WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Adam Johnson powered the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to an impressive 4-1 win over the Hershey Bears at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Friday night.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (5-2-0-0) received a two-goal, one-assist effort from Johnson, propelling them to a bounce-back win over their I-81 neighbors to the south after the Bears beat the Penguins on their home ice last week.
The Penguins played with plenty of intensity from the get-go, but didn’t get their first goal until 13:55 of the opening frame. Back from a two-game absence due to injury, Anthony Angello zipped a wrister over Vítek Vaněček’s glove for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s first shorthanded goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Tristan Jarry’s net was rarely threatened in the first period, as the Bears managed only six shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes of the contest. However, Jarry came up huge for the Penguins with a breakaway stop on the Bears’ Brian Pinho five minutes into the middle frame.
Johnson notched his first tally of the night, which was also his first marker of the year, by collecting a rebound following a mini-breakaway by Thomas Di Pauli and burying it behind Vaněček at 9:27 of the second period. Johnson struck again seven minutes later during an odd-man rush. Instead of forcing a pass, the second-year pro took it upon himself try and score on his own, and he rocketed a bar-down snap shot to tag Hershey with a 3-0 deficit heading into the intermission.
Jarry’s shutout bid was soiled by Liam O’Brien at 11:14 of the third period, but the Jimmy Hayes reissued the Penguins a three-score lead with a tip-in when less than five minutes remained in regulation.
Jarry turned away 27 shots in the win, while Vaněček finished the night with 24 saves on 28 shots faced.
The Penguins’ next contest is next tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 27, and once again they’ll take on the Hershey Bears, this time at Giant Center. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is next Friday, Nov. 2 against the Hartford Wolf Pack. Puck drop between the Penguins and Wolf Pack is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual tickets for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton home games can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, through all Ticketmaster outlets, or by contacting the Penguins’ offices at (570) 208-7367. Season ticket packages for the 20th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
Fans can also keep up with the Penguins through the AHL’s brand new high definition streaming service, AHLTV. Subscriptions for AHLTV, which include live and archived games, begin at just $79.99 for the entire 2018-19 regular season. Fans can visit theahl.com/AHLTV now to register for a free AHLTV account and purchase 2018-19 subscriptions.
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