WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins skated to a 2-1 shootout victory over the Hershey Bears in the Black and Gold’s preseason opener on Friday afternoon at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
With 17 saves and a perfect shootout from goalie Maxim Pavlenko, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton improved to 4-0-0-0 all-time in their annual ‘Learn With Hockey’ STEM & School Day Game, which started at 10:30 a.m.
The Penguins rode their morning coffee to a fast-paced start, testing Bears goalie Mitch Gibson with three shots in the first 32 seconds of the game. However, it was Hershey that struck first. When Pavlenko lost his balance after getting tied up with a teammate, Bears forward Kaden Bolsen took advantage with a wraparound at 2:22 of the opening frame.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton survived two penalty kills in the first period and did not surrender a shot after the 11-minute mark of the frame. That trend changed at the start of the second, as Pavlenko was tasked with handling 12 shots throughout the period.
Perhaps Pavlenko’s best sequence came midway through that middle frame. The Kazakh netminder first denied a point shot that was redirected up into his collarbone area, and then he sprawled out to snatch the rebound with his glove to prevent Hershey from extending its lead.
The Penguins finally broke through with a power-play goal from defenseman Chase Pietila with 5:03 left in regulation. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton out-bid Hershey 14-2 during the third period in a feverish attempt to tie the game, and Pietila’s blast from the high slot sent the game to overtime.
After no goals were scored in OT, the game went to a shootout. Gabe Klassen scored on the first attempt for either team, slyly nudging the puck through Seth Eisele’s five-hole. Pavlenko proceeded to deny all three Bears shooters, securing the win for the Black and Gold.
Gibson finished with 14 saves on 14 shots faced before being replaced by Eisele in the second intermission. Eisele steered aside 17 of the 18 shots he faced in the third period and overtime and denied two of three shootout attempts.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next preseason game is tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 3 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at PPL Center.
The Penguins will then take the ice for their 2025-26 season opener next Saturday, Oct. 11, when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack. Opening night puck drop will be 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2025-26 season, including Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans, as well as Corporate Partnership opportunities 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 Arena at Casey Plaza Box Office or calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367.
Every minute of Penguins hockey can be watched online with the league’s streaming service, AHLTV on FloHockey. AHLTV on FloHockey provides its subscribers access to not just every regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff game for all 32 AHL teams, but also more than 21,000 hockey contests from other professional and junior leagues on FloHockey, as well as access to all other live event streams and replays across FloSports.
By providing a telephone number, e-mail address, and submitting this form, you are consenting to be contacted by e-mail & SMS text message. Message & data rates may apply. You can reply STOP to opt-out of further messaging. See our privacy policy for more information.
