WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost their last game before the New Year, falling to the Charlotte Checkers, 6-2, on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Defenseman Jack St. Ivany scored his first AHL goal in the third period, but that milestone came after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (16-12-3-0) had already fallen into a five-goal deficit. The Checkers received a pair of goals from Zac Dalpe and Patrick Giles to secure the win after losing to the Penguins the night before.
After going 0-for-5 on the power play in Friday night’s tilt against the Penguins, Dalpe made good on the Checkers’ first man advantage in the rematch. Dalpe rocketed a one-timer to the back of the net at 15:44 of the opening frame.
Brendan Perlini and Matt Kiersted scored goals less than a minute apart midway through the second period, extending Charlotte’s lead to 3-0.
Before the second intermission arrived, Giles banged one in at the side of the net to make it 4-0. On the other side of the intermission, Giles notched a shorthanded goal 23 seconds into the third period.
The Penguins finally got on the board with a blast from Dmitri Samorukov at 5:11 of the third. His goal was followed by St. Ivany’s strike seven minutes later.
Dalpe potted another power-play goal for Charlotte late in regulation, bringing the game to its final score of 6-2.
Taylor Gauthier picked up 33 saves in the loss for the Penguins, while Checkers goalie Ludovic Waeber was responsible for 26 stops.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Jan. 5 against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at MassMutual Center. The Penguins will return home the next night, Saturday, Jan. 6, to face-off with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Game time for the first meeting of the season between the Penguins and Phantoms is 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 25th season of hockey 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. Individual-game tickets are also available by visiting Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367.
