WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came away with a definitive 5-1 win over the Hershey Bears on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (3-2-0-0) rode a pair of man-advantage markers from Alex Nylander and Sam Houde to victory, as well as a three-goal outburst in the third period. Joel Blomqvist shined in net for the Penguins, making 19 saves on 20 shots.
The Penguins’ first tally came three minutes into the opening period when Nylander and Sam Poulin executed a perfect two-on-one break that finished with a beautiful, bar-down shot that exploded off the stick of Nylander.
Blomqvist made a remarkable stop later in the first to keep his team ahead by one. Hershey executed a dizzying backdoor play and had a wide-open net to shoot at, but the left pad of the 21-year-old rookie goalie shot out along the goal line to prevent the puck from going in.
Hershey later managed to tie the game at 8:05 of the second period. Joe Snively delivered the lone blemish on Blomqvist’s night, rifling a shot from the slot to the top corner.
A double redirection of a shot by Jack St. Ivany put the Penguins back ahead 13 minutes into the middle frame. Houde was credited with the tip-in after an initial change of direction from Joona Koppanen’s stick.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rallied for three goals in 4:32 of game time in the third period, starting with Houde burying a rebound on the power play. Four minutes later, Marc Johnstone took advantage of a turnover and fired a wrist shot into the Bears cage. As if that was not enough for the Penguins, Vinnie Hinostroza converted on a breakaway mere moments later for his second goal in as many games.
The Penguins’ defense made sure the four-goal lead would stand, as the Bears only mustered six shots in the final period.
Clay Stevenson notched 20 saves while in net for Hershey.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wraps up its four-game homestand this Saturday, Oct. 28, against the Hartford Wolf Pack. Opening faceoff at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
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.
