Game Story: Belleville - 3 at W-B/Scranton - 2 (11/4/23) OT

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins jumped out to a strong enough start to win a hockey game.

They also got strong enough play in net from their goaltender - Taylor Gauthier - to win a hockey game.

The Penguins even got a two-goal performance on the power play, which is good enough to win most nights.

Instead, it was the Belleville Senators overcoming a late third period deficit to force overtime and steal the game in the three-on-three.

Garrett Pilon scored in the final minute of regulation with BSens goaltender Leevi Merilainen off for the extra attacker, and Jacob Larsson completed the comeback with his second game-winning overtime goal of the season 2:19 into the extra session.

The Pens took a 1-0 lead thanks to a power play re-direct from Austin Rueschhoff in the first frame, and appeared to take a stranglehold on the game when Colin White ripped a bar-down shot from center point with 4:35 left in regulation to make it a 2-1 game.

Ultimately, it wasn't meant to be for the Penguins Saturday night.

The Penguins dominated the start of the game, racking up 10 of the game's first 11 shots on goal in the opening half of the period en route to getting a power play tally to open the scoring.

Sam Houde and Xavier Ouellet passed back-and-forth from the point to the left-wing wall and back up top before Ouellet fired a quick shot through traffic that Rueschhoff was able to get a piece of to redirect the puck past Merilainen to put the Pens ahead 1-0 7:24 into the contest.

Belleville got a few chances on a power play of their own, but the Penguins PK was equal to the task.

After a pair of matching roughing minors in the final minute of the period, Belleville thought they tied they game with 52.2 seconds left before the first intermission when the puck crossed the goal line - only to have the goal called back for being played with a high stick.

Things were feisty to begin the middle frame, as Jonathan Gruden and Ryan MacKinnon were assessed fighting majors in the opening two minutes of the period.

Then, Jagger Joshua lined up Matthew Highmore with a big hit along the Penguins bench and was whistled for interference. Belleville defender Cameron Supryka approached Joshua, but Joshua shrugged his contact off and sent Supryka to the ice.

From there, the two teams settled in to an evenly played low-event hockey game.

It wasn't until the final 2:12 of the period - after an offensive zone face-off win - that Crookshank was able to fire a quick shot from the right-wing circle past Gauthier to even the game at 1-1 heading to third.

Gauthier needed to be sharp early in the third - making two big time stops to keep the game 1-1 with Belleville buzzing in the opening five minutes of the third.

The Penguins had some stretches of sustained pressure as well, but credit Merilainen at the other end for making some crucial stops to keep the game 1-1 into the final 11 minutes of regulation.

For the second time on the night, Belleville thought they scored only for it to be disallowed.

This time, with 9:26 left in regulation, Jack St Ivany was tripped behind the Penguins net - resulting in the puck bouncing out into the slot for a wide open Crookshank. Crookshank got it to go past Gauthier, but the referee whistled the delayed tripping penalty to Josh Currie and instead of a go-ahead goal the Senators found themselves shorthanded.

The Penguins failed to convert on that power play, but got another man advantage opportunity after Dillion Heatherington was whistled for cross-checking with 4:46 left in regulation.

Post-Game EXTRA!

Head coach JD Forrest

On fixing things overnight on the power play:

"I mean, the powerplay obviously was a big part of it yesterday that we wanted to do a better job of today and it saved us tonight. In the first period, we were good. And then we got away from it. I don't know if we got... I don't know, we just got away from what was working in the first and they had a good push there in the second and third."

On getting strong starts to games but not being able to sustain:

"I think the other teams are going to make a push, like they're playing good teams. So they're not just going to, after one period of, you know, getting it taken to them, they're not just going to come back and let the same thing happen. I think we have to do a better job of understanding that we get that advantage for a reason - we're playing a certain way - and then knowing that they're going to come out in the next period trying to prevent that and coming in with their own energy. And we have to come out with even more, you know, so that could be part of it, I think. Yeah, there's some things we definitely have to try to learn faster in the beginning of the season."

Belleville Senators Lineup Notes

Leevi Merilainen got the start in net for the Senators Saturday night. Mads Soogard served as the team's backup.

Senators Scratches: Kevin Mandolese, Donovan Sebrango, Bokondji Imama and Tyler Boucher

Lines/Pairings:

Cole Reinhardt - Matthew Highmore - Egor Sokolov Jiri Smejkal - Zack Ostapchuk - Garrett Pilon Angus Crookshank - Philippe Daoust - Josh Currie Graham McPhee - Brennan Saulnier - Tarun Fizer

Dillon Heatherington - Lassi Thomson Jacob Larsson - Max Guenette Cameron Supryka - Ryan MacKinnon

Leevi Merilainen (Backup: Mads Soogard)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Lineup Notes

Taylor Gauthier made his 2023-24 season debut with the Penguins Saturday night. Joel Blomqvist served as the team's backup.

Penguins Scratches: Garret Sparks, Mark Pysyk, Corey Andonovski, Andreas Johnsson, Sam Poulin, Justin Lee, Libor Hajek and Valtteri Puustinen

Lines/Pairings

Alex Nylander - Jansen Harkins - Avery Hayes Sam Houde - Colin White - Rem Pitlick Jagger Joshua - Jonathan Gruden - Marc Johnstone Matt Filipe - Joona Koppanen - Austin Rueschhoff

Ty Smith - Taylor Fedun Jack Rathbone - Dmitri Samorukov Xavier Ouellet - Jack St. Ivany

Taylor Gauthier (Backup: Joel Blomqvist)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

5:41: BEL - (PP) Heatherington, minor (tripping) 7:21: WBS - PPG Rueschhoff (2) - Ouellet, Houde 12:21: WBS - (PP) Harkins, minor (throwing equipment) 19:01: WBS - Hayes, minor (roughing) 19:01: BEL - Reinhardt, minor (roughing)

2nd Period

1:49: WBS - Gruden, major (fighting) 1:49: BEL - MacKinnon, major (fighting) 4:59: WBS - (PP) Joshua, minor (interference) 17:51: BEL - Crookshank (2) - Daoust

3rd Period

10:34: BEL - (PP) Currie, minor (tripping) 15:14: BEL - (PP) Heatherington, minor (cross-checking) 15:35: WBS - PPG White (2) - Pitlick 19:26: BEL - Pilon (3) - Highmore, Guenette

Overtime

2:19: BEL - Larsson (2) - Highmore, Crookshank

BOXSCORE

Belleville 0 - 1 - 1 - 1 = 3 W-B/Scranton  1 - 0 - 1 - 0 = 2

Shots

Belleville 6 - 6 - 14 - 3 = 29 W-B/Scranton  14 - 5 - 8 - 2 = 29

Goalies

BEL: Leevi Merilainen (27 saves - 29 shots) WBS: Taylor Gauthier (26 saves - 29 shots)

Power Play

BEL: 0-for-2 WBS: 2-for-3

Penalty Kill

BEL: 1-for-3 WBS: 2-for-2