The WBS Penguins went from a sluggish opening stretch to a weekend that looked like a full reset. After starting the season 0-1-1, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rolled into Hartford and Providence and came home with its first two wins, both in convincing fashion. The Penguins beat Hartford 7-1 on Saturday and followed that with a 6-2 win over Providence on Sunday, piling up 13 goals across the two games.
Rutger McGroarty was right in the middle of it all, putting together a three-goal, two-assist weekend. Rookie Bill Zonnon was nearly as loud, finishing with three goals and one assist.
Avery Hayes added a goal and three assists, while Mikhail Ilyin and Atley Calvert each chipped in a goal and two assists. Jake Livanavage picked up two assists on Saturday before sitting out Sunday, a byproduct of the team being stocked on the left side of defense after the AHL addition of Ilya Solovyov.
Saturday’s trip to Hartford turned into a rout in a hurry. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton spoiled the home opener by scoring seven straight goals, with the surge beginning early in the second period and never letting up.
The Penguins piled up their seven goals in 21:18 of game time. Bill Zonnon, Caleb Jones and Avery Hayes each finished with three points, giving the Black and Gold a trio of standout performers.
Sunday brought more of the same in Providence. The Penguins kept the pressure on by scoring two goals in every period, and McGroarty delivered his best AHL game to date with four points on two goals and two assists.
Phil Kemp opened the scoring just 1:57 into the game, Taylor Gauthier turned in an AHL-career-best 39-save effort, and Oliver Okuliar added his first goal in a Penguins uniform midway through the third period. Solovyov and forward Lucas Ciona both made their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debuts.
The goaltenders had their moments, too. Joel Blomqvist stopped 24 of 25 shots on Saturday, while Gauthier made 39 saves on 41 shots Sunday.
There was also roster movement during the week, as Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch were dealt for Ryan Johnson. Johnson has since been called up to Pittsburgh to provide depth while Trevor van Riemsdyk is on injured reserve. Even with Jones out, WBS still looks equipped to handle the blue-line shuffle, especially now that Solovyov is in the AHL mix.
That was reflected in the defensive pairings over the weekend. Owen Pickering was back with captain Phil Kemp, a familiar look from last season, while Solovyov lined up with Harrison Brunicke.
Livanavage sat Sunday after playing Saturday, and AHL-contracted Maleek McGowan remained available as added depth. The Penguins also appear likely to get Johnson back once van Riemsdyk, who is listed as day-to-day, returns from IR.
Up front, the early scoring has been easy to notice. Hayes has six AHL points through four games, and McGroarty is right behind him with five.
For a league where scoring usually comes at a slower pace than in the NHL, those numbers stand out. Both players are pushing to prove they belong at the next level, and so far they’ve done exactly that.
The next test comes this weekend in Cleveland, where the Penguins will play the Monsters on Friday and Saturday. Cleveland is 3-1-0 so far, and the early results suggest it could be a lively pair of games.
Through four Monsters contests, 32 total goals have already been scored, so there may be plenty of offense on the table. After the way WBS found its scoring touch last weekend, it heads to Ohio in a pretty good spot.
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