Sunday, October 30 at 5:00 p.m.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2-3-1) at Hershey Bears (2-2-2)
Giant Center, Hershey, PA
TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms conclude their busy three-game weekend with an early-evening visit to Chocolatetown for a rivalry matchup against the Hershey Bears, AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals. The 5:00 p.m. showdown is the 2nd of 14 meetings this season between the Keystone Foes. Hershey snagged a 2-1 decision from the Phantoms in their prior meeting on Sunday, October 16 at Hershey.
LAST TIME – Wyatte Wylie (1st), Cam York (1st) and Tyson Foerster (2nd) all lit the lamp for the Phantoms who outperformed the Bridgeport Islanders during 5-on-5. But the special teams advantage for Bridgeport was the difference in a 6-3 decision for the visitors on Saturday night at PPL Center to conclude “Haunted on Hamilton” weekend. The Islanders went 4-for-4 on the power play and received goals from former Phantoms Andy Andreoff and Cole Bardreau to open the scoring. It was the most goals allowed in a game this season for the Phantoms.
GARRETT’S GOT IT – Alternate captain Garrett Wilson has taken over the team-lead in scoring with 1-5-6 following a pair of multi-point performances within the team’s last three games. Saturday night vs. Bridgeport, Wilson had two assists. Last Sunday vs. Cleveland, Wilson scored his first goal of the year and added a helper. Wilson recently celebrated his 700th career pro game this past Friday. Last month, Wilson and is wife celebrated their first child! Ty Wilson was born on September 19 in Allentown. Wilson has played in 516 games in the AHL scoring 113-140-253 with San Antonio, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Toronto and Lehigh Valley. This is third season with the Phantoms.
THE DESTROYER – Elliot Desnoyers now has points in five out of six games to begin his pro career including a three-game goal streak and four-game point streak to begin the season. The 20-year-old rookie was a Round 5 selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020 and is coming off a huge breakout season with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL where he scored 42 goals.
Elliot’s father was longtime teammates with Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere when they were kids growing up in the Montreal area!
CAPTAIN CAL – 36-year-old Cal O’Reilly continues to produce. Now at eighth all-time in career assists in the AHL with 537, O’Reilly has found a greater scoring touch late in his career. He is seven behind AHL Hall of Famer Jody Gage (544) for seventh in AHL history. Gage was a 1980s and 1990s star with the Adirondack Red Wings and Rochester Americans. Cal is the active scoring leader in the AHL with 689 points in a Hall-of-Fame caliber career that has spanned over 1,000 pro games. He has played 831 games in the AHL which is 32nd all-time directly behind former Philadelphia Phantoms captain and head coach John Stevens (also former Flyers head coach) who played in 834 games in the AHL.
TRANSACTION – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have loaned forward Charlie Gerard to the Reading Royals of the AHL. Gerard has played in two games with the Phantoms this season.
ABOUT THE BEARS – Hershey (2-2-2) has dropped four consecutive decisions following a 2-0 start. Last night, they fell in overtime 2-1 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins when Filip Hallander scored from a sharp angle after a mad scramble and turnover in the extra period. Hershey’s last win was against the Phantoms on October 16 at Giant Center when former Phantom Mike Vecchione broke a 1-1 midway through the third period (the goal was originally credited to Mike Sgarbossa before a scoring change). Todd Nelson is in his first year as head coach of the Bears. He led the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Calder Cup in 2017 along with new Hershey captain Dylan McIlrath. Garrett Pilon leads the Bears with 1-4-5 and Mike Vecchione has scored 2-2-4. Caps first-rounder Hendrix Lapierre scored his first pro goal against the Phantoms two weeks ago.
Cal O’Reilly scored 6-6-12 against Hershey last season including three shorthanded goals with two of those coming in the same game!
UP NEXT – The Phantoms travel north of the border next Friday and Saturday with games at the Belleville Senators and Laval Rocket. Saturday’s game at Laval is at 3:00 p.m. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms return to PPL Center on Friday, November 11 against the Springfield Thunderbirds with the WFMZ-69 Coat Drive and $1 Berks Hot Dogs and then host the Laval Rocket on Saturday, November 12 at 7:05 p.m. on 90s Night with another Saturday Night Hockey Live performance.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Garrett Wison 1-5-6
Elliot Desnoyers 3-2-5
Tyson Foerster 2-3-5
Ronnie Attard 2-2-4
Max Willman 2-2-4
Cam York 1-3-4
Hershey Bears Scoring Leaders
Garrett Pilon 1-4-5
Mike Vecchione 2-2-4
Mason Morelli 0-4-4
Sonny Milano 2-1-3
Henrik Borgstrom 2-1-3
Hendrix Lapierre 1-2-3
Special Teams
Lehigh Valley Power Play – 5/23, 21.7% (17th)
Lehigh Valley Penalty Kill – 11/29, 62.1% (32nd)
Hershey Power Play – 4/22, 18.2% (23rd)
Hershey Penalty Kill – 4/21, 81.0%, (13th)
Phantoms individual game tickets are on sale now. Secure your seats for your favorite promotional nights and big rivalry matchups! PHANTOMS GAME TICKETS
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, October 30 (5:00) at Hershey Bears
Friday, November 4 (7:05) at Belleville Senators
Saturday, November 5 (3:00) at Laval Rocket
Friday, November 11 (7:05) vs. Springfield Thunderbirds – WFMZ-69 Coat Drive. Berks $1 Hot Dogs Night
Saturday, November 12 (7:05) vs. Laval Rocket – 90’s Night! Saturday Night Hockey Live
