Nikita Grebenkin scored the go-ahead goal with 4:09 left in the second period and Cal Petersen was perfect in relief as Lehigh Valley defeated Hershey, 4-2, in Game 3 of their best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal series on Sunday evening.
With their second straight victory, the Phantoms lead the series two games to one and can eliminate the two-time defending Calder Cup champions with another win on home ice in Game 4 on Friday.
Jacob Gaucher gave Lehigh Valley a 1-0 lead with the team’s third shorthanded goal in the last two games, but the Bears pulled ahead on goals 1:24 apart early in the second period by Andrew Perrott (in his Calder Cup Playoffs debut) and Ivan Miroshnichenko.
Garrett Wilson tied things at 2-2 with a power-play goal less than three minutes before Grebenkin’s eventual game-winner, and Olle Lycksell added the final goal of the night with 5:51 left in regulation.
Anthony Richard and Emil Andrae tallied two assists each for the Phantoms.
After Lehigh Valley starter Parker Gahagen was forced to leave the game midway through the second period, Petersen (1-0) came on and stopped all 15 shots he faced to earn the win.
Hunter Shepard (1-2) stopped 22 of 26 shots for the Bears, who will face playoff elimination on Friday for just the third time since their first Calder Cup run began in 2023.
(Lehigh Valley leads series, 2-1)
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 30 – HERSHEY 3, Lehigh Valley 0
Game 2 – Fri., May 2 – Lehigh Valley 3, HERSHEY 1
Game 3 – Sun., May 4 – LEHIGH VALLEY 4, Hershey 2
Game 4 – Fri., May 9 – Hershey at Lehigh Valley, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sun., May 11 – Lehigh Valley at Hershey, 5:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
