Penguins Force Overtime, But Fall to Crunch, 3-2
Published on March 6, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell in overtime to the Syracuse Crunch, 3-2, on Friday night at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (36-14-5-2) climbed out of a two-goal hole and pushed the game to OT with a strike late in regulation. However, a power play in overtime opened the door for Syracuse to stave off the visitors' rally and secure the extra point.
Lucas Mercuri potted the winning goal, set up for a one-timer by the league's leading scorer, Jakob Pelletier. Pelletier earned his 60th point of the season 3:21 into the extra session, earning Syracuse the 3-2 decision.
The Crunch seized a 2-0 lead in the first period on a pair of goals scored in transition. First, Tristan Allard snapped in the opening tally on a two-on-one at the five-minute mark. Then Brendan Furry chopped in a feed from Pelletier at 7:46.
Rutger McGroarty slashed the Penguins deficit in half upon stepping on the ice for the second period. Ninety seconds into the frame, McGroarty handled a neutral zone turnover, sped into the attacking zone for an odd-man rush, then rifled the puck through Brandon Halverson's five hole.
The 2-1 score held deep into the third period thanks to several key stops by Sergei Murashov. Murashov denied 17-consecutive Syracuse shots before the Penguins pulled him for an extra attacker late in regulation.
After Aidan McDonough had a shot blocked by the Crunch, the rebound careened right to the tape of Melvin Fernström. Fernström let loose with a shot through traffic and beat Halverson with 23.6 seconds left, tying the game, 2-2.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had two excellent opportunities to win the game thwarted by Halverson before a holding penalty went against the Penguins at 2:27 of OT. Roughly one minute later, Mercuri won the game for Syracuse.
Murashov posted 20 saves, while Halverson notched 24 stops.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next game is next Friday, Mar. 13 against the Hershey Bears. Puck drop between the Penguins and Bears is set for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins' 2025-26 season, including 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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