WBS Penguins deliver first win under Kirk MacDonald

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins secured their first victory of the 2024-25 season by downing the Springfield Thunderbirds 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at MassMutual Center.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1-1-0-0) received a 27-save effort from rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov to earn a win in his AHL debut. Sunday’s triumph also marked the first win in the AHL for head coach Kirk MacDonald.

The Penguins took the lead five minutes into the first period when Nate Clurman smacked in a rebound off the end boards behind the T-Birds’ net. When Jimmy Huntington wired a shot wide, the puck took a large bounce off the wall and back to the net-front where Clurman could clean it up.

Sam Poulin and Avery Hayes scored two minutes apart early in the second period to put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead by three. First, Poulin took a centering pass from Emil Bemström and pushed it past Colten Ellis from the slot. Only a few shifts later, Hayes roofed a loose puck to the top corner for his second goal in as many games.

The only time Springfield solved Murashov was on a bounce similar to one that victimized the T-Birds in the first period. A wide shot from the point hit a stanchion behind the net, then careened back the direction from which it came to be stabbed across the line by Mackenzie MacEachern with eight minutes left in the second period.

Murashov fended off all 10 shots he faced in the third period, thwarting any hope of a rally for Springfield. Boris Katchouk put things to bed by scoring a power-play goal with 4:23 to go in regulation.

Springfield’s Ellis delivered 31 saves in the loss.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is on Friday when the Penguins take on Lehigh Valley. Puck drop between the Penguins and Phantoms is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena.