SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell to the Springfield Thunderbirds by a 5-3 score on Saturday night at MassMutual Center.
Ville Koivunen recorded a point on all three of his team’s goals, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (28-13-5-1) was stonewalled during its third-period comeback bid.
A fast-paced first period concluded with the Penguins in a 1-0 lead thanks to an unassisted goal by Koivunen. The T-Birds fumbled the puck away on a breakout, allowing Koivunen to snatch it up and snap a shot behind Colten Ellis at 16:21.
The T-Birds tallied 31 seconds into the middle frame on a bid by Aleksanteri Kaskimäki that ricocheted off of a Penguins’ skate and underneath Tristan Jarry. However, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton responded 46 seconds later as Boris Katchouk tucked a shot under the crossbar.
Springfield tied the game at two thanks to Otto Stenberg at 14:23 of the second period, then the T-Birds took the lead on a slap shot from Corey Schueneman with 26.1 seconds left before the intermission.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton continued to pressure Ellis, but the T-Birds’ netminder refused to let the Penguins tie the game. Eventually, a net-front tip by Springfield captain Michael Peca extended his team’s lead to 4-2 at 14:33 of the final frame.
Valtteri Puustinen swept in a power-play goal with 3:01 remaining in regulation, but an empty netter by Nikita Alexandrov put things to bed.
Ellis ultimately made 30 saves for his 18th win of the season. Jarry posted 22 saves on 26 shots for the Penguins.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wraps up its three-in-three weekend tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 23, with a matinée matchup against the Providence Bruins. Game time for the Penguins and P-Bruins is slated for 3:05 p.m. at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The Penguins’ next home game is Tuesday, Mar. 4, when the team welcomes the Belleville Senators to town. Puck drop between the Pens and Sens will take place at 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
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