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The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have been chasing the Hershey Bears for years. It’s the team that they want to become. Moreover, it’s the club that eliminated them in each of the past two Calder Cup playoffs. The Bears are the standard in the American Hockey League (AHL), a team John Snowden wants to build the Phantoms into.
On Friday night, Oct. 24, the Phantoms beat the Bears 5-4 in the first game of a back-to-back against their Pennsylvania rival. It was a game that they led but allowed the Bears to come back, only to retake the lead in the last minute thanks to a Zayde Wisdom goal. “We have a young group and it’s about learning how to win,” Snowden added after the game.
It’s the first statement win from Snowden. He’s led the Phantoms to a 4-2 start, and beating the Bears is the biggest win of his tenure so far. It’s early in the season, and the Bears aren’t the same team as they were in the past.“It doesn’t really feel any different until the games matter,” Wisdom added after the game, noting how the win, while big, isn’t significant at this time of the season. That said, these are the type of games that show something special is being built in Allentown. It’s not just a strong pipeline for the Philadelphia Flyers but a great team in the AHL as well.
Snowden Beats Hershey at Their Own Game
On Friday, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms faced a Hershey team known for playing a heavy, forechecking, and physical brand of hockey. They moved the puck up the ice and made minimal mistakes in the process to combat the checking of the Bears.
“I think you have to play a five-foot, ten-foot game at times to beat pressure,” head coach John Snowden noted.
it was reflected in how the Phantoms move the puck up the ice.
Instead of looking for the big outlet pass or the clear out of the zone, the Phantoms made the quick passes even within their zone to get the puck to the blue line and then set up the offense. The defense doesn’t have a puck-handling presence, and the best way to beat pressure is to make the quick and easy passes. “When teams pressure hard and you keep beating pressure, you just end up with a good opportunity,” Snowden added, and it showed as the Phantoms found multiple scoring chances off turnovers.
They were the team that made fewer mistakes and stuck to their game plan, something the Bears are typically known for. The Phantoms were the disciplined team as they were “Trying to let the emotions fuel you but not control you,” as Karsen Dorwart stated after the game, adding, “You can’t act like an idiot out there.”
The Phantoms not only moved the puck well but they took things up a notch. They pressured the Bears and got the open looks to win the game. They were outshot by the Bears but they got good looks on the net and made the most of them. Dorwart’s goal came because of a shot from Alex Bump at the point where the top prospect had an open look and fired the puck on the goal.
When Snowden was hired in July, he spoke about pressuring teams. He wants the team to win the puck and keep it in the offensive zone to force great defenses to break. The Phantoms are sticking to that plan to begin the season. They have four wins, and it’s come on the back of great offense.
Phantoms Stick to the Plan
The Phantoms allowed the Bears to get back into the game. “Everybody is gonna play to the final buzzer, especially Hershey, who knows how to win,” Snowden noted, and that’s what happened on Friday night. The Bears tied the game in the third period, and the Phantoms looked like they were on the ropes and would lose the game, something that had happened in previous seasons.
Snowden stuck to the game plan to allow the Phantoms to rebound and score late. “We don’t want to change the way we play, we want to continue to press and continue driving the puck down the rink.” The Phantoms continued to forecheck and pressure the Bears into mistakes. It’s what helped them get the goal in the final minute to secure the 5-4 win.
This is a game that shows how this Phantoms group is different. Yes, they are talented, yet they are playing above their weight and are ahead of schedule. It’s something the veteran Wisdom notices with this team early on. “Looks like it. They’ve been grinding and getting points,” he stated, with an emphasis on the prospects stepping up and already learning the Snowden style. It comes from the buy-in that the players have in the system and the vision set by Snowden. The Phantoms play with structure, and it’s paying off, allowing them to win four of their first six games and beat a team like the Bears.
Phantoms Still Have Work to Do & Snowden Knows it
The win was great for the Phantoms and one they’ll gladly take. It did come with the help of another big night in the net from their goaltender. Aleksei Kolosov allowed four goals but faced 29 shots, with 15 coming in the first period. His strong play early bailed out the Phantoms, and this team can’t give up that many shots and still get away with it. “It’s definitely not by design,” Snowden noted on the area where the team must improve.
The Phantoms have struggled on defense, something Flyers fans will quickly point out is an organizational issue. The AHL team is learning a new system and adjusting to it as well. “The D-Zone area of our game it’s still a work in progress,” Snowden stated, which has been noticeable in the losses to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. “I also think we have a very offensive-minded team,” he added. This team is playing great offense and has the goaltending to make up for the mistakes on the other end. Ideally, they are playing two-way hockey by the end of the season.
It’s also worth noting that the Phantoms took their foot on the gas. It allowed the Bears to come back from a 2-0, 3-1, and 4-2 deficit. The Phantoms win when they forecheck, and at times, they didn’t, allowing the Bears to crawl back into the game.
It’s not by design, even with Kolosov playing well, to allow a lot of shots. It’s also not by design to slow things down and play it safe on the power play after scoring on one in the first period. It’s why there is still room to improve.
It’s hard to say how good the Phantoms are six games into the season. Their two losses came against the Penguins, a team that is now 6-0 following another shutout victory by Sergei Murashov. Their four wins have been impressive, coming against the Belleville Senators, Cleveland Monsters (twice), and the Bears. The Phantoms look like a good team. The question is, how good are they? The win against the Bears is a statement. Another win against the Bears in Giant Center will show how far they’ve come.
Snowden’s First Statement But Not His Last
The Phantoms hired Snowden in the offseason to take this team to the next level. They had a promising group at the end of last season but couldn’t beat a team like the Bears. They needed a coach to get them over the hump, to develop the prospects, and also build a winner.
The goal for this team is to have these wins become a common occurrence. This is a big victory for the first-year head coach. However, at some point, the Phantoms want to be the dominant team in the Atlantic Division, something the Bears were, and they can become. Snowden’s proven early on that in the long run, he’ll get the Phantoms there.
The Phantoms have a special group that’s ahead of schedule. They have a coach who is also ahead of schedule. Snowden is only 42 years old but with the way he’s transforming the Phantoms, it’s only a matter of time before he starts turning heads, or at least helping this young group turn heads.
