SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins secured their first victory of the 2024-25 season by downing the Springfield Thunderbirds, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon at MassMutual Center.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1-1-0-0) received a 27-save effort from rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov to earn a win in his AHL debut. Sunday’s triumph also marked the first win in the AHL for head coach Kirk MacDonald.
The Penguins took the lead five minutes into the first period when Nate Clurman smacked in a rebound off the end boards behind the T-Birds’ net. When Jimmy Huntington wired a shot wide, the puck took a large bounce off the wall and back to the net-front where Clurman could clean it up.
Sam Poulin and Avery Hayes scored two minutes apart early in the second period to put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead by three. First, Poulin took a centering pass from Emil Bemström and pushed it past Colten Ellis from the slot. Only a few shifts later, Hayes roofed a loose puck to the top corner for his second goal in as many games.
The only time Springfield solved Murashov was on a bounce similar to one that victimized the T-Birds in the first period. A wide shot from the point hit a stanchion behind the net, then careened back the direction from which it came to be stabbed across the line by Mackenzie MacEachern with eight minutes left in the second period.
Murashov fended off all 10 shots he faced in the third period, thwarting any hope of a rally for Springfield. Boris Katchouk put things to bed by scoring a power-play goal with 4:23 to go in regulation.
Springfield goalie, Ellis, delivered 31 saves in the loss.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is on Friday, Oct. 18, when they take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The first matchup of the season between these Keystone State rivals is also the first Eyewitness News Fan Friday of the season, featuring $2 select draft beers on sale form 6:00-7:30 p.m. courtesy of Coors Light and postgame player autographs presented by Northeast Music Center.
Puck drop between the Penguins and Phantoms is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2024-25 season 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.
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.
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