GAME STORY: Hershey - 2 at W-B/Scranton - 3 (OT) 4/15/22

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins overcame a 2-1 deficit late in the third period against in-state rival Hershey Bears and flipped the script, tying the game with goaltender Tommy Nappier pulled for the extra attacker with 2:01 left in regulation to force overtime before winning the game in the extra session on a controversial power play they were awarded in the opening minute of the 5-minute 3-on-3 period.

Radim Zohorna forced OT, re-directing a Juuso Riikola blast from center point past Bears' goaltender Zach Fucale to secure the Penguins an important point in the Atlantic Division playoff race. But it was a controversial tripping penalty assessed to Bears' forward Brett Leason 34 seconds into overtime that allowed the Penguins to steal the game when Valterri Puustinen scored on the ensuing power play.

Nappier (28 saves - 30 shots) stood tall in net for the Penguins, and he'll have to continue his strong play as Penguins' head coach JD Forrest said after the game that he's unsure when Louis Domingue (called up to Pittsburgh) will be back with the team.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Lineup Notes

Tommy Nappier got the start in net Friday night against Hershey. With Louis Domingue called up to Pittsburgh, Alex D'Orio was called up from Wheeling to back up Nappier.

Pittsburgh reassigned defenseman Niclas Almari from Rauman Lukko of the Finnish Liiga.

Additionally, the Penguins signed goaltender Joel Blomqvist to an amateur tryout agreement (ATO).

Scratches: Joel Blomqvist, Filip Lindberg, Louis Domingue, Taylor Fedun, Will Reilly, Anthony Angello, Corey Andonovski, Niclas Almari, Nathan Legare, Felix Robert, Clayton Phillips and Ty Glover

Lines/Pairings:

Radim Zohorna - Drew O'Connor - Alex Nylander Filip Hallander - Sam Poulin - Valtteri Puustinen Jordy Bellerive - Michael Chaput - Kasper Bjorkvist Jamie Devane - Jonathan Gruden - Kyle Olson

Juuso Riikola - Mitch Reinke P.O. Joseph - Colin Swoyer Cam Lee - Matt Bartkowski

Tommy Nappier - Alex D'Orio

Hershey Bears Lineup Notes

Zach Fucale got the start in net Friday night in Wilkes-Barre against the Penguins. Pheonix Copley served as the Bears' backup.

Scratches: Clay Stevenson, Jake Massie, Macoy Erkamps, Kale Kessy, Riley Sutter, Marcus Vela, Matt Moulson, Brian Pinho, Julian Napravnik and Kody Clark

Lines/Pairings:

Aliaksei Protas - Mike Vecchione - Brett Leason Ethen Frank - Mike Sgarbossa - Garrett Pilon Beck Malenstyn - Mason Morelli - Shane Gersich Eddie Wittchow - Drake Rymsha - Chris Brown

Lucas Johansen - Cody Franson Bobby Nardella - Dylan McIlrath Tobias Geisser - Alex Alexeyev

Zach Fucale - Pheonix Copley

GAME RECAP

1st Period

The opening frame was a tale of two stories.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came ready to play and were downright dominant in the opening seven minutes of play, forcing the issue and creating chances with regularity. Oddly enough, they took the 1-0 lead on a bit of a soft goal 4:54 into the period after a seemingly harmless shot off-the-rush from Kasper Bjorkvist trickled in through a clearly frustrated Zach Fucale.

Jordy Bellerive got a puck just inside the Penguins' defensive zone blue line and sent Bjorkvist up-ice in transition, with Bjorkvist wristing one from the top of the left wing circle that Fucale was only able to get a piece of as it eluded him and ended up in the back of the net.

To their credit, Hershey got to their game as the period wore on - later tying the game up at 1-1 on a power play in the middle of the stanza.

With Bellerive in the box for slashing, Bobby Nardella sent a cross-ice feed from the right wing to the left-wing circle for a one-time blast from newcomer Ethen Frank, who recorded his first career pro goal in his second AHL game with Hershey following a 26-goal season in the NCAA with Western Michigan that was tops among all goal scorers in college hockey this season. Aliaksei Protas added a secondary assist on the play.

2nd Period

The back and forth play continued in the middle frame, with the Penguins jumping out early with a majority of the shots on goal and chances in the opening minutes of the period.

After killing off an early-period bench minor penalty for too many men, Hershey responded with a few chances of their own in the middle of the period - similar to how the first period played out.

The only difference came in the fact that neither team was able to put the puck in the back of the net.

The Bears got into a bit of penalty trouble later in the period, taking near back-to-back penalties in the final 5:29 of the stanza, but received a strong penalty killing effort in order to preserve the 1-1 tie heading to the third.

3rd Period

The intensity picked up in the third, which was unsurprising given the 1-1 score and both teams looking to inch closer toward clinching their spot in the postseason.

After the Penguins failed to convert on three power play chances in the middle frame, Hershey made the most of their first power play opportunity in the third to break the 1-1 tie and take the lead with 11:11 left to play.

Bobby Nardella got the puck down to Aliaksei Protas along the right wing wall, and the Bears' forward looked to go down low before flipping a pass to the net-front for Mason Morelli to re-direct in past Penguins goalie Tommy Nappier for the Bears' second power play tally of the contest.

The Pens seemed to have scored with exactly 10:00 left in the period, but the play was immediately waved off by the referee in position behind the net. Filip Hallander gloved a puck down heading to the net, and it crossed the goal line, but after a quick review by the officials the no-goal call stood.

Despite a call not going their way, the Penguins continued to press and with Nappier pulled for the extra attacker they forced overtime on a re-directed point shot with 2:01 left to play. Alex Nylander got a puck up to Juuso Riikola at the center point, and his blast was tipped in by Radim Zohorna to even the game at 2-2 and get it to overtime.

Overtime

An absolutely brutal tripping penalty assessed to Brett Leason in the opening minute of the 3-on-3 proved deadly for the Bears.

Penguins forward Sam Poulin was losing his footing as he carried a puck up-ice exiting the Pens' defensive zone, and he fell as Leason appeared to cleanly swipe the puck away from him while trailing the Pens' forward. The referee's arm went up, and the rest is history.

Valtteri Puustinen scored the game-winning power play goal on the next shift, completing the comeback for the Penguins in a big win in front of the home crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena. Credit Nylander and Riikola on the assists, the same two players - in reverse order - that helped set up Zohorna's game-tying goal that forced overtime moments earlier.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

4:54: WBS - Bjorkvist (8) - Bellerive 9:25: WBS - (PP) Bellerive, minor (slashing) 10:48: HER - PPG Frank (1) - Nardella, Protas 15:01: WBS - (PP) Riikola, minor (delay of game)

2nd Period

3:14: HER - (PP) bench minor, too many men (served by Vecchione) 14:31: HER - (PP) Vecchione, minor (slashing) 17:07: HER - (PP) Nardella, minor (slashing) 17:59: WBS - Zohorna (8) - Riikola, Nylander

3rd Period

7:11: WBS - (PP) Lee, minor (hooking) 9:49: HER - PPG Morelli (12) - Protas, Nardella 17:59: WBS - Zohorna (8) - Riikola, Nylander

Overtime

0:34: HER - (PP) Leason, minor (tripping) 1:45: WBS - PPG Puustinen (19) - Nylander, Riikola

BOXSCORE

Hershey Bears 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 = 2 W-B/Scranton  1 - 0 - 1 - 1 = 3

Shots

Hershey Bears 10 - 9 - 9 - 2 = 30 W-B/Scranton  12 - 15 - 10 - 1 = 38

Goalies

HER: Zach Fucale (35 saves - 38 shots) WBS: Tommy Nappier (28 saves - 30 shots)

Power Play

HER: 2-for-3 WBS: 1-for-4

Penalty Kill

HER: 3-for-4 WBS: 1-for-3