WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were defeated by the Belleville Senators in overtime, 3-2, on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
A goal from Jacob Larsson gave the Senators the comeback victory halfway into the extra session. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (5-4-1-0) still gained a point in the standings thanks to a lights-out performance by its special teams.
A first-period power-play goal from Austin Rueschhoff put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead, 1-0. Rueschhoff tipped in a thundering slap shot by Xavier Ouellet at 7:24, to give the Penguins power-play goals in six of their last seven games.
That lead for the Penguins persisted until late in the second period, when Senators forward Angus Crookshank tallied off a faceoff win.
Colin White conjured another man-advantage marker for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with under five minutes left to play. White launched a wrist shot off the crossbar and in, putting the Penguins in a 2-1 lead.
However, the Senators tied the game with an extra-attacker goal with 33.6 seconds remaining in regulation. Garrett Pilon swept in a loose puck, sending the contest to overtime.
Penguins goalie Taylor Gauthier made two strong stops on odd-man rushes in OT, but a rebound collected off his pads by Pilon was ushered back to the blue line for Larsson. Larsson found the back of the net, ending the game.
Gauthier, who was making his season debut for the Penguins, stopped 26 shots. Senators netminder, Leevi Meriläinen, made 27 saves for the Senators.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is back on the ice Friday, Nov. 10, to take on the Syracuse Crunch. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Upstate Medical University Arena. The back-to-back, home-and-home set with the Crunch returns to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 11. Saturday’s rematch will begin at 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.
