ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Hershey Bears will face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a pivotal Sport 3 tonight, with the groups deadlocked at one win apiece of their best-of-five Calder Cup Playoff collection. After splitting the primary two video games, the Bears will look to reclaim the collection benefit on the highway at PPL Heart, the place they’ve carried out effectively this season.
The Phantoms evened the collection on Friday with a 3-1 victory over Hershey in Sport 2, powered by Zayde Knowledge’s two shorthanded objectives within the third interval. The sport remained scoreless till late within the second interval when Anthony Richard put Lehigh Valley forward at 18:41. Knowledge’s first shorthanded aim at 2:05 of the third interval prolonged the result in 2-0 earlier than Alex Limoges answered for Hershey with a power-play aim simply 45 seconds later. Knowledge’s second shorthanded tally at 6:34 of the third sealed the win for the Phantoms.
The Bears’ historical past means that scoring first will likely be essential to their success tonight. In the course of the common season, Hershey went 25-4-5-0 when netting the primary aim, with Ivan Miroshnichenko main the group with 5 opening tallies. Together with each common season and playoff outcomes, the Bears are an ideal 5-0 in opposition to the Phantoms when placing first.
Sunday video games have been favorable for Hershey this season. The Bears compiled an 11-4-0-0 report in Sunday contests in the course of the common marketing campaign, together with an ideal 3-0 mark on the highway. They’ve additionally received their final 9 consecutive Sunday playoff video games courting again to 2015. In head-to-head Sunday matchups with the Phantoms this season, Hershey prevailed twice—5-4 on December 8 and 4-0 on March 2.
Goaltender Hunter Shepard continues to be a playoff stalwart for the Bears. Since making his postseason debut in 2023, Shepard has began all 42 of Hershey’s playoff contests, inserting him fourth in franchise historical past for playoff appearances by a goaltender. His subsequent victory will tie him with Michal Neuvirth for second in franchise historical past with 30 playoff wins.
The Bears’ penalty kill has been distinctive just lately, efficiently killing off 14 consecutive penalties over their final 5 playoff video games courting again to Sport 4 of the 2024 Calder Cup Finals. Nevertheless, their energy play will have to be extra disciplined after surrendering two shorthanded objectives in Friday’s loss—the primary time they’ve allowed a number of shorthanded objectives in a playoff sport since 2017 in opposition to Windfall.
Ahead Alex Limoges, who scored Hershey’s lone aim in Sport 2, has been productive recently with six factors (1 aim, 5 assists) over his final 4 playoff video games courting again to final 12 months’s run. Defenseman Aaron Ness is ready to achieve a private milestone, as his subsequent sport will likely be his sixty fifth playoff contest with the Bears, transferring him previous Andrew Joudrey for seventh in franchise historical past.
Traditionally, the Bears have an 18-13 all-time postseason report in opposition to the Phantoms and are 5-3 in Sport 3s over the previous two playoff runs. Nevertheless, in best-of-five collection that start with a 1-1 cut up, Hershey has gone 5-8 all-time, underscoring the significance of tonight’s contest in figuring out the collection end result.
HER PP: 10.0% (twelfth / 1 for 10) | HER PK: 100.0% (sixth / 7 for 7)
LV PP: 6.7% (14th / 1 for 15) | LV PK: 89.5% (tenth / 17 for 19)
Referees: Morgan MacPhee (43) & Liam Maaskant (45)
Linespersons: Jud Ritter (34) & J.P. Waleski (14)
Tonight’s sport is on FOX43.2 Antenna TV. Stay protection from PPL Heart begins at 5 p.m. Zack Fisch, Garrett Mitchell, & Todd Sadowski could have the decision. You will discover Antenna TV on WPMT 43.2 over the air or on these cable channels:
Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178
Verizon FiOS Ch. 463
Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91
Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88
To stream FOX43 in your telephone, you want the FOX43 app.
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