kill that preserved the tie and forced overtime.

The Quote That Matters

“It hurt real bad after I got hit, right away. But after I came to the room and had that intermission, it helped me a lot to kind of rest and get back full recovery. The trainers helped during the intermission and I put some ice and I felt great afterwards though.” — Ilya Protas

Protas didn’t just return from a scary injury—he delivered the game-winning goal in the shootout. That’s playoff-caliber toughness in late October, and exactly the kind of leadership a young Bears team needs from their top prospects.

What’s Next

Hershey Bears (2-3-1-0) hit the road for a Wednesday night matchup against the Bridgeport Islanders (Oct. 29, 7 p.m.) looking to build momentum off their first shootout win of the season. Can they string together consecutive wins for the first time?

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (4-2-0-1) travel north to face the Laval Rocket on Wednesday (Oct. 29, 7 p.m.). After earning three of four points against their bitter rival, the Phantoms will aim to tighten up their shootout execution and maintain their strong start to the season.

By The Numbers

Final Score: Hershey Bears 4, Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 (SO)

Scoring Summary:

• 1st Period:
  • LV – Grundström (1) (Gilbert, Barkey) 1:02
  • HER – Trineyev (2) (Strome, Cristall) 6:32
  • HER – Cristall (1) (Suzdalev, Rosén) 14:17 PPG
• 2nd Period:
  • LV – Grans (2) (Robertson, Andrae) 3:14
  • LV – Wilson (1) (Robertson, Murchison) 12:25
• 3rd Period:
  • HER – Smallman (2) (Ness, McDonald) 7:56
• Overtime:
  • No scoring
• Shootout:
  • HER – Protas (Game-Winning Goal)

Shots on Goal: HER 26, LV 26

• 1st Period: HER 7, LV 6
• 2nd Period: HER 8, LV 12
• 3rd Period: HER 6, LV 7
• Overtime: HER 4, LV 1

Goaltending:

• Hershey: Garin Bjorklund (23 saves on 26 shots, .885 SV%, 3-for-3 in shootout, 65:00 TOI) – W
• Lehigh Valley: Carson Bjarnason (22 saves on 25 shots, .880 SV%, 0-for-1 in shootout, 65:00 TOI) – OTL

Both netminders went the distance through regulation and overtime

Special Teams:

• Power Play: HER 1-for-5, LV 0-for-2
• Penalty Kill: HER 2-for-2, LV 4-for-5

Penalties:

• Hershey: 4 infractions for 11 minutes
  • J. Nachbaur (Fighting, 5 min; Roughing, 2 min)
  • A. Ness (Hooking, 2 min)
  • D. Gucciardi (Roughing, 2 min)
• Lehigh Valley: 7 infractions for 17 minutes
  • G. Wilson (Fighting, 5 min; Tripping, 2 min)
  • E. Andrae (Holding, 2 min)
  • T. Robertson (Hooking, 2 min)
  • A. Gendron (Roughing, 2 min)
  • C. Bjarnason (Delay of Game – Restricted Area, 2 min)
  • D. Gilbert (Interference, 2 min)

Three Stars

1. Ilya Protas, HER (#40) – Shootout game-winning goal, battled through injury
2. Spencer Smallman, HER (#11) – Goal (tied game 3-3 in third period)
3. Andrew Cristall, HER (#20) – Goal and assist (1G, 1A – first professional goal)

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