McGroarty's OT Game-Winner Gives Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Series Lead In Atlantic Division Semifinals

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton/Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty (2) skates with the puck against the Dallas Stars in a game at PPG Paints Arena. (Source: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins beat the Hershey Bears 4-3 in OT to take a 2-1 lead in the Atlantic Division Semifinals.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton would limit Hershey to only two shots while putting up four of their own in the first 8:28 minutes of the opening period. Two of the Penz' shots would result in goals by Phil Kemp and Mikhail Ilyin to go up 2-0 early in the game. But then, Bears forward Ivan Mioshnichenko would take advantage of a 3-on-2 situation and score at the 9:49 mark to cut the deficit in half. After that Hershey would take control for the rest of the period, going on an 11-3 shooting run including five shots on an unsuccessful power play. Still, forward Bogdan Trineyev would find the back of the Penguins' net at the 18:09 mark, leaving the score at 2-2 by first intermission.

37 seconds into the second frame, Hershey forward Brett Leason would take advantage of a loose puck in the slot and score the go-ahead goal for the Bears. While Wilkes-Barre/Scranton managed to outshoot Hershey 10-7 in the period, six of those 10 shots came in an unsuccessful Penz power play.

The Penguins fought tooth and nail in the third period for a comeback and after pulling goalie Sergei Murashov for an extra attacker, found the equalizer through the stick of , setting up overtime.