Koppanen's Three Points Rally Penguins Past Comets, 4-2
Published on December 19, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
UTICA, N.Y. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Utica Comets, 4-2, on Friday night at Adirondack Bank Center.
Joona Koppanen spearheaded the team's offense with three points (2G-1A), helping Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (20-7-1-0) pick up its 20th win of the season in just 28 games.
The Penguins were awarded the night's first power play early in the contest, but the Comets seized an opportunity to score shorthanded. Kyle Criscuolo broke loose for a breakaway and tucked a backhanded finish top-shelf 2:13 into the game.
Shortly after the expiration of that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton power play, the contest was tied. Koppanen ripped a shot through traffic and under the crossbar for his first of two tallies.
Penguins defenseman Mathew Dumba was called for a five-minute major penalty for interference midway through the opening period. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton staved off the first three minutes of that major power play, but eventually Utica broke through. A centering pass careened off of Criscuolo's skate and trickled underneath Sergei Murashov at 13:38.
Koppanen pulled the Penguins even again six minutes into the second frame on a wild sequence of events. Comets goalie Nico Daws shuffled behind his net to play a dump-in and swept it to a teammate to his left. That teammate reversed the puck back behind the Utica cage, but it bounced off of Koppanen towards the crease, then ricocheted off of Daws' heel and across the goal line.
Koppanen fed Boko Imama on an early third-period rush, who proceeded to launch a dart to the far-side top corner behind Daws. Fifty-one seconds into the third, the Penguins had their first lead of the night.
Murashov thwarted Utica at every turn in that final frame before Tristan Broz sealed the win with an empty netter, his team-leading 10th goal of the season.
Murashov finished with 23 saves, improving his AHL record this season to 9-2-0. Daws stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced for Utica.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton returns home for a rematch with Utica tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 20. As part of the Penguins' Winter Holiday Weekend, the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Penguins Nutcracker giveaway. Game time between the Penguins and Comets is slated for 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins' 2025-26 season, including Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans, as well as Corporate Partnership opportunities 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 Arena at Casey Plaza Box Office or calling the Penguins' front office at (570) 208-7367.
Every minute of Penguins hockey can be watched online with the league's streaming service, AHLTV on FloHockey. AHLTV on FloHockey provides its subscribers access to not just every regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff game for all 32 AHL teams, but also more than 21,000 hockey contests from other professional and junior leagues on FloHockey, as well as access to all other live event streams and replays across FloSports.
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