Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Charges Towards Three-In-Three of In-State Rivals

Published on March 10, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release

Penguins (36-14-5-2) magic number down to six

Weekly Rewind

Wednesday, Mar. 4 - PENGUINS 4 vs. Springfield 5

A spirited third-period comeback fell short in a razor-thin, month-opening loss for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Aidan McDonough scored twice on the power play and set up Tanner Howe for a four-on-four goal in between. McDonough's three points helped tie the game, 3-3, but a man-advantage marker and subsequent empty netter gave Springfield enough insurance to survive another late surge by Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.

Friday, Mar. 6 - PENGUINS 2 at Syracuse 3 (OT)

The Penguins came back from down 2-0 to force overtime, but lost on a power-play goal in extra time. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's rally started with Rutger McGroarty tallying 90 seconds into the second period. Melvin Fernström notched the tying goal with 23.6 seconds left in regulation.

The Week Ahead

Friday, Mar. 13 - PENGUINS vs. Hershey

The Penguins open a three-in-three by welcoming the Hershey Bears to town. The Bears' rookie duo of Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall continue to impress this season: Cristall leads all league rookies with 31 assists, while Protas ranks second among rookies with 24 goals and 48 points.

Saturday, Mar. 14 - PENGUINS vs. Lehigh Valley

The Penguins host their time-honored St. Patrick's Day game with the new-look Phantoms coming to town. Recent trades have brought in forwards Boris Katchouk and Brett Harrison as well as D-men Jackson Edward and David Jiøíèek to Lehigh Valley, but the team has dropped six of its last seven.

Sunday, Mar. 15 - PENGUINS at Lehigh Valley

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton closes its three-in-three weekend with a visit to Allentown. The Penguins' combined record against its two in-state rivals is 13-1-1-0 (.900) so far this season.

Ice Chips

- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's magic number to clinch a playoff berth is six.

- The Penguins have an 11-game point streak on the road, going 9-0-2-0 (.864) since Jan. 14.

- Since the start of February, Aidan McDonough has seven goals and nine points in 12 games.

- Sergei Murashov ranks fourth overall in goals against average (2.15) and save percentage (.922). He leads all rookie goalies in both categories, as well.

- The Penguins have out-scored opponents 73-43 in third periods, the second-highest single-period goal total and goal differential (+30) in the league.

ATLANTIC DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pts%

1. Providence 55 43 11 1 0 87 .791

2. PENGUINS 57 36 14 5 2 79 .693

3. Charlotte 56 33 18 5 0 71 .634

4. Hershey 57 26 23 6 2 60 .526

5. Bridgeport 57 24 25 3 5 56 .491

6. Lehigh Valley 56 24 26 3 3 54 .482

7. Springfield 56 22 27 5 2 51 .455

8. Hartford 55 22 27 4 2 50 .455

TEAM LEADERS

SKATERS GP G A PTS

Tristan Broz 45 14 20 34

Ville Koivunen^ 28 11 22 33

Avery Hayes^ 36 19 11 30

Aidan McDonough 51 15 15 30

Atley Calvert 55 11 18 29

GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts

Sergei Murashov* 30 20-6-3 2.15 .922 3

Joel Blomqvist 19 10-5-3 2.62 .908 1

* = rookie

^ = recalled to Pittsburgh

X = no longer in organization

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME

Fri, Mar. 13 Hershey Mohegan Arena 7:05 p.m.

Sat, Mar. 14 Lehigh Valley Mohegan Arena 6:05 p.m.

Sun, Mar. 15 Lehigh Valley PPL Center 3:05 p.m.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

DATE PLAYER TRANSACTION

Thu, Mar. 5 (D) Emil Pieniniemi Reassigned by PIT from WHL

Fri, Mar. 6 (RW) Avery Hayes Reassigned from PIT

Fri, Mar. 6 (RW) Avery Hayes Recalled to PIT

Fri, Mar. 6 (LW) Ville Koivunen Recalled to PIT

Mon, Mar. 9 (D) Jack St. Ivany Conditioning loan from PIT

American Hockey League Stories from March 10, 2026

• New York Rangers Assign F Brett Berard to Hartford Wolf Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
• IceHogs to Honor Rockford Icemen for Live Jersey Auction Fundraiser - Rockford IceHogs
• Canucks Sign Brimmer to One-Year AHL Contract - Abbotsford Canucks
• Bears Face Three-In-Three Weekend - Hershey Bears
• San Diego Gulls Recall Drew Elliott from Tulsa - San Diego Gulls
• Utah Mammoth Recall Max Szuber - Tucson Roadrunners
• Ontario Reign Weekly - Week 23 - Ontario Reign
• New York Rangers Recall F Brett Berard from Wolf Pack, Assign F Brendan Brisson - Hartford Wolf Pack
• Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Vol. 32, No. 22 - Syracuse Crunch
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Charges Towards Three-In-Three of In-State Rivals - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
• Griffins to Play Three Games in Three Days - Grand Rapids Griffins
• T-Birds Acquire D Wyatt Newpower from Syracuse Crunch - Springfield Thunderbirds
• Syracuse Crunch Acquire Forward Matthew Peca from Springfield Thunderbirds - Syracuse Crunch
• Amerks Sign Douglas to Amateur Tryout - Rochester Americans
• Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Defenseman Steven Santini from Syracuse Crunch - Syracuse Crunch

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.

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