Bears clean Phantoms in sequence opener

The 2-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears started their 2025 postseason run on Wednesday evening with a 3-0 win over Lehigh Valley in Recreation 1 of their Atlantic Division semifinal sequence at Large Middle.

Recreation 2 of the best-of-five sequence is scheduled for Friday night.

Hunter Shepard made 26 saves for his fourth profession postseason shutout and first since Recreation 5 of the Finals in 2023. Shepard has began all 41 postseason video games for the Bears because the starting of the 2023 playoffs.

Chase Priskie, Spencer Smallman and Bogdan Trineyev scored for Hershey, which remained with out its All-Star defenseman and main regular-season scorer Ethan Bear, on recall to Washington.

Parker Gahagen (2-1) stopped 24 of 26 photographs for the Phantoms.

Attendance at Large Middle was 8,050.

(Hershey leads sequence, 1-0)Recreation 1 – Wed., Apr. 30 – HERSHEY 3, Lehigh Valley 0Game 2 – Fri., Might 2 – Lehigh Valley at Hershey, 7:00Game 3 – Solar., Might 4 – Hershey at Lehigh Valley, 5:05*Recreation 4 – Fri., Might 9 – Hershey at Lehigh Valley, 7:05*Recreation 5 – Solar., Might 11 – Lehigh Valley at Hershey, 5:00*if obligatory… All occasions Japanese