Bears Outlast Phantoms in Rivalry Duel
Bump and Gaucher Score in 3-2 Nailbiter
December 7, 2025
Hershey, PA – Another game in Hershey. Another squeaker. For the third time this season, the Phantoms and Bears competed in a game that could have gone either way. But Brett Leason (3rd) found the winning strike with just 3:30 left to propel a 3-2 victory for the Hershey Bears on Sunday evening at Giant Center.
Alex Bump (6th) and Jacob Gaucher (3rd) scored for the Phantoms who rallied back to the game on two occasions but were unable to do so a third time.
Lehigh Valley (12-8-3) almost pulled it off at the tail end of a busy weekend. And Aleksei Kolosov almost converted the best save of the year into a game-deciding momentum lift. But his impressive diving denial with his blocker on his right arm only delayed the decisive tally as Hershey kept the puck alive and rotated the puck back to Leason in the right circle who lined the winner between a Phantoms’ defenseman and Kolosov.
Hershey (12-8-1) improved to 3-0-0 at Giant Center against the Phantoms. All three have been decided by single goals and in the last moments. Lehigh Valley was also topped here in November in overtime and in October via a shootout.
Louie Belpedio (2nd) opened the scoring the Bears with his point shot beating Kolosov to the stick side and off the left post and in as the former Phantoms defenseman and alternate captain of three years gave the Chocolate and White a 1-0 lead at 14:33 from rookies Andrew Cristall and Ilya Protas.
Bump scored for a second consecutive game when Hunter McDonald’s drive from the blue line popped back out to the left of the crease where the talented rookie beat goaltender Mitch Gibson over the right pad to the score at 1-1 at 1:53 into the middle frame.
Hershey retook the lead at 13:08 of the second on a rebounding, scrambly scene at the net-front with a chip from the right of the cage going over the helmet of Kolosov and landing in the crease where Henrik Rybinski (3rd) nudged it barely across the line to make it 2-1.
Denver Barkey’s motor and drive was on display early in the third when he harassed Belpedio trying to start up a power-play push. The Bears perhaps thought they had shaken off Barkey but he kept pressing and eventually picked off the puck from Ryan Chesley to quickly find a rushing Jacob Gaucher joining out of the penalty box right down the middle. Barkey hit Gacuher right on the tape who slammed it home at 2:45 to tie the game at 2-2.
Both teams traded chances for much of the third but Lehigh Valley also was forced to kill off to more Bears’ power plays. It looked like the two teams might head into yet another overtime against each other but Leason’s winner from the right circle just moments after Kolosov made his spectacular save would end up providing Hershey a regulation decision instead.
Defenseman Max Guenette made his Phantoms debut and showcased his crafty moves from the blueline. Guenette had played for the Belleville Senators for four seasons before being acquired in a trade for Dennis Gilbert on November 17.
The Keystone State rivals will next meet on New Year’s Eve at PPL Center.
Lehigh Valley continues its three-game road swing next weekend with Friday and Saturday battles at the Syracuse Crunch and Rochester Americans.
The Phantoms are back at home on Wednesday, December 17 against the Springfield Thunderbirds to open a season-long six-game homestand that includes the annual Teddy Bear Toss, presented by Big Woody’s, on December 20 when the Phantoms host the Hartford Wolf Pack.
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