Phantoms Win Preseason Debut

Balanced Attack Downs Hershey 4-1

September 26, 2026

Allentown, PA – Hockey is back at PPL Center, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms wasted little time bringing some bite back to the rivalry.

Lehigh Valley overwhelmed the Hershey Bears in a 4-1 preseason victory Saturday night. The Phantoms outshot Hershey 28-13 while a lineup filled with prospects, camp invites and players battling for opportunities made a strong first impression. Braeden Kressler, Cooper Wylie, Noah Powell and Ilya Pautov all found the back of the net while Owen McLaughlin and Riley Thompson each contributed a pair of assists. Carson Bjarnason went the distance in a 12-save win.

“I thought that group tonight did a really good job of being competitive for three periods,” Head Coach John Snowden said. “I thought we were on top of them.”

BOX SCORE

Hershey struck just 1:45 into the game when veteran Dalton Smith redirected a point shot past Carson Bjarnason, but the early deficit did little to slow the Phantoms. And it certainly didn’t take long for the rivalry to heat up. Andrew Perrott and Hershey’s Rhett Parsons dropped the gloves less than two minutes later in a spirited scrap.

The Phantoms pulled even on their first power play. Just 10 seconds after Hershey was whistled for hooking at the 8:23 mark, Braeden Kressler finished a slick passing play from Riley Thompson and Devin Kaplan to make it 1-1. Lehigh Valley carried a 12-4 shots advantage into the first intermission.

Then, the Phantoms took over and remained in control.

Cooper Wylie gave Lehigh Valley its first lead just 2:07 into the second period, firing from the faceoff circle and beating Mitch Gibson for a 2-1 advantage.

The power play clicked again late in the frame when Noah Powell buried the rebound of a Dalton Bancroft shot with 2:07 remaining in the stanza. And with only 6.8 seconds left before intermission, 20-year-old rookie arrival Ilya Pautov put an exclamation point on a three-goal period with a nifty move and strong drive to the net to beat relief goaltender Garin Bjorklund with a backhand flip.

There would be no comeback for the Bears. The Phantoms kept Hershey off the board throughout a relatively quiet but occasionally chippy third period and finished the night with a commanding 28-13 advantage in shots.

For Snowden, the exhibition opener also provided an encouraging glimpse at the organization’s depth as roster battles continue.

“I thought everybody had their moments in the game. Really solid hockey,” Snowden said. “It shows what we’re gonna have, and then what the depth is that we’re gonna have as well.”

The Phantoms wrap up their preseason slate Tuesday at PPL Center against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before the games count for real. Opening Night is Saturday, October 3 against the Hartford Wolf Pack at PPL Center. Come celebrate the beginning of the 13th season of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with rally towels and schedule posters.