WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins dropped a 4-1 decision to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Not much separated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (23-25-4-5) and its turnpike rival for most of the night. However, a late second-period goal followed by a pair of empty netters provided the visitors with enough insurance to nab the win.
How Did the Phantoms Win?
Lehigh Valley opened the scoring early with rookie defenseman Ronnie Attard notching his ninth goal of the season at 3:37 of the first period.
The Penguins evened the scales with an even quicker strike to start the second frame. Sam Houde rifled a shot to the top corner during a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton power play at 2:35 of the second period.
Later in the middle frame, the Phantoms were awarded a 90-second, five-on-three man advantage, but the Penguins penalty kill clamped down with an inspired effort. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton held Lehigh Valley to just one shot on that two-man advantage and kept the game knotted at 1-1.
It looked like the 1-1 score would persist into the second intermission, until Cooper Marody corralled a bouncing puck and knocked it past Dustin Tokarski with 24.1 left in the second period.
Marody and Max Willman added empty-net goals in the final two minutes of regulation to lock down the win for Lehigh Valley.
Tokarski posted 22 saves for the Penguins, while Sam Ersson recorded 25 saves for the Phantoms.
Don’t Miss the Next Penguins Game?
The Penguins continue their four-game homestand tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 11, in a matchup with the Utica Comets. Tomorrow’s game is also Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s annual St. Patrick’s Celebration, featuring special, shamrock-themed uniforms. Puck drop between the Penguins and Comets is 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual game tickets for the Penguins’ remaining home games, as well as season-ticket packages for the 2023-24 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.
