WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ended their exhibition preseason schedule with a 5-2 triumph over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ends its four-game preseason slate with a 3-1-0-0 record while outscoring its opponents 12-3. Jordan Frasca led the Penguins’ offense in its preseason finale with a pair of goals, including the game-winner.
Lehigh Valley notched the night’s first goal with Alex Kile knocking in a rebound at 2:51 of the first period. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton responded with goals from Jagger Joshua and Jack St. Ivany separated by less than a minute.
Frasca’s first of the game arrived with 14.6 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Dillon Hamaliuk muscled his way from below the goal line to set up Frasca for the slam dunk that put the Penguins ahead, 3-1.
Adam Karashik cut Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lead back down to one on a breakaway at 5:13 of the second period, but Lukas Svejkovsky reestablished the two-goal edge with his fourth point of the preseason five minutes later.
Up 4-2 midway through the second period, the Penguins were assessed back-to-back penalties that put the Phantoms on a two-man advantage. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton staved off the five-on-three kill, and only allowed two shots while both penalties were being served. The Penguins penalty kill finished the preseason a perfect 10-for-10.
Frasca put a bow on things with an empty-net goal at 15:16 of the third period.
Penguins goalie Taylor Gauthier recorded 25 saves for his second victory of the preseason.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opens its 2023-24 regular season on the road, visiting the Charlotte Checkers on Friday, Oct. 13. Game time for the season opener is 7:00 p.m. at Bojangles’ Coliseum. The Penguins’ home opener will be Saturday, Oct. 21 against the Springfield Thunderbirds. The home opener will feature a 6:05 p.m. start 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.
