ROOKIES POWER PENGUINS PAST T-BIRDS, 2-0

BOXSCORE

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins started the Atlantic Division Final by taking Game 1 from the Springfield Thunderbirds, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton received an all-around, stifling team effort, but rode strong performances from a handful of rookies to jump out to an early lead in the best-of-five series.

Bill Zonnon, who joined the Penguins four days prior, scored the game-winning goal while making his pro debut. Tanner Howe also notched the first playoff tally of his pro career, and goaltender Sergei Murashov thwarted 24 shots for his first playoff shutout.

Zonnon broke a longstanding, 0-0 stalemate nine minutes into the second period. The 19-year-old shoveled a backhander past the far pad of Georgi Romanov, ending a 137:20 shutout streak for the Thunderbirds’ netminder.

Murashov faced a blitz of high-danger scoring chances in the late stages of that middle frame, but he held firm for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to maintain its 1-0 lead.

Howe extended that lead to two with a top-shelf finish on a breakaway at 7:19 of the third.

The Penguins lightened the load for Murashov by allowing only five shots after Howe’s insurance marker.

Romanov made 23 saves in the loss for Springfield.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will stay on home ice for Game 2 of the series, Thursday, May 12. Puck drop between the Penguins and T-Birds is set for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Individual playoff game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367 or at wbspenguins.com. Penguins Playoff Packages are also available only by reaching out to the Penguins directly.

Playoff packages, which are billed on a pay-as-we-play basis, include tickets to every confirmed home game during the postseason. Each package also comes with an $8 voucher for every home game, which can be redeemed at Savor concession stands or at the Penguins Igloo Team Store located inside Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on each designated game date.

Every minute of Penguins playoff 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.