Lehigh Valley Phantoms (35-28-8) at Hershey Bears (44-19-8)
GIANT Center, Hershey, PA
Saturday, April 19, 2025 (7:00 p.m.) – Game #72
TONIGHT – It’s the last game of the regular season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms aim to continue momentum entering the Calder Cup Playoffs next week. The Phantoms are taking on the rival Hershey Bears for a 10th time this season to close out the season series and also close out the entire season. Lehigh Valley is 4-4-1 against Hershey.
Lehigh Valley (35-28-8) racked up seven goals in the home finale on Friday to lock up the 5 seed in the Atlantic Division. The Phantoms will be watching with interest the results of other games in the division to see who will land in the 4 position as the team’s first-round opponent. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton currently occupies fourth place but can potentially leap ahead of the Providence Bruins depending on tonight’s results.
Hershey (44-19-8) clinched the Atlantic Division crown last night via a 4-2 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The two-time defending Calder Cup Champions have guaranteed the 1 seed through the divisional playoff rounds.
Both teams are expected to rest some of their top players in tonight’s game in anticipation of the intense postseason contests ahead.
LAST TIME – Lehigh Valley racked up a season-high five goals in the final period to go out with a bang in the final home game of the regular season as the Phantoms crushed the Cleveland Monsters 7-3. Ty Murchison knocked home his first career pro goal while the recently returned Olle Lycksell (18th, 19th) and Rodrigo Abols (14th, 15th) both had a pair of goals as did the captain, Garrett Wilson (13th, 14th) with a shortie and, appropriately enough, an empty-netter for the last goal of the regular season on home ice.
MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for upcoming games at the following link: https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/
AWARD WINNERS – The last home game of the regular season opened with a stirring tribute for the late Tony Voce. The former Philadelphia Phantoms great and Boston College product who passed away during the summer was honored before the game with several members of his family being recognized on the ice. Parker Gahagen and Olle Lycksell were named as Co-Winners of the first annual Tony Voce Award as the team MVP’s as voted on by the players. Also honored before the game were Hunter McDonald for Commuinty Excellence and Garrett Wilson as the Phan Club’s top player of the year.
YOUNG BLOOD: BUMP AND BJARNASON – Exciting rookies Alex Bump and Carson Bjarnason have joined the Phantoms this week.
Bump, 21, made his pro debut on Friday against Cleveland and recorded an assist for his first career pro point. He is coming off an NCAA National Championship victory for Western Michigan on Saturday after he was NCHC Forward of the Year as a sophomore. The 2022 Round 5 selection scored 23-24-47 with the Broncos and was previously a USA Today High School Hockey Player of the Year when he captained Prior Lake High School to its first ever appearance at the Minnesota State Championships.
Bjarnason, 19, is a goaltender who was a Round 2 selection of the Flyers in 2023 and went 22-18-3, 2.93, .913 with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL this season. The 6’3″ product of Carman, Manitoba also represented Team Canada at the World Juniors Tournament and has previously played at PPL Center in the 2023 and 2024 NHL Rookie Series Flyers vs. Rangers games.
ON TO THE PLAYOFFS – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are headed to the playoffs presented by PenTeleData. This is Lehigh Valley’s third consecutive season in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Phantoms’ first-round matchup next week will be a Best-of-3 series against either the Providence Bruins or the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The first-round schedule will be announced immediately following Lehigh Valley’s game at Hershey on Saturday night. If the Phantoms advance then up next would be a Round 2 clash in a Best-of-5 against either the Hershey Bears or Charlotte Checkers.
Nine players have spent parts of the 2024-25 season playing for both the Phantoms and the Philadelphia Flyers including Emil Andrae, Rodrigo Abols, Aleksei Kolosov, Jacob Gaucher, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, Jett Luchanko, Olle Lycksell and Anthony Richard.
This is the fifth time for Lehigh Valley to qualify for the playoffs and it is also the 15th time for the franchise which began as the Philadelphia Phantoms in 1996. Making it in for three consecutive seasons has not happened since the Philadelphia Phantoms qualified in each of their first six seasons from 1997 through 2002. The Philadelphia Phantoms twice won the Calder Cup in 1998 and exactly 20 years ago in 2005.
PARK IT! – Stopping pucks has been a walk in the park for 31-year-old Army Captain Parker Gahagen. In his second season with the Phantoms, the lifelong ECHL’er has more than found his stride at the AHL level and has become one of the best goaltenders in the league since the Holiday Break.
Since December 28, Gahagen has gone 10-3-2, 1.85, .934. Among goaltenders with five or more games played in that stretch, Gahagen rates third in the entire AHL in GAA trailing only Matt Murray of Toronto (1.62) and Trent Miner of Colorado (1.83).
MAN ON THE YEAR – Hunter McDonald has been selected as the IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for his outstanding contributions to the Lehigh Valley community during the 2024-25 season. McDonald has established himself as an admirable presence in the local community. “It was great, I enjoyed all the events,” McDonald said. “It was cool to be able to give back to the community and just see kids going out to school or doing sled hockey, and even the hospital. So, it was fun to get with the guys and go out and try to make people’s day a little better.”
PHANTASTIC – Lehigh Valley is 22-1-1 when scoring four or more goals in a game. The Phantoms are 23-2-3 when holding their opponents to two goals or fewer.
– The Phantoms are 25-8-4 when scoring the first goal and are 21-5-1 when leading at the first intermission.
– Second-year pro Ethan Samson is the first Phantoms defenseman to score 10 or more goals in a season since and is just the third Lehigh Valley blueliner to score 12 goals in a season.
– It’s down to the wire for the team goal-scoring title. Alexis Gendron and Jacob Gaucher are tied at 20 goals apiece.
– Ty Murchison scored his first career pro goal on Friday against Cleveland in just his third pro game. The 22-year-old from Corona, California signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers on March 26, 2025 and the fifth-rounder in 2022 joins the Phantoms following four seasons at Arizona State.
THAT’S BEARY INTERESTING! – Hershey (44-19-8) has wrapped up the Atlantic Division crown via a 4-2 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday.
The Phantoms thumped the Bears 5-1 at PPL Center last Saturday on Star Wars Night with four defensemen burning Clay Stevenson.
Lehigh Valley is 4-4-1 against the two-time defending Calder Cup Champions. Defenseman Ethan Bear (10-36-46) leads the team in scoring and has racked up 2-7-9 against the Phantoms but has been recalled to the Washington Capitals. Penn State product Alex Limoges (17-27-44) is having another strong season and is now their active leading scorer. Clay Stevenson (18-8-4, 2.94, .888) has been recalled to Washington while last year’s Bastien Memorial Award winner as top goaltender in the league, Hunter Shepard (23-11-4, 2.80, .891), has been returned from the Caps. Helge Grans (3-2-5), Olle Lycksell (2-3-5) and Jacob Gaucher (3-1-4) are among Lehigh Valley’s scoring leaders in the season series while Cal Petersen (4-3-1, 2.19, .918) has been especially strong against our I-78 rivals.
Scoring Leaders
Phantoms
Olle Lycksell 19-25-44
Jacob Gaucher 20-18-38
Anthony Richard 17-19-36
Rodrigo Abols 15-17-32
Zayde Wisdom 13-19-32
Samu Tuomaala 11-21-32
Alexis Gendron 20-8-28
Bears
Ethan Bear 10-36-46
Alex Limoges 17-27-44
Ivan Miroshnichenko 21-19-40
Pierrick Dube 19-21-40
Mike Vecchione 19-20-39
Chase Priskie 12-23-35
Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 16.8%, 26th / PK 81.3%, 19th / PP vs. HER, 1 for 21
Hershey—PP 18.2%, 16th / PK 84.0%, 8th / PP vs. LV, 3 for 32
Season Series: (4-4-1)
10/30/24 Away W 2-1
11/16/24 Home L 3-6
11/29/24 Home W 2-1 (OT)
12/7/24 Home OTL 2-3 (OT)
12/8/24 Away L 4-5
1/7/25 Away W 5-4
3/2/25 Away L 0-4
4/4/25 Home L 1-2
4/12/25 Home W 5-1
4/19/25 Away
SERIES LEADERS
Lehigh Valley:
Helge Grans 3-2-5
Olle Lycksell 2-3-5
J.R. Avon 1-4-5
Jacob Gaucher 3-1-4
Rodrigo Abols 2-2-4
Cal Petersen 4-3-1, 2.19, .919
Hershey:
Ethan Bear 2-7-9
Mike Sgarbossa 2-4-6
Pierrick Dube 1-4-5
Spencer Smallman 1-4-5
X – Ethan Frank 3-1-4
Hunter Shepard 3-2-0, 3.03, 884
COMING UP – We will officially learn the schedule for Round 1 of the Calder Cup Playoffs against either the Providence Bruins or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
UPCOMING
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
