WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins suffered a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Hershey Bears on Wednesday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
With their spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs etched in stone, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (44-17-7-2) elected to dress a lineup with a handful of young players, three of which were making their AHL debuts. Quinn Beauchesne, Ryan Miller and Broten Sabo – along with the rest of the Penguins – saw their spirited efforts thwarted by the 32-save performance of Bears goaltender Clay Stevenson.
Despite skating downhill and applying tons of pressure through the first period, the Penguins went back into their locker room down 1-0 at the end of 20 minutes. Hershey’s Corey Schueneman had a shot roll over Sergei Murashov’s shoulder, drop down behind his back and barely wobble across the goal line with 80 seconds left in the period.
The Bears ran their lead to 3-0 on two quick strikes to kick off the second frame. First, Ivan Miroshnichenko angled in a backdoor feed from Ilya Protas for a power-play goal 74 seconds into the period. Then Matt Strome blasted a slap slot to the back of the net at 3:18.
Atley Calvert put the Penguins on the board from his signature spot atop the crease at the 16-minute mark of the second stanza. After Chase Pietila’s heavy drive was thwarted by Stevenson, Calvert was there to stab home the rebound, marking his fourth-straight game with a goal.
However, the Penguins failed to solve Stevenson again in the third. Two empty netters by Hershey rounded out the night’s offense.
Murashov finished with 24 saves on 27 shots against.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Apr. 17 against the surging Bridgeport Islanders. It also marks the final 28/22 News Fan Control Friday of the season, featuring $2 beers on sale from 6:00-7:30 courtesy of Coors Light and postgame player autographs presented by Northeast Music Center.
Puck drop between the Pens and Isles is set for 7:05 p.m.
The Penguins have two games left in their regular season before starting their run in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Postseason opponents and schedules are yet to be determined, but fans can cheer on the team throughout its entire playoff run by purchasing a Penguins Playoff Package.
