Wilkes Weekly: Even up weekend on the road
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had a 1-1 week on the road, blowing a 3-1 lead against Utica then coming back strong with a 5-0 shutout victory against rival Hershey. Here’s a succint recap from WBSPenguins.com: Friday, Oct. 30 – PENGUINS 3 at Utica 4The Penguins and Comets went head-to-head on the night before Halloween, and Utica […]
During the week of October 16, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins experienced an uneven road record, dropping a 3-1 decision against Utica before rebounding with a dominant 5-0 triumph over Hershey. This was relayed by WBSPenguins.com.
On Friday, the Penguins and Comets faced off on Halloween, with Utica pulling off a three-goal surprise early. Avery Hayes scored a shorthanded goal and Bill Zonnon countered with a second-period power play tally, putting the Black and Gold up 3-1. The Comets answered with a double-digit goal rush late in the second period, sealing the game with 30.8 seconds remaining.
The next day, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton asserted their superiority in a 5-0 thrashing of Hershey. Taylor Gauthier shined in goal, stopping all 40 shots on goal, while Melvin Fernström, Zonnon, Rutger McGroarty, Mikhail Ilyin and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard all contributed on the power play and in regulation overtime.
The trend of goal discrepancies has continued this season with Joel Blomqvist conceding 17 goals in five games despite a 3.41 GAA and .864 save percentage, while Taylor Gauthier has posted a much-improved 43-save shutout and a solid 2.02 GAA and .939 save percentage on just ten games. Goalie decisions may soon become a critical factor in managing playing time.
Looking at veteran contributors, Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes have shown strong play in their AHL returns, while Phil Kemp has been a dependable presence with seven assists in nine games. Other seasoned players like Hugh McGing (1G+7A) and Rafael Harvey-Pinard (making his seasonal debut) continue to bolster the roster. Atley Calvert, Mikhail Ilyin, and Bill Zonnon have displayed promising performances early on.
With ten games completed in the 72-game schedule, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are positioned as a team finding their footing among divisional competitors, currently third in points percentage. Their upcoming series against the Charlotte Checkers, ranked first in the division, will be a crucial test of their development.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
