Penguins Beat Syracuse 4-1 on Crosscheck Cancer Night; Dumba Records Goal, Assist

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins turned Crosscheck Cancer Night into a statement game, defeating the Syracuse Crunch 4-1 in front of 6,682 fans at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. The Penguins built a three-goal lead through the first two periods and closed it out behind a sturdy third-period performance from netminder Sergei Murashov.

Avery Hayes opened the scoring at the seven-minute mark, finishing a give-and-go by taking a feed from Owen Pickering and tucking a backhand past Crunch goalie Ryan Fanti. Eighty-six seconds later Rafaël Harvey-Pinard slapped home a rebound to push the Penguins’ advantage to 2-0. Late in the second period, Matt Dumba blasted a blue-line shot that beat Fanti through the five-hole, making it 3-0 and capping a multi-point night for the veteran defenseman.

Gabe Klassen also factored in the attack, registering a goal and an assist, and the Penguins’ balanced attack set the table for a controlled third period. Syracuse finally capitalized on its first power-play opportunity two minutes into the third, with Conor Geekie ripping a scorching one-timer at 3:46 of the final frame to pull the Crunch to 3-1 after several stellar saves by Murashov.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton leaned on its netminder down the stretch. Sergei Murashov finished with a shining, 26-save outing, and the team description that night summed it up: "The team then closed things out with a stellar third period from their netminder." The Penguins added an insurance goal to reach the final 4-1 score; both Dumba and Klassen were credited with a goal and an assist in the boxscore summary.

The victory pushed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to 28-12-2-2, a meaningful boost as the team navigates the middle of the AHL schedule and jostles for playoff positioning. Beyond the standings, Crosscheck Cancer Night gave the crowd a cause to rally around while witnessing a disciplined, special-teams moment from Syracuse and timely finishing from Pittsburgh’s affiliate.

For fans who missed the game in person, every minute of Penguins hockey is available through the league streaming service AHLTV on FloHockey, which offers access to regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff games across the AHL and thousands of other contests on the FloSports platform.

The Penguins leave Mohegan Arena with a decisive road-style win at home ice, buoyed by a multi-point performance from Dumba, a two-way contribution from Klassen, and a 26-save night from Murashov. The result matters for the standings and for momentum as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton heads into February with purpose and a clear identity in tight, late-game minutes.