WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell to the Syracuse Crunch by a 6-3 score on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (6-5-1-0) split its back-to-back, home-and-home series with Syracuse after Saturday’s result. The Penguins received a pair of goals from defenseman Jack Rathbone, but the team had no answer for the Crunch’s trio of Gage Goncalves, Félix Robert, and Mitchell Chaffee, who combined for seven points.
Joe Carroll notched the game’s first goal for Syracuse at 7:31 of the first period. Chaffee cashed in on a power play four minutes later, making it 2-0.
A breakaway goal from Maxim Groshev and a Goncalves spin-o-rama ballooned the Syracuse lead to 4-0 in the second.
Austin Rueschhoff delivered a man-advantage marker for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 13:40 of the middle frame, but Syracuse answered quickly as Chaffee reestablished his team’s four-goal lead.
Rathbone tallied the first of his two goals on the power play at 12:26 of the third period, making it 5-2. The defender’s first goal as a Penguin tempted Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to pull its goalie for an extra attacker with six minutes left in regulation. That gamble resulted in Groshev shuffling the puck into the empty net for a 6-2 Syracuse lead.
Rathbone rounded out the scoring with his second strike of the night with 2:36 left in regulation.
Taylor Gauthier made 19 saves on 26 shots before being replaced by Garret Sparks. Sparks turned away all seven shots he faced in relief. Brandon Halverson denied 26 shots for the Crunch.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is on Wednesday, Nov. 15 against the Hershey Bears. Game time for the Penguins and Bears is 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
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.
