PENGUINS SMACK SENATORS, 8-3
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – No luck was needed for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, as they overwhelmed the Belleville Senators, 8-3, during the team’s St. Patrick’s Day game on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (31-15-7-1) unleashed the offense for a second-straight game. Sam Poulin led the way with a career-best four points and a natural hat trick during the third period. Joona Koppanen generated three assists and Ville Koivunen also tallied three points (1G-2A) as the Penguins have racked up 15 goals in their two contests to start the weekend.
Sergei Murashov also stopped 32 shots, improving to 7-0-0 in the AHL. As a result, the 20-year-old netminder established a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton franchise record for longest winning streak to start an AHL career.
Murashov faced seven shots in the first three minutes of the game and turned them all aside. Another test came when Murashov shut the door on a shorthanded breakaway for Belleville. Moments later, Koivunen made a beautiful feed to Rutger McGroarty, who opened the scoring at 6:37.
A stretch pass by Avery Hayes sprung Vasily Ponomarev up ice to beat Leevi Meriläinen through his five hole and give the Penguins a two-goal lead. But one minute later, Belleville tied the game on a tip-in be Angus Crookshank.
Early in the second period, Koivunen stepped out of the penalty box, took a feathery feed from Hayes, and launched a wrist shot to the back of the net. Once again, the Senators responded swiftly, this time with Zack MacEwan lighting the lamp.
Exactly three minutes after MacEwan’s goal, Tristan Broz wired a quick wrist shot past Meriläinen’s blocker side. This put the Penguins ahead 4-2 and proved to be the last straw for Meriläinen, who was replaced by Malcom Subban with 11:51 remaining in the second frame.
On the second shot attempt on the Belleville’s relief netminder, Nikolai Knyzhov fluttered a puck through traffic and extended Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lead to 5-2.
MacEwan netted his second goal of the night just over a minute into the third period, but Poulin’s first of three third-period goals arrived 12 seconds later. Poulin tacked on another goal 1:44 later to gather his 100th AHL point.
Poulin completed the hat trick with just 6.3 seconds remaining, the Penguins’ eighth hatty of the season.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wraps up its three-in-three weekend at home tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 9, when the Syracuse Crunch come to town. Puck drop from Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza will be at 3:05 p.m.
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