Bears Blank Phantoms to Finish Perfect Preseason

October 13, 2021

he Hershey Bears concluded their three-game preseason schedule with a 3-0 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday night at the PPL Center. Zach Fucale and Pheonix Copley combined for a 14-save shutout.

After a scoreless first period, Ryan Dmowski drew first blood for the Chocolate and White in the middle frame's 2:21 mark. Tobias Geisser funneled the puck near the net, and Dmowski buried the rebound of a Mason Morelli bid. Shots after 40 minutes were 16-9 Hershey after the Bears commanded an 11-3 second period shot advantage.

In the third period, Aliaksei Protas doubled Hershey's lead with an insurance tally at 12:45. Following a Phantoms turnover deep in their own zone, Protas beat Lehigh Valley goaltender Felix Sandstrom upstairs for his first goal of the preseason. Shane Gersich added an empty net goal at 17:39 to finalize the Bears' scoring line. Final shots totaled 21-14 Bears. Hershey's special teams finished 0-for-2 on the power play and 7-for-7 on the penalty kill.

The Hershey Bears kick off the 2021-22 regular season on Saturday, Oct. 16 versus the Charlotte Checkers. Puck drop at GIANT Center is scheduled for 7 PM. Ticket information is available online at HersheyBears.com.