WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Springfield Thunderbirds, 3-1, on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza, completing a perfect sweep of their three-game week.
Rutger McGroarty and Joel Blomqvist returned from preseason injuries, and both players left their mark on the team’s fourth-straight win. With a goal from McGroarty and a 23-save victory for Blomqvist, the Penguins improved to 12-3-1-0 on the season.
The Penguins opened the scoring just 2:20 into the night with Raivis Ansons supplying the tally. Ansons picked up a lively rebound that popped back to the blueline, and he then snapped a shot under the crossbar for his first goal of the season.
Shortly thereafter, Boko Imama and Kale Kessy dropped the gloves for a center-stage fight that brought the crowd to its feet. After serving his five minutes for fighting, Imama tipped in a high-rising wrister and made it 2-0 at 12:51 of the first period.
McGroarty let the Thunderbirds know he had no intentions of beginning his season without a goal, scoring 66 seconds into the middle frame. McGroarty soared down the left wing and cut across the T-Birds’ crease to slide a backhand shot through the five hole of Georgii Romanov.
Springfield got back into the game with a power-play goal from Hugh McGing at 11:52 of the second period.
Blomqvist denied all 12 shots that he faced in the final 20 minutes of play, ensuring his return from IR ended in the win column. Romanov made 21 saves while manning the crease for Springfield.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is on the road, Friday, Nov. 21 against the Hartford Wolf Pack. Puck drop between the Penguins and Wolf Pack is set for 7:00 p.m. from PeoplesBank Arena.
The Penguins’ next home contest is on Black Friday, Nov. 28, when they host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It also serves as another 28/22 News Fan Control Friday, featuring $2 beers on sale from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. courtesy of Coors Light and postgame player autographs presented by Northeast Music Center. Game time for the Pens and Phantoms will be 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.