Penguins Shoot Down Rocket on Star Wars Night, 3-1
AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Shoot Down Rocket on Star Wars Night, 3-1

Published on March 28, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, PA - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins dispatched of the Laval Rocket, 3-1, on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (40-16-6-2) earned its 40th win of the 2025-26 season while hosting its annual Star Wars Night. The Force was strong with Avery Hayes, who scored twice and recorded a point on each of his team's three goals. Sergei Murashov also demonstrated the mental acuity of a Jedi Knight, fending off 33 shots in front of 7,340 fans.

The Penguins blitzed the Rocket from the start, racking up the first eight shots of the game in less than four minutes of gameplay. However, it wasn't until Laval went to the power play that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's ninth shot found twine. Hayes beat Hunter Shepard through his five-hole for a shorthanded goal at 16:16 of the first period.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton held onto that one-goal lead through a second-period uprising from Laval, but a power-play goal by Alex Belzile pulled the Rocket even with 57.6 seconds remaining in the frame.

The tie game did not last long, as Aidan McDonough provided a response swifter than an X-wing starfighter. McDonough rifled a shot past Shepard on the rush a mere 14 seconds after Laval tied things up.

Hayes extended the Penguins' lead to 3-1 four-and-a-half minutes into the third, posting his team-leading 22nd goal of the season with a dart past Shepard's blocker.

Murashov and his defense held off a chaotic surge by Laval late in regulation and restored peace to the galaxy.

Shepard finished the night with 21 saves for Laval.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next game is tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 29 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Game time for the Penguins' Sunday matinée is 3:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

The Penguins have eight games left in their regular season before starting their run in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Postseason opponents and schedules are yet to be determined, but fans can cheer on the team throughout its entire playoff run by purchasing a Penguins Playoff Package.

Playoff packages, which are billed on a pay-as-we-play basis, include tickets to every confirmed home game during the postseason. Each package also comes with an $8 voucher for every home game, which can be redeemed at Savor concession stands or at the Penguins Igloo Team Store located inside Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on each designated game date.

Penguins Playoff Packages, as well as individual-game tickets for the remaining regular-season home games are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367 or at wbspenguins.com.

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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American Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2026


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