Four-goal third sends Pens to 6-2 win over Phantoms

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.