Photo: JustSports Photography

The Hershey Bears fell to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3-2 in a shootout Sunday evening at Giant Center. Each team would tally goals in the first two periods, with the game tied 2-2 at the second intermission. After a scoreless third period, the team’s would go scoreless in overtime to send the game to a shootout. The Phantoms would win it in the shootout. The Bears return to action Friday night when they visit the Crunch in Syracuse. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. 

STARTERS
Pheonix Copley got the start between the pipes for Hershey. John Muse started in goal for Lehigh Valley. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Bears:

Forwards:
Walker-Graovac-Simpson
Whitney-McGauley-Barber
Bourque-Langlois-Gazley
O’Brien-Sill-Chapie
Defensive Pairs:
Ness-Lewington
Johansen-Williams
Siegenthaler-Hughes

Scratches – Mathias Bau, Connor Hobbs, Anthony Peluso, Mason Mitchell and Garrett Mitchell.

FIRST PERIOD
Lehigh Valley would strike first with a goal from Corban Knight at the 7:54 mark of the opening frame.

🎶 Oh What A Knight! 🎶
🎶 Early March, in 2018 🎶
🎶 What a very special time for LV 🎶 pic.twitter.com/vZEtpYPH5m

— LehighValleyPhantoms (@LVPhantoms) March 4, 2018

The Bears would tie things up late in the period with a goal from Joe Whitney at 16:09 mark. Riley Barber was credited with the lone assist.

Watch Joe Whitney bury a breakaway into the net in the later stages of the 1st period! Tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes! #HBH #DefendTheDen pic.twitter.com/qL7qtCvo32

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 4, 2018

The period would end in a 1-1 tie. Lehigh Valley led in shots on goal 8-7 after 20 minutes of play. Both teams were 0 for 1 on the power play.

SECOND PERIOD
The Bears would take the lead with a power play goal by Wayne Simpson at 4:51 of the middle frame. Tim McGauley, who was recalled by Hershey this week, and made his AHL debut this weekend, was credited with the primary helper, his first career AHL point.

The Phantoms would tie things up with a goal from Mikhail Vorobyev with 6:04 left in the second period to make it 2-2.

Top 🧀 pic.twitter.com/kVzZ9sks8K

— LehighValleyPhantoms (@LVPhantoms) March 4, 2018

The period would conclude with the game tied 2-2. Shots on goal were 11-11 for the middle frame. Lehigh Valley led 19-18 after 40 minutes of play.

THIRD PERIOD
The Bears and Phantoms would battle the final frame to a scoreless tie. The Bears were called for a late penalty towards the end of the period, giving the Phantoms a 4-on-3 power play for the first 53 seconds at the start of overtime. Shots on goal were 32-22 in favor of the Phantoms after three periods of play.

OVERTIME
The Bears would kill-off the remainder of the Phantoms power play to start the extra frame. Pheonix Copley would make a huge save in the waning seconds of the extra frame to send the game to a shootout.

SHOOTOUT
The Phantoms would win it in the shootout.

SHAVINGS

• Attendance: 9,653
• The AHL box score is here.