CRAWFORD: SHOOTOUT SUPREMACY GIVES WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS 3-2 WIN OVER VISITING HARTFORD WOLF PACK
SHOOTOUT SUPREMACY GIVES Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3-2 WIN OVER VISITING Hartford Wolf Pack
VERSUS 
BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack
Wilkes-Barre, PA, October 21, 2017 – The Hartford Wolf Pack built a 2-0 first-period lead against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, but the Penguins came back to post a 3-2 shootout win.
Scott Kosmachuk and Vinni Lettieri scored power-play goals in the first for Hartford, and Alexandar Georgiev made 41 saves. Gage Quinney and Jarrett Burton scored for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Jean-Sebastien Dea had the only goal of the shootout. Casey DeSmith made 26 saves in the Penguin net and went 3-for-3 in the shootout.
“With travel involved, and coming off a tough loss at home (a 5-1 defeat to the Belleville Senators Friday night), I thought the guys played really hard, love the response that we had,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. “We corrected a few things that we needed to go over and discuss in our meeting this morning, especially being early in the season. I liked the compete and the push we had tonight.”
At 2:59 of the first, with Daniel Sprong off for slashing, Kosmachuk scored his first Wolf Pack goal, to go with five assists on the season. Adam Tambellini fired a shot from the top of the left circle that was blocked by Frank Corrado, but the puck caromed directly to Kosmachuk along the goal line. Kosmachuk whipped a quick forehand past DeSmith for a 1-0 Wolf Pack lead.
Then, after Andrey Pedan was sent off for tripping at 9:35, Lettieri scored his second of the season at 11:17 to make it 2-0. Cole Schneider worked the puck to Lettieri on the left side and Ryan Gropp screened DeSmith, allowing Lettieri’s fluttering shot to get by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton netminder on the glove side.
The Penguins got on the board only 34 seconds later, though, at 11:51. Georgiev stopped a sharp-angle shot from the right boards by Lukas Bengtsson, but Quinney was able to poke the rebound off of a Wolf Pack defender and into the net.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton would get the only goal of the second period, despite being outshot 12-11 in the session. With a penalty being signaled against the Wolf Pack, Dominik Simon fed the puck from the side of the net into the slot, and Burton let go a quick snapshot that found the top corner past Georgiev’s catching glove.
Georgiev was strong in the third period, in which the Wolf Pack were outshot 16-9, and in the overtime, with the Penguins having a 5-0 shots advantage. He could not stop Dea on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s second shootout attempt, though, as Dea buried a shot to the stick side. DeSmith denied Kosmachuk, Joe Whitney, and Tambellini to secure the extra standings point for the Penguins.
The Wolf Pack finish a three-game weekend Sunday, traveling to Bridgeport to take on the Sound Tigers. Faceoff is 3:00 PM and all of the action can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and online at newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at ahllive.com.
The next Wolf Pack home game is this Friday night, October 27, also against Bridgeport. That game is a 7:15 PM faceoff, and, as at all Friday-night Wolf Pack home games, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Dave & Buster’s.
Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2017-18 home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, online at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.
Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2017-18 AHL season can be found online at hartfordwolfpack.com. To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451.
Hartford Wolf Pack 2 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3 (SO)
Saturday, October 21, 2017 – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Hartford 2 0 0 0 – 2
W-B/Scranton 1 1 0 0 – 3
1st Period-1, Hartford, Kosmachuk 1 (Tambellini, Whitney), 2:59 (PP). 2, Hartford, Lettieri 2 (Schneider, Pedrie), 11:17 (PP). 3, W-B/Scranton, Quinney 3 (Sestito, Bengtsson), 11:51. Penalties-Sprong Wbs (slashing), 1:44; Lettieri Hfd (tripping), 6:09; Pedan Wbs (tripping), 9:35; served by Noonan Hfd (bench minor – too many men), 15:01.
2nd Period-4, W-B/Scranton, Burton 1 (Simon, Thomas), 15:44. Penalties-Graves Hfd (cross-checking), 2:30; Aston-Reese Wbs (interference), 11:31.
3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Tambellini Hfd (tripping), 9:39.
OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-No Penalties
Shootout – Hartford 0 (Kosmachuk NG, Whitney NG, Tambellini NG), W-B/Scranton 1 (Simon NG, Dea G, Sprong NG).
Shots on Goal-Hartford 7-12-9-0-0-28. W-B/Scranton 11-11-16-5-1-44.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 2 / 3; W-B/Scranton 0 / 4.
Goalies-Hartford, Georgiev 0-1-1 (43 shots-41 saves). W-B/Scranton, DeSmith 3-0-0 (28 shots-26 saves).
A-4,232
Referees-Liam Sewell (60), Olivier Gouin (54).
Linesmen-Tom DellaFranco (71), Jason Mandroc (17).
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