Abbandonato Soars, But Penguins Sunk in OT, 4-3
December 2, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - A wild game ended with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins losing to the Springfield Thunderbirds in overtime, 4-3, on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Springfield defenseman Matthew Kessel scored the game-winning goal with 23.9 seconds left in the extra session, forcing a split with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (10-8-3-0) in the teams' home-and-home weekend series.
Like the previous night, the opening frame ended in a 0-0 tie. That changed when Peter Abbandonato potted his first goal as a Penguin 74 seconds into the second period. With carryover power-play time to start the second stanza, Sam Houde muscled a shot towards the net that Abbandonato steered across the goal line.
The Thunderbirds evened things up with a two-man-advantage tally from Zachary Bolduc during the middle frame.
Drew Callin put Springfield ahead, 2-1, at 4:31 of the third period, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's response was swift. Valtteri Puustinen scored on a delayed penalty after a vigorous battle for a loose puck around the T-Birds' net-front.
Operating on their eighth power play of the game, Matthew Peca put the T-Birds a one-goal lead with under four minutes to play.
When all hope seemed lost for the Penguins, Abbandonato struck again. His equalizer arrived with 99 seconds remaining and gave the recent trade acquisition the 100th point of his AHL career.
A heart-pounding, end-to-end overtime came to a screeching halt when Kessel tipped in a drive by Mathias Laferrière.
Penguins netminder Joel Blomqvist made 27 saves. Vadim Zherenko matched that effort with 27 stops for Springfield.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next game is Friday, Dec. 8, when it squares off with the Cleveland Monsters for the first time this season. Opening puck drop between the Penguins and Monsters is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins' 25th season of hockey are on sale now. Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367. Individual-game tickets are also available by visiting Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or calling the Penguins' front office at (570) 208-7367.
-penguins-
American Hockey League Stories from December 2, 2023
- Roadrunners Complete Sweep of San Jose - Tucson Roadrunners
- Reign Down Firebirds in Overtime - Ontario Reign
- Tristen Nielsen Scores Electrifying Game Winner as Canucks Beat Laval 4-3 - Abbotsford Canucks
- Condors Shoot Down Stars - Bakersfield Condors
- Condors Skate Past Stars to Salvage Split - Texas Stars
- Ostapchuk Strikes Twice as Sens Take Three-of-Four Points in Two-Game Set with Amerks - Belleville Senators
- Wallstedt Powers Iowa to 3-2 Win with Career-High 43 Saves - Iowa Wild
- Wallstedt Makes 43 Saves in Iowa's 3-2 Win Over Colorado - Colorado Eagles
- Kulich Scores Twice in 4-2 Loss to Senators - Rochester Americans
- Griffins' Win Streak Ends at Two Games with 4-2 Loss to Milwaukee - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Brennan Othmann Lights the Lamp Twice in Thrilling 5-4 Overtime Victory Over Phantoms - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Admirals Earn Win Over Griffins - Milwaukee Admirals
- Gulls Top Wolves, 4-1 - San Diego Gulls
- Phantoms Rally in 3rd at Hartford - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wolves Drop 4-1 Decision to Gulls - Chicago Wolves
- Richard's Two Tallies Help P-Bruins Past Islanders for Fourth Straight Victory - Providence Bruins
- Bruins Edge Islanders, 4-3 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Monsters Deliver 4-2 Win to Start Season Series with Comets - Cleveland Monsters
- Utica Defeats Harrisburg in 2023-24 Season Opener - Utica Comets
- Frank Turns Trick For Bears In 5-2 Win Over Checkers - Hershey Bears
- Abbandonato Soars, But Penguins Sunk in OT, 4-3 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- T-Birds Exact OT Revenge in Wilkes-Barre - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Checkers Drop Rematch with Hershey, 5-2 - Charlotte Checkers
- Comets Beaten by Monsters, 4-2 - Utica Comets
- Capitals Recall Goaltender Hunter Shepard - Hershey Bears
- Crunch Top Marlies, 3-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Goaltender Mitch Gibson Re-Assigned to Bears - Hershey Bears
- Roadrunners Forward Ryan McGregor Receives First Recall to the Arizona Coyotes - Tucson Roadrunners
- Crevier Called up to Blackhawks, Kaiser and Phillips Join IceHogs on Road Trip - Rockford IceHogs
- Game Preview: Condors v Stars, 7 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Game #20: Tucson Roadrunners vs. San Jose Barracuda - Tucson Roadrunners
- IceHogs to Host Outdoor Practice in Belvidere December 12 - Rockford IceHogs
- Pre-Game Report: Wolf Pack Host Phantoms in Annual Teddy Bear Toss Game - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild at Colorado Eagles - Iowa Wild
- Game Preview: Bears at Checkers, 6 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Wranglers Defeat Silver Knights - Calgary Wranglers
- Blue Jackets Loan Goaltender Daniil Tarasov to Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
- Bridgeport Islanders Host Bruins for 'Teddy Bear Drive' Night - Bridgeport Islanders
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
