WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Maxim Pavlenko posted a shutout in his first AHL start for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to defeat the Utica Comets, 4-0, on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (9-3-1-0) received 20 saves from their rookie goalie from Kazakhstan, snapping a three-game skid and earning the club’s first victory of November.
The Penguins opened the scoring 15 minutes into the first period when Atley Calvert tallied a power-play goal, set up nicely by Aaron Huglen. Huglen wove into the attacking zone, deked past a defender, and provided a backdoor pass to Calvert, who banked it across the goal line.
The first of two goals in the middle frame came just under six minutes in. Comets goalie Jakub Málek initially denied Chase Pietila’s bid from the point, but Mathieu De St. Phalle whipped in the rebound to make it 2-0.
Huglen again helped create the Penguins third goal, dishing to Valtteri Puustinen who then dropped the puck to Sam Poulin. Poulin fired a laser past Málek for a 3-0 lead at 13:06 of the second period.
Tristan Broz notched his team-leading seventh goal of the season late in the third period after Utica opted to pull its goalie for an extra attacker.
Málek recorded 23 saves in the loss for the Comets, while Pavlenko became the second Penguins goalie to secure a shutout this season.
The Penguins return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 12, when they take on the Bridgeport Islanders for a school day game. Puck drop is set for 10:30 a.m. at Total Mortgage Arena.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is Friday, Nov. 14, also against the Islanders. Game time is slated for 7:05 p.m. from Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2025-26 season, including Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans, as well as Corporate Partnership opportunities are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367. Individual-game tickets are also available by visiting Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza Box Office or calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367.
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