Calder Cup Playoffs: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Blows 3-0 Lead, Loses Game 2 In Overtime

For a while, it looked like the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were going to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Thursday.

They had a 3-0 lead going into the third period and a 3-1 lead with less than five minutes left in regulation before losing 4-3 in overtime. The Thunderbirds pulled the goalie twice to end the game, and Dillon Dube scored two 6-on-5 goals to pull his team even.

Akil Thomas won the game for the Thunderbirds in overtime off a weird bounce. The puck missed the net on a rush, but still somehow ended up in the back of the net.

The goal will count. What a weird bounce, but that's hockey!

Springfield stuns the #WBSPens and evens the series at 1-1 on a goal credited to Akil Thomas.@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/snHm3eGXEI

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 15, 2026

Bill Zonnon opened the scoring for WBS in the first period with a great net-front play. He was there to clean up the loose puck after some beautiful puck movement from the power play.

BILL ZONNON HAS DONE IT AGAIN. 1-0 #WBSPens@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/GOWQ68ILHX

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 14, 2026

Tristan Broz made it 2-0 early in the second period off a great feed from Mikhail Ilyin. WBS held on to that lead for a good chunk of the middle frame until Avery Hayes made it a 3-0 game with less than two minutes left.

Rutger McGroarty delivered one heck of a cross-ice pass to Hayes, who buried it past Thunderbirds goaltender Georgii Romanov.