The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins opened the Atlantic Division Semifinals with a 4-2 victory over the Hershey Bears on Thursday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. The win gives the Penguins a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series against their long-standing rivals.
Coming off an 11-day layoff, the Penguins jumped to an early lead when Atley Calvert scored just three minutes into the game. Aidan McDonough doubled the advantage in the second period, and Owen Pickering added a power-play goal to put the Penguins up 3-0 before the midway point of the contest.
Hershey responded quickly, with Ilya Protas scoring shortly after Pickering's goal. The Bears tightened the game further early in the third period when Henrik Rybinski scored on a breakaway to bring the score to 3-2. However, the Penguins defense held firm through the final frame, and Avery Hayes secured the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute of play.
Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov made 31 saves to earn the first Calder Cup Playoff win of his career. Calvert, McDonough, and Pickering also recorded their first career playoff goals in the victory. The series remains in Wilkes-Barre for Game 2, which is scheduled for Saturday at 6:05 p.m.
