WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Fans of offensive hockey were treated to a show in the first game of the regular season.
Fans of the hometown team, however, left opening night disappointed.
Aidan McDonough completed his hat trick with the go-ahead and game-winning goals as the Charlotte Checkers scored four straight times in the third period to pull out a 7-6 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before an announced crowd of 5,102 at Mohegan Arena on Saturday night.
The Penguins had a 5-3 lead early in the third period as they officially started their 26th season after going 3-0-1-0 in preseason exhibitions.
The Checkers stormed in front 7-5 before Marc Johnstone scored with 21.3 seconds left.
The Penguins, who played the last 3:04 without goalie Filip Larsson, drew two icing calls following Johnstone’s goal to earn offensive zone faceoffs. They were not, however, able to turn the faceoffs into the 76th shot of the wide-open game.
Goals and quality scoring chances were plentiful right from the start and they did not stop even when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a chance to protect a two-goal lead in the third period.
Charlotte finished with a 38-37 lead in shots on goal.
Sebastian Aho put the first Penguins shot of the season on net just 18 seconds into the game.
Charlotte, which was also playing its opener, scored on its first shot when Jaycob Megna beat Larsson 1:34 into the game.
The Penguins tied the game at 7:53.
Jimmy Huntington scored on assists from Sam Poulin and Nate Clurman. Clurman, a defenseman, had two assists in the first period.
Clurman carried the puck to the goal line on the right side and sent it to the left corner to Ville Koivunen, who found Emil Bemstrom streaking down the crease ready to put the Penguins in front 2-1 with 1:35 left in the period.
The teams were tied at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 5-5.
Charlotte’s MacKenzie Entwistle scored shorthanded and unassisted 2:11 into the second period to force the second tie.
Avery Hayes answered with an unassisted goal for the Penguins at 5:52. Several players missed on swipes at a loose puck right in front of the net until Hayes corralled it, spun and put the puck in the net for a 3-2 lead.
McDonough’s first goal, off another rebound in front, forced another tie midway through the second.
The Penguins seemed to have taken control on goals by Tristan Broz with 5:20 left in the second period and defenseman Filip Kral on the power play 51 seconds into the third.
Bemstrom drew both defensemen, then led Broz as he sped into the offensive zone. Broz scored on a wrist shot from the left circle toward the net.
Charlotte’s Rasmus Asplund was called for high sticking on the faceoff to start the third period.
Koivunen stickhandled to the center point, at which point all four Charlotte skaters were in the middle or to the far side of the ice when Kral ripped on a one-timer from the right circle to the short side of goalie Chris Dreidger off Koivunen’s pass.
Charlotte fought back on special teams.
Defenseman Trevor Carrick was credited with the power-play goal when Penguins defenseman Aho accidentally kicked the puck into the net while trying to cover it in the crease.
Asplund tied in on a short-handed goal, which was also the fourth unassisted goal of the night. He tipped the puck free to himself coming out of the defensive zone and raced up the left side on a breakaway.
Just over a minute later, John Leonard won a faceoff in the right circle, carried the puck forward and sent it in front where McDonough raised a redirection under the crossbar for the lead at 7:37.
McDonough gave Charlotte its first two-goal lead at 15:09.
Bemstrom was named third star after posting a goal and assist in his team debut. The 25-year-old, a former Swedish Junior Player of the Year, has been a prolific scorer in the AHL with 28 goals and 23 points in 35 games, including parts of the previous three seasons.
He has played 228 NHL games with Pittsburgh and the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring 34 goals.
NOTES
McDonough was the game’s first star. Charlotte defenseman Megna, who had a goal and an assist, was the second star. … The game marked Kirk MacDonald’s debut as Penguins coach. … Bemstrom was one of five Penguins with two points. Poulin, Aho and Koivunen joined Clurman with two assists each. … The Penguins were outscored in their seven power-play chances, scoring once and giving up the two short-handed goals. Charlotte was 1-for-3 on the power play.
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