Penguins Crush Crunch on Crosscheck Cancer Night
AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Crush Crunch on Crosscheck Cancer Night

Published on January 31, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Syracuse Crunch, 4-1, on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

In front of 6,682 fans on Crosscheck Cancer Night, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (28-12-2-2) built a three-goal lead through the first two periods. The team then closed things out with a stellar third period from their netminder. Both Matt Dumba and Gabe Klassen registered a goal and an assist, while Sergei Murashov put forth a shining, 26-save outing.

Avery Hayes opened the scoring at the seven-minute mark of the game, taking a give-and-go feed from Owen Pickering and firing a backhand shot behind Crunch goalie Ryan Fanti. Eighty-six seconds later, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard slapped home a rebound to extend the Penguins' lead to two.

Dumba launched a shot from the blue line that beat Fanti through his five-hole late in the second period, making it a 3-0 game.

Syracuse received the first power-play opportunity of the night two minutes into the third, and the Crunch made good on that man advantage. After several stellar saves by Murashov, Conor Geekie finally broke through with a scorching one-timer at 3:46 of the final frame.

The Crunch went right back to the power play moments later, but this time, the Penguins scored shorthanded to reestablish their three-goal edge. Fanti misplayed the puck to a teammate after leaving his crease, opening the door for Klassen to whip the puck from center ice into the empty net.

Murashov made nine-straight saves to close out regulation and secure victory for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Fanti made 14 total saves in the loss.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next game is tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 1, against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Game time for the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled to begin at 3:05 p.m. at PPL Center.

The Penguins' next home game is on Wednesday, Feb. 4 against their other Keystone State rival, the Hershey Bears. Puck drop for the Pens and Bears is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Season-ticket packages for the Penguins' 2025-26 season, including Full-Season, 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.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2026


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