The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were able to pick up their first victory of the American Hockey League season, which was a 5-4 thriller over the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton continued their fast-paced brand of hockey and found their offensive momentum in the third period to combine for five goals in four minutes.

It was the Penguins, who were able to get on the board early, finding the back of the cage 46 seconds thanks to Jan Drozg cashing in on a rebound opportunity.

Midway through the first period, the Crunch were able to respond as Alex Barre-Boulet was able to pick the corner at the 15:31 mark of the first period which tied up the game.

The Penguins were able to regain their offensive stride in the second period, as they were able to outscore the Crunch 13-6. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton were able to see success from their top line of Jonathan Gruden, Chase Berger, and Kyle Olson.

Grigori Denisenko and the Crunch responded with a goal at the 2:10 mark, to go along with Gabe Fortier tied the game at 3-3 with 3:55 left.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton just kept grinding and stayed with their game and were rewarded with a goal by Will Reilly. Syracuse quickly responded thanks to a goal by Barre-Boulet.

The fast-paced action did not end there though, as the Penguins were able to find the game-winner thanks to Jordy Bellerive at the 6:40 mark of the third period.

For Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the victory was the first for Head Coach J.D. Forrest, who was able to see a ton of milestones for his team in the game against Syracuse. Making their AHL debuts for the Penguins were Luke Stevens and Felix Roberts.

In the cage for the Penguins Emil Larmi continued his fine play making 29 saves on 33 shots faced.

Up next for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be a game on Saturday, Feb 20, as they take on the Hersey Bears at Giant Center. The action between these two teams is set for 7:00 p.m.

Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Official Website (wbspenguins.com)