The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins played a lot of hockey this weekend, finishing up their three-game set with a 2-1 record. Here's a recap of the action.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had nine days off between hockey games. They last played against the Laval Rocket on Jan. 15, losing 4-3.
On Friday, they opened a home-and-home set with the Utica Comets, splitting the series 1-1 thanks to a 5-3 loss and a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Wrapping up their weekend action, the Penguins defeated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.
The two wins give WBS a 22-10-4-0 record through 36 games and 48 points, good for fourth place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Charlotte Checkers.
Utica 5 -- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3
Tristan Jarry started on Friday night, and the Comets went up 1-0 on a game's first shot off Brian Halonen at 4:36. Meanwhile, Jesse Puljujarvi, making his season debut with the Penguins had an assist on Dan Renouf's game-tying goal at 11:07. The Comets regained the lead at 16:01 when Colton White scored.
Xavier Parent extended the home team's lead to start the second before Puljujarvi scored his first on the power play at 14:21. The Penguins went into the third down by a goal, 3-2.
Parent opened the scoring for the second consecutive period at 10:33 before WBS' Sam Poulin tallied his seventh at 18:14. Despite cutting the deficit to 4-3, Ryan Schmelzer scored into an empty net to seal the 5-3 win.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2 -- Utica 1
Back at home for Saturday's tilt, the Penguins tapped rookie prospect Sergei Murashov for the start. In a low-scoring affair, the Comets got on the board first at 13:34 of the first with a Shane Bowers tally.
Before the end of the first, at 14:43, Rutger McGroarty tallied his sixth of the season thanks to assists from Renouf and Ville Koivunen.
Neither team scored in the second before Vasily Ponomarev scored the eventual game-winner at 3:03 of the third, with Puljujarvi and Valtteri Puustinen chipping in assists.
The Penguins didn't get any power play opportunities but were perfect on the penalty kill (3/3), with Murashov making 29 saves in his first AHL game since Nov. 30.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 5 -- Lehigh Valley 1
Riding the momentum from Saturday's win, the Penguins dominated the Phantoms on home ice, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first period.
Emil Bemstrom opened the scoring at 11:36 before Avery Hayes extended the lead at 13:20. Meanwhile, with two seconds left, Mac Hollowell netted his first of the year (on the power play) while Bemstrom and Ville Koivunen picked up their second helper of the period.
Lehigh Valley had the only goal in the second at 11:16 off the stick of Cooper Marody. His power-play goal was the only one that got past Jarry on the afternoon, as he finished the game with 16 saves.
Bemstrom netted his second of the night at 13:43 before completing his second hat trick of the year with his second power-play goal at 19:41.
After three games in less than 72 hours, the Penguins are off until Wednesday, when they host the Atlantic Division-leading Hershey Bears.
