Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Forces Game 7 with Decisive 6-2 Win
May 13, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins kept their postseason run alive and forced a Game 7 in the Atlantic Division Final with an authoritative 6-2 victory over the Hershey Bears on Friday night.
Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos rallied his teammates with a five-point performance, tying the team's franchise record for points in a single playoff game.
The Penguins were rewarded for their fierce forecheck early in the game when Kael Mouillierat snuck a sharp-angle shot through Bears goalie Justin Peters, giving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 1-0 lead at 10:52 of the first period.
Kostopoulos tipped in the Penguins' second goal of the game at the 15:16-mark of the opening frame.
Immediately after killing off a Hershey power play, Carter Rowney and Kostopoulos combined to force a turnover and complete a give-and-go play culminating in Rowney's finish for a 3-0 lead with 1:38 to go in the first. And they weren't done yet.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's lead ballooned to 4-0 after Will O'Neill found a power play goal while only 12 were left in the period.
Bears defenseman Tyler Lewington crept up from his regular spot on the blue line and put Hershey on the board at 12:51 of the second period, but Jake Guentzel reestablished the Penguins' four-goal advantage just 2:41 later.
The Penguins went up 6-1 at 3:30 of the third period on another Rowney goal assisted by Kostopoulos. The helper was Kostopoulos' fourth of the game, making him the first forward in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton history to hit five points in a playoff game.
Zach Sill tipped in a power play goal in the waning minutes of the third, bringing the game to its final score of 6-2.
Casey DeSmith made 18 saves in net for the Penguins. Justin Peters stopped eight of 12 shots faced before being replaced at the start of the second period by Dan Ellis. Ellis made 14 saves in his relief appearance.
Game 7 of the Atlantic Division Final between the Penguins and Bears kicks off at 5:00 p.m. at Giant Center this Sunday, May 15.
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