ALLENTOWN - With general manager Ron Hextall and his Flyers front-office staff watching from a suite at the state-of-the-art PPL Center, the Phantoms were greeted by thousands of orange-clad fans who stood and waved orange towels as their team entered the ice Friday night.
After a seven-year drought, the Phantoms were back in the AHL playoffs.
Their return was a disappointment.
Nathan Walker scored on a rebound with 12 minutes, 22 seconds left in overtime, giving Hershey a 1-0 win in the series opener.
Game 2 in the best-of-five, opening-round series is Saturday night in Allentown.