PENGUINS CLINCH ATLANTIC DIVISION BY BEATING BRUINS, 2-1

BOXSCORE

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins secured the top seed in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference for the Calder Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Providence Bruins on Sunday afternoon at Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Sunday’s win marked the first time that the Penguins reached the 50-win plateau (50-19-3-0) since the 2010-11 season. The Penguins also became just the fifth team to accrue 50 wins since the AHL reduced its schedule to 76 games (2011-12).

Cody Wydo put the Penguins on the board with his first AHL goal, burying a rebound 2:49 into the first period of play, gifting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton an early 1-0 lead.

Less than five minutes later, the Penguins doubled the score. Bruins goaltender Zane McIntyre turned over the puck to Ryan Haggerty whose shot was tipped by Zach Aston-Reese and then Jarrett Burton knocked in the rebound. With the primary assist, Aston-Reese improved his statline in the AHL to eight points (3G-5A) in eight games.

The Bruins finally got on the board a mere 40 seconds into the third period on the man advantage. Jake DeBrusk knocked in a shot from the side of the net, bringing Providence within one.

With the goalie pulled in favor of an extra attacker in the final minutes of the game, Casey DeSmith continually stifled the Bruins before the final buzzer signaled the 2-1 win for the Penguins.

DeSmith stopped 33 of 34 shots in the win for the Penguins. McIntyre turned aside 27 shots in the loss for the Bruins.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Wednesday, Apr. 12, when they face off against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Puck drop between the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Individual game tickets for Wednesday’s game and 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.

Penguins ticket packages, including packages for the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, are available directly through the Penguins offices by calling (570) 208-7367.