Penguins Lose to Checkers, 5-2
Published on January 24, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
WILKES-BARRE, PA - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were defeated by the Charlotte Checkers, 5-2, on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Playing its seventh game in 11 days, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (27-12-2-2) saw its opponent score four-straight goals that put the game in a stranglehold. Goals allowed early and late in periods allowed Charlotte to safely secure the win, and take the eight-game season series, five games to three.
The Penguins grabbed the game's opening goal at 13:10 of the first period. Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen strung together a series of passes, leading to Gabe Klassen muscling the puck across the goal line for his 11th goal of the season.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton held that 1-0 lead until Mackenzie Entwistle drove one to the back of the Penguins' net with 43.1 seconds left in the opening frame. Charlotte then went ahead 30 seconds into the second period on a tip-in by Ben Steeves.
Jack Studnicka scored on the first power play of the night for either team, redirecting a shot from the blue line behind Joel Blomqvist at 14:50 of the second. Another man-advantage marker by the Checkers extended their lead to 4-1 when Robert Mastrosimone's cross-crease pass hit off of a Penguin and went in with only three seconds remaining in the period.
Avery Hayes set up Aidan McDonough with a behind-the-back feed from below the goal line midway through the third period. However, that was all for the Penguins' offense, and an empty netter by Wilmer Skoog wrapped things up for Charlotte.
Blomqvist made 35 saves on 39 shots faced, while Checkers goalie Cooper Black stopped 20 shots in the win.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next game is exactly one week away, Saturday, Jan. 31. The Syracuse Crunch made their first visit to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza as the Penguins host their annual Crosscheck Cancer Night presented by Geisinger. Puck drop between the Penguins and Crunch is slated for 6:05 p.m.
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.
-penguins-
American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2026
- Gulls Taken Down by Canucks, 3-1 - San Diego Gulls
- Third-Period Surge Lifts Barracuda Past Condors, 5-3 - San Jose Barracuda
- Reign Get Past Eagles, 4-1 - Ontario Reign
- Canucks Defeat Gulls in 3-1 Win - Abbotsford Canucks
- Roadrunners' Comeback Bid Falls Short in 4-3 Loss at Henderson - Tucson Roadrunners
- Roadrunners Edged, 4-3, by Silver Knights - Tucson Roadrunners
- Ontario Flies out of Gates to Top Eagles, 4-1 - Colorado Eagles
- Condors' Road Unbeaten Run Ends in San Jose - Bakersfield Condors
- Tucker Terrific in Overtime - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wolf Pack Drop 4-1 Decision to Toronto Marlies - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Penguins Lose to Checkers, 5-2 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Leason Helps Bears Salvage Point in 4-3 OT Loss to Phantoms - Hershey Bears
- Ads Get Second Straight over Iowa - Milwaukee Admirals
- Wolves Wallop IceHogs 4-1 - Chicago Wolves
- Milwaukee Outlasts Iowa 4-2 - Iowa Wild
- Syracuse Crunch Roll Past Utica Comets, 6-3 - Syracuse Crunch
- Amerks Come up Short to Monsters - Rochester Americans
- Halonen Strikes Twice, Comets Fall to Crunch 6-3 - Utica Comets
- Merilainen Shuts the Door as Belleville Blanks Springfield 1-0 - Belleville Senators
- Sens' Netminder Merilainen Steals 1-0 Win over T-Birds - Springfield Thunderbirds
- P-Bruins Grab Two Points in Shootout Victory over Islanders - Providence Bruins
- Checkers Cruise to 5-2 Win over Penguins - Charlotte Checkers
- Sawchenko Shines in Monsters 2-1 Win over Amerks - Cleveland Monsters
- Islanders Earn Point in 4-3 Shootout Loss to Bruins - Bridgeport Islanders
- Marlies' Rifai Suspended for One Game - AHL
- Abbotsford Canucks Calder Cup Legacy Sealed with a Ring - Abbotsford Canucks
- Roadrunners Recall Maxim Barbashev from Utah Grizzlies - Tucson Roadrunners
- Wolf Pack Sign Defenseman Parker Gavlas to PTO - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Reign Preview - Ontario vs. Colorado - Ontario Reign
- Bears Loan Simon Pinard to Stingrays - Hershey Bears
- Capitals Re-Sign Bogdan Trineyev to Two-Year Contract - Hershey Bears
- Preview: Condors at Barracuda, 6 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Forward Jakob Pelletier from Syracuse Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- Keystone Showdown to Conclude Weekend Homestand - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild at Milwaukee Admirals - Iowa Wild
- Game Preview: Bears at Phantoms, 7:05 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Bears Sign Phip Waugh to Professional Tryout - Hershey Bears
- Reign Edge Firebirds, 3-2 - Ontario Reign
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.
