Frank's Pair Helps Give Bears 5-4 Win Over Phantoms

December 8, 2024

Ethen Frank scored his second goal of the game to break a 4-4 tie late in regulation as the Hershey Bears (17-5-3-0) rolled to their third consecutive victory with a 5-4 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (9-8-4-1) on Sunday evening at GIANT Center, as the club continued its 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health.

Hershey's record this season against its I-78 rival improved to 3-1-1-0.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Bogdan Trineyev netted Hershey's first shorthanded goal of the season at 3:26 of the first period.
• Jon-Randall Avon tied the game at 1-1 for Lehigh Valley at 9:13; the goal necessitated a review requiring several minutes before the official's ruling of a goal was upheld.
• An altercation between Brennan Saulnier and Lehigh Valley's Sawyer Boulton at 10:46 resulted in Boulton receiving a five-minute fighting major and a game misconduct for leaving the player bench; the ensuing Bears power play resulted in a shorthanded goal by Lehigh Valley's Zayde Wisdom at 13:36 and Mike Vecchione's tally to tie the game at 2-2 at 15:38.
• Hershey went ahead by a 4-2 score in the second frame thanks to goals from Luke Philp at 4:41 and Ethen Frank at 14:49.
• Bears forward Spencer Smallman received a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct at 16:56 of the second period, resulting in an extended power play for Lehigh Valley; the Phantoms converted with Alexis Gendron striking at 18:08 to tie the game at 4-4.
• Frank scored his second goal of the game at 16:53, netting his fourth game-winning goal of the season and 18th of his Bears career, tying him with Ellard "Obie" O'Brien, Tony Cassolato, Mark Freer, and Kyle Wilson for 22nd in team history.
• Mike Sgarbossa dished out a pair of assists, extending his team season-high assist streak to six games (9a); Sgarbossa's 19 assists on the season are tied for the league lead with Milwaukee's Vinnie Hinostroza.
• Pierrick Dube assisted on three goals to establish a new career-high, and matched his single-game career best for points.
• Bears defenseman Jon McDonald made his AHL debut with the Bears, assisting on Frank's game-winner. The second-year pro had been recalled from the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL on Dec. 3.
• Bears defender Brad Hunt took the ice for his 400th career AHL game on Sunday. The veteran blueliner is in his first season with Hershey after skating for Chicago, Oklahoma City, Bakersfield, and Colorado. Hunt also boasts 288 games of NHL experience with Edmonton, St. Louis, Nashville, Vegas, Minnesota, Vancouver, and Colorado.

SHOTS: HER 23, LV 30

GOALTENDING: HER - Hunter Shepard, 26-for-30; LV - Parker Gahagen, 14-for-18; Cal Petersen [L], 4-for-5

POWER PLAY: HER - 1-for-2; LV - 1-for-4

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Todd Nelson's thoughts on the team's performance this week:
"Well, the response against [Wilkes-Barre/Scranton] in their building was really good. I thought we played a really strong game last night; it was a very tight game. Tonight's game, I thought we turned over the puck way too many times, and against a team like Lehigh Valley, they're a quick team and they transition really well. That's stuff that's in our control. We've got to clean that up. I think we've had success off the rush and now we're starting to be a bit too cute. I don't wanna stifle creativity, but at the same time too, you can't leave your teammates hanging and you turn over the puck and all of a sudden it's an odd-man rush the other way. Still, it's like a work in progress. It's like putting your finger in the dike and all of sudden there's another [leak] over here - fix one problem and another arises. That's just the way it's played."

Nelson on the play of Ethen Frank:
"I thought he could have had a hat trick. He had a breakaway in the third period there. Petersen made the save on him, but right now he's feeling it, he's got world-class speed, a world-class shot, and right now his shot's going in, and so it makes him a very dangerous player."

Nelson on the play of Jon McDonald in his AHL debut:
"I thought he played a really strong game for us. He made a great play on the game-winner, keeping the puck alive and I liked what we saw, so the thought process is the organization wanted to see what we had in them and we're happy with the way things looked today."

Ethen Frank on the offensive success he's had this season:
"There's still some things without the puck I'm trying to focus on and get better at to help round out my game a little bit. But I'm going to keep giving credit to the other four guys on the ice. They're making it really easy. Like [Dube] with the grade-A pass, that's pretty hard. He had three sticks in the way and he found a way to get that through and I'm right in the slot, so that's a pretty good scoring chance for me. But the other guys are making it really easy and I'm just shooting the puck really."

Jon McDonald on making his AHL debut and working his way back from injury:
"I thought it went well. I thought I eased into it - a little bit shaky at the start, but I think that comes with a little bit of nerves, right? But the staff and the team did such a good job just making me feel supported and allowing me to play my game and I'm grateful enough for that. Anytime you go through an injury and you have to go through the recovery, it's a tough summer. So it was a long summer, but I was grateful to be up here when I got it done and had a really good kickstart with the staff here on my rehab and everything went really well back home. And then obviously the stint in South Carolina was great for my conditioning and just to get some timing back. So, grateful to be up here and have my first game under my belt."

NEXT GAME:

The Bears continue the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they visit the Hartford Wolf Pack on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. at XL Center. Hershey returns home to host the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Members 1st Bobblehead Night, when all fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead of Bears captain Aaron Ness, presented by Members 1st Credit Union. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.