The Hershey Bears (9-4-1-0) have been bolstered by call-ups from the ECHL to finish an ideal 3-0-0-0 weekend sweep with a 2-1 extra time victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (9-4-1-1) on Sunday afternoon at GIANT Heart.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Defenseman Connor Mayer (recalled from ECHL South Carolina earlier immediately) and D.J. King (signed by Hershey from South Carolina to an expert tryout settlement earlier immediately) made their Hershey debuts and each factored within the offense for the afternoon.
Mayer scored the game-winning tally within the additional body to carry Hershey to its fourth consecutive victory and second straight dwelling win.
For King, son of Bears head coach Derek King, it marked the primary time in Bears historical past {that a} sport featured a father-son/head coach-player duo for Hershey, and believed to be the seventh time in American Hockey League historical past, and the primary within the AHL since Ulf Samuelsson coached son Phil Samuelsson with the Charlotte Checkers throughout the 2016-17 season. King acquired credit score with the first help on Protas’ game-tying marker, his second profession AHL level.
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Lehigh Valley’s Alexis Gendron scored the opening objective at 1:31 of the second interval to provide the guests a 1-0 lead.
Ilya Protas tied the sport at 1-1 at 13:12 of the third interval together with his third objective in as many video games and his fifth of the season after he knocked in D.J. King’s preliminary shot that had banked off the boards behind the Lehigh Valley web.
Mayer gained the sport for the Bears at 2:06 of the extra time body when Brett Leason’s preliminary breakaway shot was denied by Alexei Kolosov, however Henrik Rybinski discovered Mayer from the aspect of the online and fed the defenseman within the slot for the game-clinching tally.
Clay Stevenson earned his fifth win of the season and his fourth consecutive victory. The win additionally marked Stevenson’s fiftieth profession win with the Bears, transferring the goaltender previous Darren Jensen and Don Edwards for sole possession of nineteenth in staff historical past.
SHOTS: HER 37, LV 37
GOALTENDING: HER – Clay Stevenson, 36-for-37; LV – Alexei Kolosov, 35-for-37
POWER PLAY: HER – 0-for-4; LV – 0-for-3
THEY SAID IT:
Bears head coach Derek King on the play of the call-ups in immediately’s sport:
“The blokes that got here up, they performed effectively for us. They crammed in after we wanted it. I feel the largest factor going with seven ‘D’ was simply because our ‘D’ took a pounding the final couple of video games. So we tried to relaxation them as a lot as we may and hold them recent. So I assumed these guys did an excellent job. And once more, Clay [Stevenson] – excellent.”
Derek King on the staff finishing a 3-0-0-0 weekend:
“They discovered a approach to get it achieved. It wasn’t all the time fairly, however they simply stayed with it. The speaking on the bench, the fellows backing one another up and pushing one another, to get to that subsequent stage. It was actually enjoyable to observe and I’m most likely extra drained than these guys.”
Derek King on having the ability to coach his son in a regular-season AHL sport for the primary time:
“It’s good for him. His mother shall be pleased. She’s most likely crying, most likely. However like I mentioned, whether or not it was my child or not, [D.J. and Mayer] got here in and so they helped us and so they took some stress off the opposite ‘D’ which have been battling for the final couple of days. I’m excited for him – shot vast. In all probability going to yell at him for hitting the online [chuckles], however he shot vast and we tucked it in. So it was good for him.”
Bears defenseman D.J. King on taking part in on the identical staff coached by his father:
“Yeah, it was wild. Really he had me a pair instances in Rockford within the preseason, however this was our first regular-season second. But it surely was nice. He’s obtained some nice one-liners on the bench I chuckled at lots and it was enjoyable. He’s very free, an excellent coach and it was a number of enjoyable.”
D.J. King on the objective he assisted on scored by Ilya Protas:
“Yeah, [Andrew Cristall] had the puck come to him and he bumped it again to me, and I simply type of had my head down and shot it on web – I don’t even suppose it hit the online. I feel it went behind the online after which ‘Professional’ tapped it proper in, so it was good.”
Connor Mayer on scoring the game-winner in his Bears debut after an extended journey day:
“Yeah, it’s the primary objective of the season for me all 12 months truly, so, simply getting that off my again is fairly big. After which coming right here and, and doing it’s clearly fairly particular too. However yeah, an extended journey day, simply tried to maintain it actually easy all day. After which, clearly, I used to be lucky to get that move and it went in.”
Mayer on the directive he was given by the teaching workers in Hershey after initially being loaned to South Carolina following coaching camp:
“Had coaching camp and obtained some good phrases from ‘Kinger,’ and it was largely simply ‘Go down, play your sport, get confidence, after which in some unspecified time in the future we’re going to look to name you again up and make an impression right here.’ And I feel to this point, so good, I assume.”
The Bears proceed the 2025-26 season, offered by Penn State Well being, after they go to the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at Rocket Enviornment. Hershey returns dwelling to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for its conventional Thanksgiving Eve sport on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Heart. All followers in attendance that evening are welcome to take part within the postgame Canteen Merchandising Turkey Shoot on ice. CLICK HERE to buy tickets for this sport.
With Bears match report
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the LV Phantoms. The Bears beat the Phantoms in extra time by a rating of 2-1.
