Avery Hayes Caps Hat Trick with OT Winner as Penguins Edge Bears Before All-Star Break
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Just 48 hours after lighting the lamp twice in his NHL debut, Avery Hayes was back in the AHL-and he didn’t miss a beat. In fact, he turned it up a notch.
Hayes delivered a show-stopping performance Saturday night, notching his first professional hat trick and sealing a 4-3 overtime win for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins over the Hershey Bears at Giant Center. The victory pushed the Penguins’ win streak to five games heading into the All-Star break, and Hayes made sure it ended on a high note.
The game-winner came on a power play just two minutes into overtime. Hayes stepped into a one-timer that shattered his stick on contact-but somehow, the puck still had enough juice to beat Hershey goaltender Garin Bjorklund. It was Hayes’ 16th goal of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
But he didn’t wait until OT to make his presence felt.
Hayes opened the scoring early, cashing in on the Penguins’ first power-play opportunity of the night. Rutger McGroarty threaded a slick pass to the backdoor, and Hayes slipped it through Bjorklund’s five-hole just 2:39 into the game. That goal set the tone-and Hayes wasn’t done.
Just four minutes later, with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton killing a penalty, Hayes struck again. This time, he uncorked a laser to the top corner for his first career shorthanded goal. It was a statement shot-and it gave the Penguins a two-goal cushion.
But Hershey didn’t go quietly.
Ilya Protas answered back on the same power play, cutting the deficit to one. Then, just over a minute into the second period, Ivan Miroshnichenko capitalized on another Bears man advantage to tie things up at 2-2.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton briefly reclaimed the lead when Melvin Fernström buried his first AHL goal at 3:56 of the second. But the Bears had a quick response again-this time from Alex Suzdalev, who knotted the score just 74 seconds later.
From there, it was a defensive grind. The final 34:50 of regulation went scoreless, with both teams trading chances but unable to break through. That set the stage for Hayes to finish what he started.
McGroarty and Ville Koivunen each chipped in with two assists, helping drive the Penguins’ offensive engine. Between the pipes, Sergei Murashov turned aside 20 shots to earn the win. On the other end, Bjorklund stood tall under pressure, stopping 34 of 38 shots but ultimately taking the loss in overtime.
Now riding a five-game heater, the Penguins head into the All-Star break with momentum-and a red-hot Hayes leading the charge.
They’ll return to action on Valentine’s Day, hosting the Syracuse Crunch at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. Puck drops at 6:05 p.m., and if Hayes keeps playing like this, Penguins fans might be in for another thrilling finish.