Comeback Attempt Falls Short Against Hershey
Tuomaala, Abols and Samson Strike in 6-3 Loss
November 16, 2024
Lehigh Valley, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms rallied to erase a two-goal deficit in the final period, but the Hershey Bears answered to take two standing points in a 6-3 final at PPL Center on Saturday night.
Lehigh Valley (6-5-3) saw a three-point performance for Samu Tuomaala and a multi-point game for Rodrigo Abols.
Former Adirondack Phantoms forward Garrett Roe opened the scoring at 3:04 of the first period by blasting home a chance from the right circle. Spencer Smallman and Nicky Leivermann earned the assists for Hershey.
The Phantoms put forth a strong response before the period expired courtesy of Tuomaala's sixth goal of the campaign at 10:44. Elliot Desnoyers's precise vision and execution by way of a pass across to Tuomaala allowed Lehigh Valley to beat Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard moving from post-to-post.
Hershey countered in the second stanza with 20 shots on goal posted in the frame, marking a new season-high for most shots allowed by Lehigh Valley in a single period. Two tries tickled the twine for the Bears to grab a 3-1 advantage before second intermission.
Moments after the Bears' first power play of the night expired, Smallman connected with Pierrick Dube on a nifty, between-the-legs pass from the low-slot to Dube. Zac Funk earned the secondary assist on the play for his first professional point at 4:10.
Funk followed his first assist with his first professional goal at the 11:02 mark. A snapshot on a quick zone entry beat Phantoms goaltender Eetu Makiniemi low to the ice. Dropping to the butterfly position, Makiniemi left the game with an apparent lower-body injury following the play. Cal Petersen entered the game in relief to tend Lehigh Valley's net and was simply remarkable. Entering the game cold, Petersen made multiple dazzling saves to keep his club within striking distance prior to intermission.
Lehigh Valley's noted resilience, which has been well-documented throughout the young season, again showed life in the final period.
Jon-Randall Avon connected with Rodrigo Abols (3rd) to convert from in-tight only 2:38 into the new period. Less than three minutes later, the hockey game was suddenly tied within a blink of an eye. Ethan Samson fired a laser into the cage at 5:31 for his second goal of the season. Lycksell and Tuomaala both recorded the helpers on the equalizer.
Hershey found a response in the second-half of the third period and scored thrice to pull away with a 6-3 victory. Ethan Bear registered his third goal of the season on a delayed penalty at 10:52. Hardy Haman Aktell sent a slap-pass to the right circle for Bear to unleash a quick try past Petersen.
Mike Vecchione tallied against his former team with three minutes left on the clock, and Matt Strome finished the scoring line with an empty net goal at 18:08. Shots in the third frame were even at 11-11 with Hershey claiming the three-period shots edge at 39-27.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms will return to action to kick-off a three-game road trip next weekend. The Phantoms will battle the Providence Bruins in the first of back-to-back tilts on Friday, November 22. Lehigh Valley's next home game is Friday, November 29 against the Hershey Bears at PPL Center. It's a SECTV Hat Giveaway for the first 5,000 fans presented by our friends at Service Electric. Ticket information is available online at PhantomsHockey.com.
SCORING SUMMARY 1st 3:04 – HER, G. Rowe (3) (S. Smallman, N. Leivermann) (0-1) 1st 10:44 – LV, S. Tuomaala (6) (E. Desnoyers, R. Abols) (1-1)
2nd 4:10 – HER, P. Dube (3) (S. Smallman, Z. Funk) (1-2) 2nd 11:02 – HER, Z. Funk (1) (M. Vecchione) (1-3)
3rd 2:38 – LV, R. Abols (3) (J. Avon, S. Tuomaala) (2-3) 3rd 5:31 – LV, E. Samson (2) (O. Lycksell, S. Tuomaala) (3-3) 3rd 10:52 – HER, E. Bear (3) (H. Haman Aktell, G. Roe) (3-4) 3rd 17:00 – HER, M. Vecchione (2) (H. Rybinski, E. Bear) (3-5) 3rd 18:08 – HER, M. Strome (1) (A. Ness) (EN) (3-6)
Shots: LV 27 – HER 39
PP: LV 0/1, HER 0/3
Goaltenders: LV – E. Makiniemi (ND) (3-0-1) (15/18) C. Petersen (L) (2-3-1) (18/20) HER – H. Shepard (W) (9-2-0) (24/27)
Records: Lehigh Valley (6-5-3) Hershey (11-4-1)
Friday, November 22 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins
Saturday, November 23 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins
Wednesday, November 27 – Phantoms at Hartford Wolf Pack
