Zayde Wisdom’s Two Shorties Help the Phantoms Tie the Series at One

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms evened their series against the Hershey Bears at one win each after the Phantoms’ 3-1 win last night in Hershey.

Zayde Wisdom scored twice and Anthony Richard scored en route to Lehigh Valley’s 3-1 win.

Lehigh’s Friday night victory will bring the series back to the PPL Center in Allentown, tied up at one apiece.

Read More: James: The Perfect Flyers Offseason

Anthony Richard Scores First for Phantoms

A name that Flyers fans are used to by now, Anthony Richard, opened the scoring in the game late in the second period. The two teams had been in a goaltender duel and defensive battle. Scoring was literally non-existent for the first 38 minutes and 41 seconds of the game.

That was until Nikita Grebenkin made a great play from behind the goal line to center the puck for Richard, who cashed in for the easy score.

After being shut out in the game prior, the Phantoms got on the board first in Friday’s contest.

Zayde Wisdom Gets His First Playoff Goal, Then Does it Again

The Phantoms took the 1-0 lead into the second intermission. They had just 20 minutes to hold on to the win.

Zayde Wisdom allowed Lehigh Valley to breathe just over two minutes into the third period.

With Elliot Desnoyers in the box for cross-checking, the Phantoms were down a man. But that was not a problem for Wisdom, who netted the short-handed score to extend their lead to two.

However, with the Phantoms still down a man, Alex Limoges (PSU Legend) took advantage of the Bears’ power play and drew Hershey back within one.

It was a 2-1 game again, and with 15:22 to play in the game, Emil Andrae found himself back in the box for tripping. The beginning of the Andrae penalty made it four-on-four, as Ivan Miroshnichenko found himself in the penalty box a minute earlier.

A minute would go by, and the Bears were back on the power play. With about 14 minutes left, they had a chance to even the score.

However, it would not be the Bears scoring their second power-play goal of the game. Instead, it was Zayde Wisdom getting his second shorty of the game.

The Phantoms closed out the final 13:26 of the game and held on to the 3-1 win.

Read More: REPORT: Flyers Interview NCAA Coach

Gahagen Stands Tall

Parker Gahagen split the 2024/25 season between the Phantoms in the AHL and the Reading Royals of the ECHL. While he was not always the go-to guy for the Phantoms, he certainly is making the most of his postseason time.

Gahagen has started all four of the Phantoms’ playoff games, and he has been dominant for Lehigh.

Friday night, against a very good Hershey Bears team, Gahagen faced 20 shots and stopped 19 of them. Gahagen is a big reason for the Phantoms’ success in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

In four games, Gahagen has allowed seven goals, giving him a 1.76 goals-against-average and a .936 save-percentage. The 31-year-old netminder has been nothing short of phenomenal thus far.

Lack of Discipline

One significant factor in Friday night’s game was a lack of discipline.

There were 16 different penalties called between the two teams, including a Garrett Wilson game misconduct early in the second period, a Givani Smith 10-minute misconduct, and three different double minors.

Nine of the game’s 16 penalties came against the Phantoms, so it was close to a split. However, when playing a team like Hershey, allowing too many chances on the man-advantage can come back to haunt you.

It is amazing to me that Hershey only had 20 shots-on-goal despite no shortage of chances with the man-advantage.

The Phantoms will want to clean that up ahead of their next game.

What’s Next for the Phantoms

The Phantoms will bring the series back home on Sunday, when they take on the Bears at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The puck drops at 5:05 EST.

For more Flyers news and up-to-date coverage, visit Philly Hockey Now and like our Facebook page.
Follow us on 𝕏:
@wmjsports
@PhillyHockeyNow