Recap: Penguins 5, Islanders 2
Apr 13, 2025
Ross Mitton and Gleb Veremyev both scored their first professional goals on Sunday, but the Bridgeport Islanders (15-48-4-3), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, suffered a 5-2 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (39-22-7-1) in their home finale at Total Mortgage Arena.
T.J. Semptimphelter (0-1-0) made 18 saves in his professional debut between the pipes.
Zach Gallant was the hero for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, registering the game-winning goal as well as an assist. Gabe Klassen notched his first AHL goal, while Nolan Renwick, Atley Calvert, and Avery Hayes also found the back of the net. Sam Poulin logged two helpers. Sergei Murashov (12-3-0) stopped 30 of the 32 shots he faced for the Penguins.
BOX SCORE
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took control early, racking up three goals in the first period. Klassen struck first at 6:36, finishing off Logan Pietila’s centering pass from below the goal line with a quick shot blocker side on Semptimphelter.
At 12:36, Dan Renouf skated down the right wing and fed a backhand pass through the crease, where Renwick slammed it home from the doorstep to extend Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's lead to 2-0. Jack St. Ivany, from the far side of the right circle, fed Gallant in front of the crease and the latter tipped a shot past Semptimphelter stick side to make it 3-0 at the 16:16 mark.
The Islanders broke through 4:24 into the second period thanks to Veremyev's first professional goal. After Chase Stillman was assessed a holding-the-stick penalty, Liam Foudy snapped a heavy wrist shot from the left circle into the pads of Murashov, allowing Veremyev to gather the rebound and finish a backhand shot for the power-play goal.
With 26 seconds remaining in the period, Jack Randl brought the puck into the Penguins' zone, darted through the left circle, and behind the cage. He found Mitton in the right circle, who sniped a shot past Murashov's glove for his first professional goal in his pro debut.
Calvert gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton insurance at 13:44 of the third period. Calvert bolted through the left circle and spun around an Islanders’ defender before getting the better of Semptimphelter to expand the Penguins' lead.
The Islanders pulled Semptimphelter with 1:45 remaining for an extra attacker, but were unable to capitalize, and the Penguins clinched the victory when Hayes scored into the empty net for the 5-2 final.
Bridgeport’s power play went 1-for-3, while the penalty kill was 2-for-2. The Islanders won the shot battle, 32-23.
The Islanders closed out their six-game season series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 1-4-0-1. Aside from Semptimphelter and Mitton, Cam Berg also made his pro debut on Sunday.
Next Time Out: The Islanders face the Hartford Wolf Pack next Friday, Apr. 18 at 7 p.m. inside XL Center. The game can be heard for free via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network or seen live on AHLTV on FloHockey, beginning with the Connecticut Lottery Pregame Countdown at 6:45 p.m.