PHILADELPHIA -- Shane Harper provided the overtime heroics by scoring 58 seconds into the extra session as the Adirondack Phantoms beat Hershey 4-3 in overtime at the 2012 Outdoor Classic on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
A record crowd of 45,653 – the largest ever to watch an American Hockey League game – were treated to a back-and-forth affair at the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Graham Mink's power play gave the Bears a 3-2 lead at 12:53 of the third period; but Adirondacks' Ben Holmstrom tied the score with 20.8 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Bears ended the night 1-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Goalie Braden Holtby stopped 40 Adirondack shots, but falls to 11-8-1.
Chris Bourque scored just 28 seconds into the game; jumping on the rebound of Keith Aucoin’s partially-deflected shot to beat Phantoms goaltender Michael Leighton low for his team-leading 19th goal of the season.
With the Bears' overtime loss and a Norfolk overtime loss, Hershey maintains a tie at the top of the East Division with the Admirals. The Bears’ record is now at 19-8-4-3.
Some information used in this story was provided by the Hershey Bears. Some video used in this story is courtesy of Great Save Productions.
