WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins emerged victorious over the Springfield Thunderbirds, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (21-14-5-0), in its franchise-record ninth-straight game decided by one goal, put forth a stingy defensive effort and saw its offense spearheaded by Vinnie Hinostroza (1G-1A) and Alex Nylander (2A).
Magnus Hellberg fell under siege early, thwarting a Will Bitten breakaway. Hellberg had to turn aside another odd-man rush for the T-Birds, after their forwards managed to creep behind the Penguins defense again.
Jakub Vrána eventually opened the scoring, netting a breakaway goal nine minutes into the first period.
Owen Headrick powered home his first AHL goal with 3:27 remaining in the opening frame. Hinostroza, who ignited the rush with his speed, found Headrick joining the play, and the defenseman unleashed a laser slap shot through the five-hole of Malcolm Subban.
Ninety-four seconds into the second period, Hinostroza burned Subban through the five-hole again, giving the Penguins a one-goal lead. Nylander, who reached 200 AHL points with a pair of assists, stole the puck from a T-Birds defender and left it for Hinostroza to scoop and score.
After Hellberg fended off an early second-period barrage by Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton proceeded to surrender just five shots on goal in the final 32 minutes of gameplay. Springfield’s most dangerous chance came on a third-period power play, when an attempted pass hit off a Penguin and ricocheted towards the goal line. Hellberg sprawled over to keep it out of the net, and after an official video review, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s one-goal lead remained intact.
Hellberg finished with 22 saves in the Penguins’ winning effort, while Subban picked up 31 stops for the T-Birds.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will host the Hartford Wolf Pack for its next game on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Game time between the Penguins and Wolf Pack is scheduled for 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.
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