Penguins Suffer Narrow, 2-1 Loss to Checkers
AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Suffer Narrow, 2-1 Loss to Checkers

Published on December 17, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - A late push by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came up short in a 2-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (19-7-1-0) suffered back-to-back losses at home for the first time all season, despite another strong effort in net by goaltender Joel Blomqvist. His valiant, 29-save effort kept the Penguins in the game, but time ran out before the team could muster an equalizer.

Charlotte scored the game's first goal with fewer than two minutes left in the first period. Kai Schwindt drove to the crease and elevated a feed over Blomqvist's shoulder for the 1-0 lead.

Within the first 90 seconds of the second period, Valtteri Puustinen broke loose for his second breakaway of the night. For the second time, he was thwarted by Checkers goalie Cooper Black.

The Checkers went ahead, 2-0, when Nolan Foote took advantage of a turnover by Blomqvist at 6:39 of the middle frame.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a golden opportunity to cut into the deficit with a lengthy, five-on-three power play before the second intermission. Black held down the fort, ensuring his club stayed up by a pair entering the third period.

Blomqvist made several marvelous saves to prevent Charlotte from running away with the game, including a penalty shot at the nine-minute mark of the third.

Phil Tomasino lit the lamp to bring the Penguins within one with 8:34 left to play. Owen Pickering thread the puck from his defensive zone to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard at the far blue line. With two defenders draped on his back, Harvey-Pinard spun around to whip a pass backward to Tomasino in the slot, who went top shelf for the finish.

After pulling Blomqvist for an extra attacker, the Penguins were ultimately denied a tying tally, as Black and the Checkers defense remained solid throughout the last 60 seconds of regulation.

Black made 23 saves in the win for Charlotte.

The Penguins' next game is on Friday, Dec. 19, against the Utica Comets. Puck drop between the Penguins and Comets is set for 7:00 p.m. from Adirondack Bank Center.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next home game is the following night, Saturday, Dec. 20, also against Utica. As part of the Penguins' Winter Holiday Weekend, the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Penguins Nutcracker giveaway. Saturday's game is slated to start at 6:05 p.m. from Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Season-ticket packages for the Penguins' 2025-26 season, including Full-Season, 22-game, 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

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from December 17, 2025


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.

OurSports Central