Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (29-12-2-2) got goals from six different scorers en route to the victory. Defenseman Matt Dumba delivered a four-assist performance to set a new single-game high in his professional career.
Aidan McDonough gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead after heavy pressure caused the Phantoms’ dam to burst. After pocketing Lehigh Valley as it crept toward the neutral zone, McDonough and the Penguins raced back to the sideline and finally put the puck over the goal line 14 and a half minutes into the first period.
Lehigh Valley tied the game with a power-play goal thanks to leading scorer Lane Pederson at 4:35 of the middle frame. However, the Penguins regained the lead midway through the second period on a blistering shot from Nolan Renwick.
Boko Imama took advantage of a Phantoms turnover by waltzing in for a breakaway and going around Aleksei Kolosov to put the Penguins ahead two minutes into the third period.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when the Phantoms were yellow carded for consecutive penalties, putting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a five-on-three power play. Avery Hayes knocked in one during the two-man advantage, and Owen Pickering scored during five-on-four power play time afterward, extending the Penguins’ lead to 5-1.
Lehigh Valley clapped back with a backdoor tap from Anthony Richard 29 seconds into Pickering’s power-play tally, but anything resembling a late-game rally failed to materialize.
Dumba collected his fourth assist on a tic-tac-toe layup by Rafael Harvey-Pinard at 12:53 of the third, rounding out the day’s scoring.
Joel Blomqvist secured the victory with 23 saves for the Penguins. Kolosov stopped 21 of the 27 shots he faced.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is on Wednesday, February 4 against its other Keystone State rival, the Hershey Bears. Puck drop between the Penguins and Bears is scheduled for 7:05 PM at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
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