Game Story: Hershey - 1 at W-B/Scranton - 4 (4/13/24)

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Despite Friday night's 5-2 lopsided win on the scoresheet, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach JD Forrest told InsideAHLHockey.com that the team needed to be much better if they wanted to take care of business Saturday against the AHL's best team in the Hershey Bears.

Challenge accepted.

The Penguins came out with purpose and never took their foot off the gas, getting an early lead before breaking a 1-1 game in the second period on their way to three unanswered goals and a 4-1 win over the Bears to extend their season-high winning streak to seven games.

Avery Hayes continues to fill the net, scoring his sixth goal in as many games, while Jansen Harkins (goal, assist), Corey Andonovski and Sam Poulin also tallied goals in another game where the offensive production by the Penguins was spread up and down the lineup.

Ludovic Waeber was also solid in the Penguins' net Saturday, stopping all but one of the 23 shots he faced.

Hardy Haman Atkell was credited with the Bears' lone tally of the game, and it came on an attempted pass that hit a skate and bounced into the net on a bit of a fluke. Bears netminder Clay Stevenson stopped 26 of 30 in the loss.

Post-Game EXTRA!

Penguins head coach JD Forrest

On the team accepting the challenge after a not-so-good performance in Friday's win

"I thought we responded really well. You know, they took in the information that that we gave them today and kind of executed it right away with a quick turnaround. So I thought that our team did a great job, especially some of the newer guys of adjusting some information from one single game and making sure that they corrected it for the next night. I thought it was a really solid effort from our team from the drop of the puck."

Penguins forward Jansen Harkins

On tonight's effort against the league's top team

"I think we have had a lot of changes. I mean, even since I was here earlier in the year, so being able to play the same way throughout the whole season - that's pretty impressive. And, yeah, I think the guys worked their asses off today. So it definitely showed."

On the forecheck being a point of emphasis entering tonight's game

"It was for sure. Last night, after the first period - we weren't really on pucks first and were kind of letting them come at us and sitting back a little. So I think that was definitely, from the coaches [standpoint emphasizing] trying to set the tone of the game a little bit by getting on their [defense] and making it hard for them."

GAME STORY

Similar to Friday night's game, the Penguins came out with purpose in the opening period Saturday night.

In fact, the Penguins registered the first seven shots of the hockey game before the Bears got their first credited shot on goal, which came over five minutes into the contest.

After killing off a Sam Poulin tripping penalty in the first half of the period, Hayes continued his hot streak - scoring his sixth goal in as many games to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead with 8:58 left before the first intermission.

Scooter Brickey threaded the needle on a long pass from blue line to blue line for Beau Jelsma, who entered the offensive zone and left it for Hayes for a quick shot past Stevenson.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a golden opportunity to extend their lead to 2-0 in the final 1:15 of the period after back-to-back penalties to the Bears gave the Penguins 1:08 of 5-on-3 power play time, but they were unable to find the back of the net - instead taking the 1-0 lead and 45 seconds of carryover 5-on-4 power play time into the middle frame.

After failing to convert on both ends of the two Bears' penalties, the Penguins got themselves into a bit of penalty trouble in the middle frame - taking back-to-back penalties of their own and allowing Hershey to gain momentum.

The Pens were able to kill off both penalties, but the Bears scored to tie the game moments later after an attempted cross-ice pass from Haman Atkell intended for Matt Strome bounced off a Penguins defender's skate and blooped into the net 7:05 into the middle frame.

From there, the hitting and physicality picked up - bringing entertaining back-and-forth hockey between two rivals.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forced a turnover in the offensive zone after Corey Andonovski bowled over Logan Day down low, with Harkins eventually digging the loose puck out from the corner and taking it to the net - beating Stevenson with a well-placed shot to the short side to give the Penguins the lead back at 2-1 with 8:23 left before the second intermission.

The Pens once again had a power play opportunity late in the middle frame, but were once again unable to convert.

In the third period, the Penguins power play came through and helped the team extend their lead to 3-1 with 15:18 left in regulation.

After some good puck movement opened up some ice up top near the blue line, Harkins got the puck to Xavier Ouellet at the left point before Ouellet sent it across to Andonovski. Andonovski ripped a shot from the top of the right-wing circle through traffic - and a great screen of Stevenson by Sam Poulin - to give the Penguins the two-goal lead on Andonovski's seventh of the season.

The Penguins ended up holding Hershey to just five shots in the third, tacking on a deflection goal from Poulin in the final three minutes to complete the 4-1 final score.

Hershey Bears Lineup Notes

Clay Stevenson got the start in net for Hershey Saturday, while Hunter Shepard served as the team's backup goaltender.

Bears Scratches: Dmitry Osipov, Haakon Hanelt, Cam Allen, Brett Hyland and Garrett Roe

Lines/Pairings:

Pierrick Dube - Mike Vecchione - Ethen Frank Joe Snively - Jimmy Huntington - Alex Limoges Bogdan Trineyev - Henrik Rybinski - Matthew Phillips Ryan Hofer - Riley Sutter - Matthew Strome

Aaron Ness - Dylan McIlrath Hardy Haman Aktell - Logan Day Jake Massie - Chase Priskie

Clay Stevenson (Backup: Hunter Shepard)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Lineup Notes

Ludovic Waeber got the start in net for the Penguins Saturday night. Joel Blomqvist, who stopped 35 of 37 Friday, served as the team's backup and is line to get the start in Sunday's rematch against Hershey.

Two other changes for the Penguins from Friday's lineup as Isaac Belliveau made his AHL debut on defense in place of Owen Headrick, and Matthew Quercia returned up front with Lukas Svejkovsky sitting out as the final healthy scratch.

Penguins Scratches: Taylor Gauthier (week-to-week, lower body), Marc Johnstone (longer term, upper body), Vasily Ponomarev (longer term, lower body), Joona Koppanen (longer term, lower body), Logan Pietila, Ty Smith (longer term, lower body), Emil Jarventie, Peter Abbandonato (longer term, lower body), Max Cajkovic (loaned to Team Slovakia), Jonathan Gruden (week-to-week, upper body), Sam Houde (out for season, upper and lower body), Kalle Kangas, Lukas Svejkovsky and Owen Headrick

Lines/Pairings:

Jagger Joshua - Sam Poulin - Austin Rueschhoff Jansen Harkins - Evan Vierling - Corey Andonovski Beau Jelsma - Raivis Ansons - Avery Hayes Matt Filipe - Matthew Quercia - Mathieu De St. Phalle

Xavier Ouellet - Dmitri Samorukov Isaac Belliveau - Taylor Fedun Jack Rathbone - Scooter Brickey

Ludovic Waeber (Backup: Joel Blomqvist)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

6:23: WBS - (PP) Poulin, minor (tripping) 11:02: WBS - Hayes (6) - Jelsma, Brickey 14:13: WBS - Andonovski, minor (roughing) 14:13: HER - McIlrath, minor (roughing) 17:53: HER - (PP) Sutter, minor (tripping) 18:45: HER - (PP) Huntington, minor (slashing)

2nd Period

1:10: WBS - (PP) Andonovski, minor (tripping) 4:00: WBS - (PP) Jelsma, minor (tripping) 7:05: HER - Haman Atkell (2) - Hofer, Sutter 11:37: WBS - Harkins (5) - Vierling 17:27: HER - (PP) Ness, minor (hooking)

3rd Period

3:38: HER - (PP) Hofer, minor (tripping) 4:42: WBS - PPG Andonovski (7) - Ouellet, Harkins 17:16: WBS - Poulin (15) - Rathbone, Rueschhoff 17:17: WBS - Harkins, minor (unsportsmanlike conduct) 17:17: HER - Frank, minor (unsportsmanlike conduct) 19:29: WBS - (PP) Belliveau, minor (hooking)

BOXSCORE

Hershey  0 - 1 - 0 = 1 W-B/Scranton  1 - 1 - 2 = 4

Shots

Hershey  5 - 13 - 5 = 23 W-B/Scranton  14 - 8 - 8 = 30

Goalies

HER: Clay Stevenson (26 saves - 30 shots) WBS: Ludovic Waeber (22 saves - 23 shots)

Power Play

HER: 0-for-4 WBS: 1-for-4

Penalty Kill

HER: 3-for-4 WBS: 4-for-4