PENGUINS PULL AWAY IN THIRD, DEFEAT PHANTOMS, 6-2
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins uncorked four goals in the third period to pull away from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon at PPL Center.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (29-12-2-2) received goals from six different scorers on its path to victory. Defenseman Matt Dumba put forth a four-assist performance, establishing a new single-game high in his professional career.
Aidan McDonough put the Penguins in a 1-0 lead after heavy pressure caused the Phantoms’ dam to burst. After pick-pocketing Lehigh Valley as it crept out to the neutral zone, McDonough and the Penguins sped back onside and eventually knifed the puck across the goal line 14-and-a-half minutes into the first period.
Lehigh Valley evened the scales with a power-play goal courtesy of leading-scorer Lane Pederson at 4:35 of the middle frame. However, the Penguins regained the lead on a sizzling shot by Nolan Renwick midway through the second period.
Boko Imama took advantage of a Phantoms turnover, waltzing in for a breakaway and deking around Aleksei Kolosov to put the Penguins ahead by a pair two minutes into the third period.
A pivotal moment in the contest occurred when the Phantoms were booked for back-to-back penalties, granting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a five-on-three power play. Avery Hayes slammed one in during the two-man advantage, and Owen Pickering scored during the five-on-four power-play time thereafter, extending the Penguins’ lead to 5-1.
Lehigh Valley clapped back with a backdoor tap-in by Anthony Richard 29 seconds after Pickering’s power-play tally, but anything resembling a late-game rally failed to materialize.
Dumba gathered his fourth assist on a tic-tac-toe set up to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard at 12:53 of the third, rounding out the day’s scoring.
Joel Blomqvist secured the win with 23 saves for the Penguins. Kolosov stopped 21 of the 27 shots he faced.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is on Wednesday, Feb. 4 against its other Keystone State rival, the Hershey Bears. Puck drop between the Penguins and Bears is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2025-26 season, including Full-Season, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans, as well as Corporate Partnership opportunities 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 Arena at Casey Plaza Box Office or calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367.
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