The Hershey Bears are set to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Historically, it’s the sixth time the two teams have met up in the postseason dating back to the Philadelphia Phantoms days. The series is set to get underway on Wednesday, May 1 and run no later than Sunday, May 12. The full series schedule is below.
The rivalry between the top affiliate of the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers dates back to mid 1980s. At the time, the Flyers partnered with the Chocolate and White for what is now the second-longest affiliation in Hershey Bears history. The teams partnered from 1984 through 1996, winning the Calder Cup in 1988. However, the winds of change were about in 1996 when the Flyers moved into their current home, the Wells Fargo Center (then known as CoreStates Center). The Flyers suddenly had their old building, the Spectrum, without a tenant.
That led the Flyers to create the Philadelphia Phantoms, moving their AHL affiliate across the street. Like any bad breakup, it created an instant rival for the Hershey Bears as familiar players became foes. The Bears partnered with the Colorado Avalanche and dueled into the 1997 Calder Cup Playoffs. In Game Six, the Bears trailed three games to two at Hersheypark Arena. The game went to triple overtime where Blair Atcheynum scored to send the series back to Philadelphia. Hershey took the seventh game and eventually won the Calder Cup.
The Phantoms got their revenge a season later in a 4-0 sweep of the Bears. Much like a year prior, the series winner also captured the Calder Cup. The teams would duel again in the 2000 Calder Cup Playoffs, where the Bears took a 3-2 series decision. After the Phantoms won the Calder Cup in 2005 and the Bears missed the playoffs, an affiliation change was in order. Hershey partnered with the Washington Capitals beginning in the 2005-06 season. It was a sweet start as the Bears were on their way to three championships and four Finals appearances in five years.
The two Pennsylvania rivals would meet again in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs. That season saw significant change, as it was destined to be the last meeting before the Phantoms moved. Hershey took a 4-0 sweep in that series, the last hockey to be played at the Spectrum before it was torn down. The Phantoms spent a few seasons in Adirondack before their current home, the PPL Center, was completed in 2014.
Consider the rivalry renewed. The teams ramped up the number of games played against each other, with the intensity growing. It all led up to the 2016-17 season, where the two teams met up in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Colby Williams tallied the series-winning goal in Game Five to lift the Bears past the Phantoms.
Since then, the teams have not met in the postseason. The win on Friday was Lehigh Valley’s first postseason game at PPL Center since 2018. A year ago, Lehigh Valley didn’t get a home game in the Calder Cup Playoffs due to playing the Charlotte Checkers. That same year, Hershey won the franchise’s 12th Calder Cup with Mike Vecchione, a former Phantom, scoring in overtime in Game Seven of the final round.
Hershey posted a record of 8-2-0-2 against Lehigh Valley in the 2023-24 regular season. Four games of 12 were decided in extra time, with the Bears taking two games in three-on-three overtime and the Phantoms taking two in a shootout. True, Lehigh Valley took the most wins against Hershey in the regular season of any team, but with 12 total matchups, it’s an unbalanced stat.
The top scorer in the regular season series between the two teams was Pierrick Dubé with eight points (six goals, two assists) in 11 games. He’s followed closely by Joe Snively with seven (one goal, six assists) as well as strong efforts from Ivan Miroshnichenko, Chase Priskie, Logan Day, and Bogdan Trineyev. Mike Vecchione leads all players with four goals in the regular season series. Cooper Marody has six points (two goals, four assists) to lead all Phantoms skaters. The Phantoms have reinforcements from the Flyers including Bobby Brink, Tanner Laczynski, and Olle Lycksell.
Hershey will be led by Hunter Shepard in goal opposed by Cal Petersen for Lehigh Valley. Petersen took two wins in the opening round and had a habit of coming up big for the Phantoms against the Bears. He and Shepard dueled to a 1-0 win for Hershey on April 2 in a matchup that might be indicative of how this series may play out. After 12 games, these two teams are very familiar with each other.
The Phantoms had a steady diet of heavy pressure in their opening round series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. At times, they had to be opportunistic to score goals, but more often than not, they got the puck to the blue paint and dug away. Not many of their goals came from those battles, but penalties were drawn and precious energy taken away from their foe. It’ll be a challenge for the Bears to contend with and win those battles, but they’ve done so enough times in the regular season. Still, with the Phantoms flipping the tables on the Penguins after losing to them eight times, it’s a real threat for the Bears to overcome.
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