
Penguins Beat Bears in Regular Season Finale, 3-2
April 15, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
HERSHEY, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ended the 2017-18 season on a high note, defeating the Hershey Bears, 3-2, at Giant Center on Sunday evening.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ends the season with a 45-22-6-3 record worth 99 points, and it also concludes the 2017-18 campaign on an eight-game win streak against its bitter rival from Hershey.
Daniel Sprong kicked off the scoring for the Penguins on the power play at 10:32 of the opening period. Sprong notched his team-leading 11th man advantage marker and 32nd goal overall this season, which also pulled him into a tie for the second-most tallies in the AHL.
As time was ticking down in the first period, Jarrett Burton shot the puck off the post and in with 18.1 seconds left in the frame to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 2-0 lead. Making his AHL debut, Jan Drozg recorded his first pro point with the secondary assist on Burton's goal.
The second period was largely uneventful until Dustin Gazley buried one for the Bears 32 seconds before the intermission.
Gage Quinney re-established the Penguins' two-goal lead by smacking in a rebound at 6:15 of the third period. Kevin Schulze picked off a breakout pass in the Bears' zone, tapped it over to Sprong who was denied by VÃtek Vanecek, but Quinney was in the perfect spot for the loose puck. Schulze gathered his first AHL point with the assist on the play.
Desperate to try and tie the game in front of their home fans in the season finale, the Bears pulled Vanecek for an extra attacker while they were on the power play with 4:20 left in the game. The gamble paid off as Jeremy Langlois found the back of the net during the six-on-four man advantage, making it a 3-2 contest.
Hershey pulled Vanecek again in hopes of getting another extra attacker goal, but never challenged Anthony Peters again before the sound of the final buzzer.
The Penguins wrap up the season 10-0-1-1 against the Bears, the best single-season record in the 19-year history of the I-81 Rivalry.
Both goalies were billed with 27 saves.
Next up for Penguins is the first round of the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs. They will face-off against the Charlotte Checkers in a best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinal series, starting with Game 1 at Bojangles' Coliseum on Friday, Apr. 20.
Ticket packages and individual game tickets for the Calder Cup Playoffs are now on sale. With the purchase of a postseason ticket package, fans will receive a $6 food/merchandise voucher for every game played in the playoffs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fans can secure their seats for every game on the Cup run by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
American Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2018
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- Moose Take Season Finale 3-1 - Manitoba Moose
- Amerks Weekly Storylines - Rochester Americans
- Moose Edge Wolves in Regular-Season Finale - Chicago Wolves
- Penguins Beat Bears in Regular Season Finale, 3-2 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Checkers Roll into Playoffs with Win Streak Intact - Charlotte Checkers
- Bears Season Ends with 3-2 Loss to Penguins - Hershey Bears
- Bridgeport suffers home loss in season finale - Bridgeport Islanders
- Valentin Zykov Wins AHL Goal Scoring Title - Charlotte Checkers
- Marlies' Sparks and Pickard, Rocket's Terry, Checkers' Zykov Win AHL Honors - AHL
- Sens Fall to Toronto in Season Finale - Belleville Senators
- First-Round Schedules Announced for 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs - AHL
- Phantoms Unveil Calder Cup Playoffs First Round Schedule - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Checkers to Face Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in First Round - Charlotte Checkers
- Penguins Reveal First Round Playoff Schedule - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Devils Finish Season with OT Loss to Comets - Binghamton Devils
- P-Bruins Net Two Goals in the Final Period to Win Regular Season Finale - Providence Bruins
- Comets Send Devils Packing on a Sunday Afternoon - Utica Comets
- Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Matthew Peca from Syracuse Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- T-Birds Battle Back Twice, But Can't Squeak by Bruins - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Devils Sign Joey Anderson to Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract - Binghamton Devils
- Griffins Announce Roster Transactions - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Barracuda Announce 2018 First Round Playoff Schedule - San Jose Barracuda
- Barracuda, Roadrunners Announce First Round Playoff Dates and Times - Tucson Roadrunners
- Syracuse Crunch Announce Roster Moves - Syracuse Crunch
- Blue Jackets Recall Goaltender Jeff Zatkoff from Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
- Marlies to Face Comets in First Round of Calder Cup Playoffs - Toronto Marlies
- Game Preview: 80th Anniversary Season Comes to a Close Tonight - Hershey Bears
- Comets Announce 2018 Calder Cup Round One Schedule - Utica Comets
- Marlies Host Senators in Final Game of Regular Season - Toronto Marlies
- Game Day Build-Up: Senators at Marlies, April 15 - Belleville Senators
- Roadrunners' Wondrous Regular Season Capped with 6-3 Win - Tucson Roadrunners
- Condors Win Finale in Front of over 7,000, 5-1 - Bakersfield Condors
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- Defeat Knocks Gulls from Playoff Contention - San Diego Gulls
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- Wolves Ice the Hogs to Repeat as Lottery Cup Champs - Chicago Wolves
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