HARTFORD, Conn. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost to the Hartford Wolf Pack, 5-0, on Friday night at XL Center.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1-2-0-0) was stonewalled by an old teammate, as former Penguin Louis Domingue pitched a 35-save shutout for the Wolf Pack.
Hartford rookie Brett Berard opened the scoring midway through the second period, as his shot from the slot was deflected into the air, then arched behind Magnus Hellberg and into the Penguins’ net.
At this juncture, the Penguins had several solid looks to tie the game, including a one-timer by Vinnie Hinostroza, a rebound attempt by Joona Koppanen and several close-range chances for Avery Hayes. Domingue rebuffed them all.
Jonny Brodzinski rifled a shot to the top corner with 1:29 left in the middle frame.
Set up on a precise, backhand saucer pass from Alex Belzile, Riley Nash made it a 3-0 game at 6:21 of the third period.
A pair of empty-net goals courtesy of Conner Mackey and Adam Edström put things to bed for Hartford.
Hellberg finished with 29 saves on 32 shots faced for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Penguins will skate out for their home opener tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 21, against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, and the first 5,000 fans will receive a magnetic 2023-24 schedule courtesy of Geisinger.
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.
