WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Hershey Bears combined for one of the most back-and-forth third periods a hockey fan could ever see, but the Penguins fell to their Atlantic Division rival in the end, 5-3, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Sunday evening.
Penguins defenseman Will O’Neill led his team’s valiant rally attempts by assisting on all three of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s goals in the contest, establishing new career highs for single season assists (41) and points (49).
Ryan Bourque took a saucer pass from Jakub Vrána and rifled it into the Penguins’ net at 5:10 for the contest’s first goal and Bourque’s first tally since being traded to Hershey on Feb. 28.
Just after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton killed off back-to-back-to-back penalties, Garrett Mitchell’s sharp angle try found its way in, giving Hershey a 2-0 lead with at 11:39 of the second period.
With time ticking down in the middle frame, Kael Mouillierat tipped in a power play goal with 7.1 seconds left in the second period, cutting Hershey’s lead in half, 2-1.
The third period turned out to be one for the ages, as the two squads combined for five goals in the final 6:42 of gameplay.
Dominik Simon – fresh off of a two-goal performance the night before against Hershey – snuck a backhand shot past Justin Peters at 13:13, tying the game, 2-2.
A minute and one second later, Mitchell scored his second of the game, reestablishing the Bears’ one-goal lead. Eighty-eight seconds after that, Carter Rowney blasted home a power play goal for another equalizer, knotting the score at 3-3.
Chandler Stephenson got open on the back door and put it in the back of the Penguins’ net 1:27 after Rowney’s goal for the eventual game-winner.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tried to find another tying goal with the goalie pulled in favor on an extra attacker. Simon struck iron on a shot to the left of Peters, but would not go in. Chris Bourque eventually scored an empty netter with 32 seconds left in regulation to seal the victory for Hershey, 5-3.
Casey DeSmith, who appeared between the pipes for the Penguins for the first time since Jan. 3, recorded 18 saves on 22 shots. Peters finished the evening with 33 saves.
