HERSHEY, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins took Game 1 of their Atlantic Division Final series with the Hershey Bears thanks to the continued strong play of two rookies.
Daniel Sprong found the back of the net twice for his fourth and fifth goals of the season, and goalie Casey DeSmith put forth a 33-save shutout in het for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Daniel Sprong sniped the top corner on a breakaway just 45 seconds into the game, giving the Penguins an early 1-0 lead.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored even quicker into the second period, as Carter Rowney redirected a shot past Justin Peters a mere 14 ticks into the middle frame for a 2-0 Penguins lead.
Sprong picked his spot on a high rising shot again with a power play goal that put the Penguins up 3-0.
The Penguins captain, Tom Kostopoulos, sealed the victory with a shorthanded empty net goal with 2:53 to go in the game.
DeSmith’s shutout comes on the heels of him setting the franchise record for saves in a game, 59, in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s last game. The rookie’s clean sheet was the 13th shutout in Penguins history.
You must be logged in to post a comment.