WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – For the fourth time this postseason, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins went to overtime. For the fourth time this postseason, the Penguins emerged victorious in OT.
Kael Mouillierat scored a power play goal 2:31 into the extra frame for the Penguins to beat the Hershey Bears, 2-1, and tie their Atlantic Division Final series at two games apiece.
“There’s a lot of emotion in these games, especially tonight,” Mouillierat said. “You could see it, not only from the drop of the puck, it was going on in warm-ups. You’ve got to give [the Bears] credit, they don’t give us an inch out there. We’ve got to earn everything we get, and luckily enough, we came out on top this time.
Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos tipped in the game’s first goal on the power play at 5:53 of the second period.
Hershey answered back with a man advantage goal of its own from Carter Camper at 9:37 of the middle frame.
After Wilkes-Barre/Scranton outshot its opponent 14-2 in the third period, the two teams remained tied and went to sudden death overtime. Thanks to a scrum at the conclusion of regulation, Steve Oleksy and Garrett Mitchell went to the box, and the Penguins and Bears began sudden death overtime skating four-on-four.
Madison Bowey took a holding the stick penalty 33 seconds into OT, giving the Penguins a four-on-three man advantage. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton couldn’t score four-on-three, but with Bowey still in the box, Mouillierat banged home a rebound and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
“If I had missed that, I might have just hung up the skates,” Mouillierat said of the loose puck that slid his way on the OT-winner. “This is exciting for us, but we’re going to enjoy it tonight for an hour or two and then refocus and get ready for Game 5.”
Making his first career Calder Cup Playoffs start, rookie goalie Tristan Jarry made 22 saves for the win. At the opposite side of the ice, Bears goalie Justin Peters held off the Penguins on 28 of 30 shots.
Hershey’s power play went one-for-six in the contest, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was one better at two-for-six on the man advantage.
The next contest in the Atlantic Division Final will commence on Wednesday, May 11 at Giant Center. Puck drop between the Penguins and Bears is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Chocolatetown.
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