On a Friday night in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the Hershey Bears visiting the Lehigh Valley Phantoms is a premiere rivalry matchup in the American Hockey League.
The PPL Center, the sparkling, 8,400-seat home of the Philadelphia Flyers' top minor league affiliate, is jammed to capacity and there's a definite buzz in the building. The energy reaches a crescendo as the final horn sounds, with the hometown Phantoms ousting the Washington Capitals' affiliate in a hotly contested game featuring 10 total goals and all sorts of rule-bending rough play that's hardly seen in the NHL anymore, yet remains the lifeblood of minor league hockey.