OUTDOOR OVERTIME RESULTS IN PENGUINS LOSS TO MONSTERS
CLEVELAND, Ohio – In the American Hockey League’s first outdoor game in five years, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Cleveland Monsters battled to overtime. In the end, the Monsters took home a 3-2 win on Saturday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-23-4-5) picked up a point in the standings with the overtime loss, but were left disappointed after Marcus Björk’s two-goal night lifted the home side to victory on the shores of Lake Erie.
The contest was originally slated to begin at 1:00 p.m., but a beaming sun forced the AHL to delay the game’s start time to 6:00 p.m.
The wait did little to deter the Penguins’ offense, as the team lit the lamp five minutes into the night. Newcomer Peter DiLiberatore, who was playing in his first game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after he was acquired in a trade on Wednesday, snapped a shot through traffic to put his new team ahead, 1-0.
Raivis Ansons extended Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lead to 2-0 with his second shorthanded goal of the season at 15:06 of the opening frame. Kyle Olson nabbed assists on both Penguins goals.
The Penguins held the Monsters at bay until late in the second period, when Cleveland’s Josh Richards cashed in on a power play in the final minute of the frame. Björk then tied things up, 2-2, 85 seconds into the third.
The game ended in a photo finish with Cleveland winning the game 31 seconds into OT. Dustin Tokarski made a stop on a Monsters’ two-on-one rush, but the referee never halted play with the puck underneath the Penguins netminder. The Monsters crashed the crease and eventually freed the puck for Björk to score his second of the game.
Tokarski finished with 28 saves on 31 shots, while Monsters goalie Jet Greaves posted 19 saves.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will play Cleveland again tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 5, but this time, the game will be indoors. Game time for the Penguins’ and Monsters’ rematch will be 3:00 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Penguins’ next home game is Wednesday, Mar. 8, when they face-off against the Toronto Marlies. Game time between the Penguins and Marlies is 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual game tickets for the Penguins’ remaining home games, as well as season-ticket packages for the 2023-24 season are on sale now. Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
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