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PENGUINS WIN BIG IN KOSTOPOULOS’ FINAL HOME GAME

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – It was an emotional night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday. Tom Kostopoulos was playing in his final regular season home game with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the emotion fueled the team to a 7-4 victory over the Binghamton Devils.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (42-22-6-2) also clinched a berth in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs with Saturday’s results. This will be the Penguins’ 16th postseason appearance in a row, the American Hockey League’s active record.

Clearly running on adrenaline after pre-game ceremonies honoring Kostopoulos, the home team took a 4-0 lead in the first period starting with a power play goal 3:45 into the contest. Jean-Sébastien Dea pulled off a spinning move at the front of the net and tucked the puck around goaltender Cam Johnson, who was making the first start of his pro career. Nineteen seconds later, Tom Sestito beat Johnson down low to put the Penguins up, 2-0.

Jarrett Burton tacked on a goal by batting in his own rebound that came off the crossbar midway through the opening frame, and Zach Trotman unloaded a slap shot that navigated under Johnson with 3:24 left in the period.

Binghamton’s Jake Walman got the visitors on the board midway through the second period with a wicked wrist shot that whizzed past the blocker of Michael Leighton. Walman proceeded to set up the Devils’ next goal, too, tossing a shot towards the net that was tipped in by Blake Pietila at 18:05 of the middle frame.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wasted no time in re-establishing their four-goal lead, using goals from Daniel Sprong and Christian Thomas in the first 5:44 of the third period. Sprong’s 30th goal of the season arrived 35 seconds into the final frame of regulation, and Thomas notched his third point of the night with the tally that made it 6-2.

However, the Devils stormed back in the second half of the third period, as tucks by Jacob MacDonald and Jan Mandát reduced the deficit to two goals once again.

Binghamton elected the pull the goalie for an extra attacker with over three minutes left in regulation. Thomas put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal to close out the scoring at 7-4, his fourth point of the game.

Leighton denied 26 Devils shots as he improved to 5-0-0 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Johnson made 29 saves in his pro debut.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Sunday, Apr. 8, when they travel to Bridgeport to take on the Sound Tigers for the final time this season.

Ticket packages for the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs are now on sale. With the purchase of a postseason ticket package, fans will receive a $6 food/merchandise voucher for every game played in the playoffs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fans can secure their seats for every game on the Cup run by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

Individual game tickets for the postseason will go on sale on Monday, Apr. 9 at 10:00 a.m. and will be available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, TicketMaster.com, or also by calling the Penguins’ offices at (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS DROP 4-3 CONTEST TO DESPERATE SOUND TIGERS

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins dropped a close matchup against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 4-3, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Friday night.

Daniel Sprong put forth a goal and two power play assists to keep Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (41-22-6-2) within striking distance, but a Bridgeport team fighting to keep its slim playoff hopes alive had the extra vigor to hang on when it was all said and done.

The Penguins took the lead 4:48 into the game when captain Tom Kostopoulos cashed in on the man advantage. Sprong unloaded a one-timer towards the net, which Kostopoulos tipped past goaltender Christopher Gibson.

Shortly thereafter, Bridgeport answered back with a power-play goal of its own. Mitchell Vande Sompel picked the short side corner over the shoulder of Tristan Jarry, evening the game at one goal apiece.  Then Steve Bernier gave the visitors their first lead of the night at 11:45 of the opening frame.

Vande Sompel later scored his second goal of the night, once again beating Jarry to the short side and just inside post. Vande Sompel’s first career multi-goal game put the Sound Tigers up, 3-1, just under five minutes into the second stanza.

Sprong pulled the Penguins within one again by unloading a wicked one-timer on a set face-off play. Teddy Blueger won the draw clean to Sprong who blasted the puck into the opposite top corner at 7:50 of the second period.

Sprong’s goal nearly served as a turning point in the contest, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton began peppering Gibson with shot after shot following the rookie’s team-leading 29th goal of the season. The Penguins almost doubled the Sound Tigers’ shot total in the middle frame, throwing 13 pucks at the net. Gibson held down the fort with some dazzling saves so that his squad could enter the second intermission with the one-goal lead.

Ben Holmstrom tipped in a cross-crease pass from Kyle Schempp eight minutes into the third period, extending the Sound Tigers’ lead to 4-2.

The Penguins reduced the deficit down to one yet again when Blueger tipped in one of Sprong’s shots during a power play late in the final frame. Down by one and with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton couldn’t muster the equalizer, despite two great scoring chances for Sprong.

In the end, Jarry stopped 18 shots while Gibson recorded 25 saves on the night.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Apr. 7, against the Binghamton Devils. Saturday’s game is also Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s final home game of the regular season and will serve as the team’s annual Fan Appreciation Night. Pre-game ceremonies prior to the contest between the Penguins and Devils are scheduled to begin 7:00 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Individual tickets for the final two home games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 19th season of hockey are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

LAFFERTY NETS FIRST PRO GOAL IN PENGUINS’ 5-3 DEFEAT OF BEARS

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fended off a late comeback attempt by the Hershey Bears to defeat their I-81 rival, 5-3, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Tuesday night.

Tristan Jarry backstopped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (41-21-6-2) to victory in a game that saw Sam Lafferty score his first professional goal and the Penguins improve to 9-0-1-1 against the Bears this season. Also, with the win, the Penguins have reduced their magic number to clinch a berth in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs to one.

The Penguins wasted little time in scoring the game’s first goal as Teddy Blueger fired a spin-o-rama backhander through Pheonix Copley’s five-hole 53 seconds into the game.

Hershey tied things up at 13:41 of the opening frame when Connor Hobbs unloaded a perfectly placed one-timer underneath the cross-bar. However, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton re-established its lead exactly two minutes later. The Penguins responded when Daniel Sprong tapped the puck over to Garrett Wilson in the slot, who then beat Copley down low once again.

Midway through the second period, Lafferty ripped a snapshot past the blocker of Copley, giving the Penguins a 3-1 lead. The Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania native’s first goal as a pro caused a goaltending change for the Bears, too. Copley stepped out and was relieved by Vítek Vaněček.

The goaltending switch and two-goal deficit motivated Hershey, but the visitors couldn’t muscle anything past Jarry despite a flurry of scoring chances in the second half of the middle frame. Jarry made a series of highlight reel saves, featuring a sprawling save for which he fell on his back and reached around his head to the far post so that he could rob Colby Williams of a sure goal. Jarry’s lights-out goaltending maintained the home team’s 3-1 lead going into the second intermission.

Sprong cashed in on the power play with his AHL rookie-leading 28th goal of the season to give the Penguins a three-goal lead 4:32 into the final period.

Hershey made things interesting by using goals from Anthony Peluso and Mathias Bau three minutes apart to pull within one. The Bears were also given a power play opportunity with less than a minute to go in regulation. Their late power play only yielded an empty net goal for Jean-Sébastien Dea to round out the night’s scoring at 5-3.

Jarry made 30 saves in the win for the Penguins. Copley was replaced after denying 12 of 15 shots faced, while Vaněček stepped in to turn aside 13 of the 14 bids Wilkes-Barre/Scranton threw his way.

The Penguins’ next game is Friday, Apr. 6 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers with a chance to secure a spot in the postseason. Puck drop between the Penguins and Sound Tigers is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Individual tickets for the final two home games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 19th season of hockey are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS LOSE HEATED BATTLE WITH BRUINS, 3-1

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins dropped a tenacious battle to the Providence Bruins, 3-1, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday night.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (40-21-6-2) outshot the visitors 35-27, but Jordan Binnington turned in a great performance in net that stymied the Penguins time and time again.

The Bruins got on the board first when Adam Payerl capitalized on the power play at 14:06 in the opening period. Payerl was able to slap a rebound behind Tristan Jarry to put the visitors up, 1-0.

With 3:12 left in the first period, Trent Frederic collected the puck on a failed clear attempt by the Penguins forwards and fired a shot past Jarry for his second pro goal. However, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton stormed down the ice on the next shift and reduced the deficit back down to one. Jean-Sébastien Dea gathered a centering pass from Daniel Sprong and picked the corner over Binnington’s glove before the first intermission.

The Penguins and Bruins kept the chances coming in the middle frame, firing 11 and 13 shots respectively, as both goaltenders stayed strong in their crease.

Penguins came close to tying the game midway through the final period when Sprong rushed down the ice and whipped a shot at the opposing net. Garrett Wilson was there to collect the rebound only to be denied by Binnington.

The Bruins cashed in on the power play once again when Jordan Szwarz lifted the puck past Jarry into the left corner of the goal, extending his team’s lead to 3-1 at 8:32 in the third.

Binnington’s brilliance continued as he stood tall to fend off a Sam Lafferty scoring chance moments later. Lafferty collected a big rebound and threw it towards a wide open goal, but the goaltender reached behind his back, smacking the puck away in acrobatic fashion and robbing Lafferty of his first pro goal.

Binnington ended up with 34 saves, while Jarry posted 24 stops in the loss.

The Penguins’ next game is Tuesday, Apr. 3 against the Hershey Bears. Puck drop between the Penguins and Bears is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Individual tickets for the final three home games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 19th season of hockey are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS EARN 40TH WIN WITH 4-3 VICTORY AT HARTFORD

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HARTFORD, Conn. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins got a third-period equalizer to force overtime and got the deciding goal in the extra frame for a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack at XL Center on Friday night.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (40-20-6-2) received a three-point effort from Christian Thomas, and Daniel Sprong potted the game-winner for his team-leading 27th goal of the season. Furthermore, the Penguins achieved 40 wins for the 13th season in a row, the league’s active record.

Ethan Prow was reinserted into the Penguins’ lineup due to a pregame suspension levied to Andrey Pedan, and made an immediate impact by setting up the game’s first goal. Prow ushered the puck out of the Penguins’ defensive end and then dished it to Christian Thomas, who wired a shot through Alexandar Georgiev’s five-hole 9:16 into the contest.

The Wolf Pack unleashed three-straight goals in the second period to stun the visitors and assume a 3-1 lead. First, Gabriel Fontaine deposited a tap-in on the power play at 1:34 of the middle frame. Less than two minutes later, Dawson Leedahl’s backhander gave Hartford its first lead of the night. Cristoval Nieves delivered a behind-the-back set-up to Scott Kosmachuk for the Wolf Pack’s third goal of the frame at 11:13.

After Wilkes-Barre/Scranton couldn’t get any puck luck on a dominant man advantage, Zach Trotman unloaded a slap shot that snuck behind Georgiev and pulled the Penguins within one goal. Trotman’s tally was assisted by Thomas and Jarred Tinordi with 3:07 left in the second period.

Thomas completed his three-point night and evened the score, 3-3, with a goal at 6:25 of the third period. Tom Sestito stripped a Hartford defenseman of the puck in the Wolf Pack’s zone and fed Thomas on the backdoor for the slam dunk.

Adam Johnson was afforded an opportunity to put the Penguins back on top when he was awarded a penalty shot midway through the third period, but Georgiev slammed the door shut.

The three-on-three overtime was filled with scoring chances for both sides as the two clubs combined for 10 shots on goal. However, the final shot was the only one that mattered, coming from the stick of Sprong with 39.8 seconds left in the extra frame.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 31, when they host the Providence Bruins for the second time this week. Puck drop between the Penguins and P-Bruins is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Individual tickets for the final four home games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 19th season of hockey are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS DEFEAT BRUINS, 5-2, RECLAIM SECOND PLACE IN DIVISION

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins used a second period surge to defeat the visiting Providence Bruins, 5-2, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Wednesday night.

Daniel Sprong scored his team-leading 25th and 26th goals of the season within the opening minutes of the middle frame to spur Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (39-20-6-2) on to beat their rival and reclaim second place in the Atlantic Division.

The Penguins came out with a strong offensive effort in the first period, throwing 14 pucks at the net, but were unable to solve goaltender Zane McIntyre. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got its greatest scoring chance of the opening frame when Jean-Sébastien Dea was sprung on a shorthanded breakaway, only to be denied by McIntyre.

Shortly after McIntyre stoned Dea on the shorthanded opportunity, the P-Bruins eventually converted on that man advantage with 41.5 seconds left in the first period. Jakub Zbořil released a rocket slap shot that found its way through traffic and into the Penguins’ net to put the visitors on the board first.

The Penguins came roaring back to start the middle frame, using three goals within the first 6:05 of the period to gain a two-goal lead. First, Sprong fooled McIntyre with a spin-o-rama backhander from the left wall as the puck somehow leaked past the Providence goalie’s pad and inside the near post. Less than three minutes later, Garrett Wilson fed Sprong for an opportunity that he ripped through McIntyre’s five-hole.

Sprong’s second goal on the night pulled him into a tie with Charlotte’s Warren Foegele for the league lead in rookie goal scoring (26).

On his first shift back after retreating to the locker room for an injury evaluation, Joseph Cramarossa sniped the glove side of McIntyre and extended the Penguins’ lead to 3-1.

Anton Blidh halted the spread of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s wildfire when he beat Tristan Jarry clean over the glove on the rush, pulling the P-Bruins back within one at 8:54 of the second stanza.

Both teams’ offenses were held in check until midway through the final period. Teddy Blueger pulled off a sensational deke in tight quarters and roofed a shot right under the crossbar for a Penguins insurance maker, putting them up, 4-2.

Jarred Tinordi flipped the puck into the empty net in the game’s closing seconds to round out the scoring at 5-2.

Both Jarry and McIntyre ended up with 27 saves on the night.

The Penguins’ next game is Friday, Mar. 30 when they travel to Connecticut to take on the Hartford Wolf Pack for the final time this season. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is Saturday, Mar. 31, and they’ll host the Providence Bruins once again. Saturday’s puck drop between the Penguins and P-Bruins is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Individual tickets for the final four home games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 19th season of hockey are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS LOSE FINAL GAME OF WEEKEND TO BRIDGEPORT, 6-3

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins couldn’t muster the same comeback magic they showed earlier in the week as they closed out their three-in-three weekend set with a 6-3 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Sunday afternoon.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s (38-20-6-2) excellent power play effort early in the final period was not enough to draw even with the well-rested Sound Tigers, who were idle the night earlier after the Penguins were coming off of three-straight overtime contests.

Though the Penguins opened the game with a 4-0 shot advantage through the first six minutes, the Sound Tigers eventually struck first. Rookie Ryan Hitchcock collected his own rebound on a blocked shot, and his second attempt bounced off of a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman past Tristan Jarry midway through the opening period.

Hitchcock caused problems for the Penguins again by factoring in on the Sound Tigers’ second goal of the game. During a power play in the final minutes of the opening frame, Hitchcock nailed the crossbar and the rebound rolled right to a wide open Travis St. Denis who buried it into the Penguins’ net.

Ryan Bourque scored a pair of goals at 4:53 and 9:40 of the second period to put the Sound Tigers up, 4-0.

Chris Summers put the home team on the board with under five minutes left in the middle frame, marking his first goal in a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton uniform. The celebration for Summers’ first goal in over a year was short-lived, as Steve Bernier reestablished the Sound Tigers’ four-goal lead less than two minutes later.

The Penguins came out with a purpose in the third period, and took advantage of some early power plays dealt their way. First, Jean-Sébastien Dea buried during a two-man advantage, swiftly followed by a strike by Andrey Pedan. Suddenly, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had slashed its deficit in half with 16:15 still left to play.

However, the rest of the final frame of regulation was marred by penalties assessed to both sides, and St. Denis eventually added a power play, empty net goal in the game’s dying seconds to close out the scoring, 6-3.

The Penguins finished the game two-for-six on the power play, while their penalty kill unit was put to work 11 times on the afternoon.

Jarry stopped 25 shots for his first regulation loss in the AHL since Oct. 14, 2017, while the opposing Eamon McAdam made 24 saves on the afternoon.

The Penguins’ next game is Wednesday, Mar. 28 when they host the Providence Bruins. Puck drop between the Penguins and P-Bruins is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

 

PENGUINS DOWN DEVILS IN SHOOTOUT, 5-4

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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins scored early and often through the first half of the game, but still needed the shootout to nab a 5-4 win over the Binghamton Devils at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday night.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (38-19-6-2) got a big game from Garrett Wilson, including the game-winning goal in the eighth round of the shootout, so it could remain unbeaten in five games against Binghamton this season.

The Penguins got off to a quick start by tallying the first goal of the night just 1:14 into the contest. Jarred Tinordi ripped a shot from the point that beat Mackenzie Blackwood over the shoulder for a career-best fourth goal of the season. The lead was short-lived though, as the Devils’ Jacob MacDonald scored just 2:10 later to tie it up, 1-1.

Joseph Cramarossa sniped a shot bar-down just before the halfway point of the first period to put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton back on top, 2-1.

The Penguins extended their lead to 3-1 and got a monkey off their back with a power play goal, their first in 18 attempts against the Devils. Andrey Pedan snapped one past Blackwood with Wilson setting a blinding screen in front at 6:38 of the second period. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton added another goal at the 13:39 mark of the middle frame when another Pedan shot from the point was tipped in by Wilson.

With less than 30 seconds left in the second period, Binghamton cut their deficit down to two thanks to a man advantage marker set up by Bracken Kearns to Nick Lappin.

The Devils carried the momentum of the late power play goal through the intermission, reducing the Penguins’ lead to 4-3 a little over two minutes into the third period. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman Zach Trotman broke up a centering pass sent across the net-mouth, but the bouncing puck then hopped onto Blake Speers’ stick, and the rookie rifled it past Michael Leighton.

Binghamton finally pulled even at 10:29 of the third period as Mario Lucia came down the right wing on a two-on-one rush and ripped a shot into the Penguins’ net.

The Devils even had an opportunity to take their first lead of the game when Andrey Pedan was assessed a four-minute double minor for high-sticking with 5:59 left in regulation. However, the Penguins put forth a textbook penalty killing performance and forced the game to overtime for their third game in a row.

Daniel Sprong scored the shootout’s first goal on the Penguins’ third attempt, but with the game on the line, the Devils’ John Quenneville responded in kind immediately thereafter. Both teams were turned aside by the opponent’s netminder until round eight, where Wilson put one over Blackwood’s shoulder for the victory.

Leighton made 37 saves in regulation and overtime before denying the Devils on seven of their eight shootout bids. Blackwood turned aside 28 of the Penguins’ 32 shots on goal and made six stops in the shootout.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 25, when they take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Tomorrow’s tilt with the Sound Tigers is also a Kids Get In Free Sunday. Children aged 14 and under can attend the game free of charge with the paid purchase of an adult ticket.

Puck drop between the Penguins and Sound Tigers is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS COME BACK FROM DOWN 3-0, BUT LOSE IN OVERTIME

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UTICA, N.Y. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins erased a three-goal deficit to force overtime, but ultimately fell in the extra frame, 5-4, to the Utica Comets at Adirondack Bank Center on Friday night.

Coming from behind to extend the game past regulation for the second contest in a row, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (37-19-6-2) reduced their magic number to clinch a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs down to 11.

Utica started constructing their lead at 91 seconds into the game when Michael Carcone beat Tristan Jarry following a turnover in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s defensive zone.

Michael Chaput struck on the Comets’ first power play of the contest, sniping the near-side top corner over Jarry’s shoulder midway through the opening frame. The puck blistered in and out of the net so quickly that the referee initially deemed there to be no goal, but a short video review revealed Chaput’s shot had crossed the goal line.

Chaput scored again to make it 3-0 at 15:27 of the first period, only to see Jean-Sébastien Dea answer back 29 seconds thereafter. Dea’s tally marked a dramatic momentum shift in the game as the Penguins proceeded to unload a barrage of shots at Thatcher Demko in the last four minutes of the frame, but they couldn’t cut into the 3-1 hole before the first intermission.

Daniel Sprong worked to get Wilkes-Barre/Scranton within one at 5:30 of the second period by stripping Utica defenseman Ashton Sautner of the puck at the blue line and converting on a two-on-none rush for his team-leading 24th goal of the year.

Midway through the game a hit away from the play by Guillaume Brisebois on Thomas Di Pauli knocked the Penguins forward out of the contest. Afterwards, chaos ensued. The Penguins and Comets combined for 38 penalty minutes in the middle frame.

The Comets cooled from their hot tempers first, and composed themselves enough for Zac Lynch to deposit a bar-down goal with 3:02 left in the second period. Lynch’s first of the season made it 4-2, Utica.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captain, Tom Kostopoulos, knocked in a rebound to bring his team back within one goal at 11:15 of the final frame of regulation. Then, Gage Quinney mustered the 4-4 equalizer when only 2:10 remained.

The Penguins earned a point in the standings by forcing overtime, but the Comets walked away with the win thanks to Sautner’s game-winner 1:15 into the extra session.

Jarry recorded 33 saves, while the opposing Demko posted 37 stops.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 24, when they visit the Binghamton Devils. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday, Mar. 25. Puck drop between the Penguins and Sound Tigers is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS FORCE OVERTIME AGAINST FIRST PLACE MARLIES

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TORONTO, Ont. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins put forth a strong offensive effort in a match-up with the Toronto Marlies with 40-shots and twice coming from behind, but still lost in overtime, 4-3, at Ricoh Coliseum on Tuesday night.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (37-19-5-2) matched the AHL’s top ranked team throughout regulation, and still earned a valuable point in the standings with the loss in extra time.

Toronto got the game’s first goal midway through the first period. Kyle Baun won the puck from the Penguins defense below the goal line, then banged in a rebound beside Tristan Jarry.

On their second man advantage of the night, the Marlies’ Andrew Nielsen capitalized and put his squad up, 2-0, at 15:37 of the opening frame. However, two minutes later, Daniel Sprong stripped Toronto defenseman Martin Marinčin of the puck right at the Marlies’ net-mouth and notched his team-leading 23rd goal of the season to pull the Penguins within one.

After Sprong’s turnover tally, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ended the period with a fury of shots, but goaltender Garret Sparks weathered the storm. The Penguins’ momentum carried into the second period, and Sparks was solved once again when Garrett Wilson tied things up on a tipped shot 1:42 into the middle frame.

Calle Rosén regained the Marlies the lead, 3-2, at 14:48 of the second period.

Heading into the second intermission, the Penguins had mustered 31 shots on goal, but were still trailing by one goal.

Early in the third period, Ethan Prow evened the score with a big blast from the blue line that navigated through traffic and past Sparks at 3:49 of the final frame of regulation.

Toronto turned up the heat after Prow’s equalizer, but it became Jarry’s turn to stifle an opponent’s bevy of scoring opportunities. Jarry, making his first net appearance for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since Feb. 3, denied all 15 of the Marlies’ shots in the third period to help his team force overtime.

The Marlies emerged victorious in the extra frame as Adam Brooks put the game away on a two-on-one 1:17 into OT.

Jarry recorded 36 saves on the night, while Sparks was one better with 37.

The Penguins’ next game is Friday, Mar. 23 when they visit the Utica Comets. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday, Mar. 25. Puck drop between the Penguins and Sound Tigers is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.