Snively, Morelli carry Bears to 5-2 win over Phantoms

January 25, 2023

Joe Snively and Mason Morelli each tallied a pair of goals as the Hershey Bears (27-8-4-1) topped the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (19-15-3-2) by a 5-2 score on Wednesday night at the PPL Center. The win extended Hershey’s overall point streak to seven games at 5-0-2-0, pushed its road point streak to six games at 5-0-1-0, and improved the Chocolate and White to 6-0-0-0 against their I-78 rivals this season.

BOX SCORE

Hershey opened the scoring 1:15 into the first period when Dylan McIlrath’s drive from the right point rebounded off the pads of Samuel Ersson and Connor McMichael tapped home his ninth of the season. Snively received the secondary assist on the goal.

The Phantoms drew level at 1-1 when Jordy Bellerive threaded a pass from behind the net into the slot for Elliot Desnoyers, who snapped the puck past Zach Fucale at 3:23.

The Bears took a 2-1 lead in the second period while playing with the man advantage, as Garrett Pilon ladled the puck in the slot over to Henrik Borgstrom, who quickly dished it from the left circle across to Snively, who wired his fourth of the season past Ersson, who was caught out of position at 6:47. The goal marked Snively’s 100th career pro point.

Hayden Hodgson evened the score for Lehigh Valley at 2-2 when he raced down a centering pass in the slot and beat Fucale five-hole at 13:44.

Snively was at it again early in the third period, as the forward raced up the right side and wired a wrist shot into the top-left corner of the net to put Hershey up 3-2 exactly one minute into the frame for his second of the night. McIlrath and Gabriel Carlsson earned assists on the goal; for McIlrath, it was his first multi-point game in exactly a year after previously notching a pair of assists on Jan. 25, 2022 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Morelli then converted on the power play at 8:43 when he deflected McMichael’s shot from the top of the zone past Ersson for his sixth of the season to make it 4-2. Mike Vecchione received the secondary helper, which gave him his 200th career pro point.

Morelli netted his second of the evening at 10:54 when he backhanded a rebound off the end boards past Ersson at 10:54 to make it 5-2. Vincent Iorio and Pilon received the assists.

Shots finished 27-22 in favor of Hershey. Fucale went 20-for-22 for Hershey to pick up his 13th win of the season; Ersson was 22-for-27 for the Phantoms. The Bears were 2-for-5 on the power play; Lehigh Valley went 0-for-1 with the man advantage.

Hershey continues the 2022-23 season, presented by Penn State Health, when the Chocolate and White conclude their four-game road trip with another clash with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7:05 p.m. at the PPL Center. The Bears return home to GIANT Center for their annual GIANT Teddy Bear Toss when they host the Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. All fans are encouraged to bring new, stuffed teddy bears and items to the game to toss onto the ice as the Bears score their first goal. All items collected will be donated to local charities. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.