CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost to the Charlotte Checkers, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon at Bojangles’ Coliseum.
One day after besting Charlotte, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (37-19-7-1) felt the wrath of Checkers leading scorer John Leonard, who gathered three points (2G-1A) in his team’s revenge game. As a result, rookie netminder Sergei Murashov suffered his first loss in his 12th start in the AHL.
Matt Kiersted buried his first goal of the season on Charlotte’s first shot of the afternoon four and a half minutes into the game.
Former Penguin Jesse Puljujärvi polished off a two-on-one rush at 12:57 of the first period, extending the Checkers’ lead to 2-0.
Murashov clamped down in the waning moments of the first period and during an early second-period surge from the Checkers, preventing Charlotte from sprinting away with an insurmountable lead.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finally broke through at 12:49 of the middle frame, when Atley Calvert slammed in a rebound.
The Penguins briefly tied the game with a dart by Valtteri Puustinen just 98 seconds into the third period. However, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton went to the penalty kill shortly thereafter, opening the door for Leonard to put Charlotte back ahead, 3-2.
Leonard and Rasmus Asplund later notched empty netters to conclude the day’s offense.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Apr. 4, when the Penguins square off against the Cleveland Monsters. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at Rocket FieldHouse
The Penguins return to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on Friday, Apr. 11 for another installation of their historic rivalry with the Hershey Bears. Puck drop between the Penguins and Bears is slated for 7:05 p.m. It will be the last WBRE 28/ WYOU 22 Fan Friday of the season. Select draft beers will be on sale for $2 from 6:00-7:30 courtesy of Coors Light, and there will be postgame player autographs presented by Northeast Music Center.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2025-26 season are on sale now. Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
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