The quest for the Calder Cup moves to its next chapter tonight as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins host the Springfield Thunderbirds for Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Final. The best-of-five series begins at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza, featuring a high-stakes matchup between an ascending Penguins squad and a Springfield team currently on a "Cinderella run." After earning a first-round bye and dispatching the Hershey Bears in the semifinals, the Penguins enter tonight looking to protect their home ice against the lowest-seeded team remaining in the Atlantic bracket.
Springfield arrives in Northeast Pennsylvania having orchestrated two massive upsets, most recently stunning the top-seeded Providence Bruins. While the Thunderbirds held the fifth-worst record in the league at the All-Star break, they have reinvented themselves under head coach Steve Ott. However, history favors the Penguins in the recent head-to-head, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won the regular-season series 3-1-0-0. Tonight's game is also a chance for postseason redemption; the last time these two teams met in the playoffs in 2022, Springfield swept the series in three games.
Fans can follow every check and goal by tuning into WILK Newsradio, the flagship station for Penguins playoff hockey. Coverage begins with the pre-game show at 6:34 p.m., followed by the puck drop at 7:04 p.m. Listeners can catch the broadcast on the following frequencies:
- 103.1 FM
- 980 AM
- 910 AM
The game is also available for streaming through the free Audacy app or at wilknewsradio.com. Following tonight's opener, the series will remain in Wilkes-Barre for Game 2 on Thursday night.
