WBS Penguins close preseason with 5-1 win over Phantoms

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ended their preseason with a flourish, racking up a 5-1 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Arena.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton put together a 3-0-1-0 record in its four-game preseason and ended on a high note with consistent offense throughout the meeting against its in-state rival. The Penguins received multi-point outings from four players, but Avery Hayes topped the box score with three assists.

Tristan Broz and Joona Koppanen scored 103 seconds apart before the game was nine minutes old, giving the Penguins a 2-0 lead. That lead extended to three goals when Ville Koivunen’s cross-crease pass ricocheted off of a Phantoms defender and past Cal Petersen at 15:08 of the first period.

Raivis Ansons picked up right where the team left off, scoring two and a half minutes into the second frame. Ansons went streaking down the right-wing wall, made a power move across the crease and tucked the puck around Petersen’s outstretched pad to make it 4-0.

On the next shift, Ansons dropped the gloves with 6-foot-6 Phantoms forward Mason Primeau. Ansons landed a big right hand that dislodged Primeau’s helmet, and the pair both sat five minutes for fighting.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton cashed in on its first and only power-play opportunity of the day, with Emil Bemström wiring a one-timer to the back of the net at 8:53 of the second period.

The Phantoms solved Penguins goalie Filip Larsson once, with Matt Brown firing in his team’s lone goal on a coast-to-coast rush midway through the third period.

Larsson ultimately finished with 27 saves on 28 shots faced, while Petersen stopped 25 shots for Lehigh Valley.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton now turns its attention to preparation for the 2024-25 regular-season opener. The Penguins will open the season by hosting the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.

The season opener will also feature a pregame “Pentoberfest” celebration featuring music, concessions and family activities outside of Mohegan Arena starting at 3 p.m. Game time is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

ROSTER CUTS

After the game, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton announced that the training camp roster had been reduced to 25 players after assigning eight players to their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.

Forward Bennett MacArthur was reassigned by the Pittsburgh Penguins from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to Wheeling. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton reassigned forwards Jack Beck, Atley Calvert, Mathieu De St. Phalle, Kyle Jackson and Gabe Klassen, as well as defenseman Mats Lindgren to the Nailers.

Goaltender Jaxon Caster will report to Wheeling as well.