Brandon Halverson shutout, Flinton two-goal game lift Syracuse past Penguins 5-0

Brandon Halverson turned aside all 16 shots he faced for his fourth shutout of the season as the Syracuse Crunch routed the Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-0 at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on Feb. 14, 2026, snapping the Penguins’ five‑game winning streak and handing Sergei Murashov his first loss in six starts. Cooper Flinton led the attack with two goals while Conor Geekie and Jakob Pelletier finished with three assists apiece.

Syracuse opened the scoring 8:10 into the first period when Flinton finished on a loose puck between the hashmarks. Matteo Pietroniro added a late first‑period tally with about 8.4 seconds remaining after regaining the puck behind the net and banking a shot off Murashov to make it 2-0 after one. The Crunch extended the lead in the second period when Jakob Pelletier fired from the top of the right circle and Dylan Duke tipped the puck in on the power play for what was reported as Duke’s 22nd goal of the year, pushing the score to 3-0.

The Crunch converted again early in the third period when Mitchell Chaffee cashed a man‑advantage marker roughly two minutes into the frame after Murashov lost the rebound from a Conor Geekie one‑timer. Syracuse finished the scoring when Flinton snapped home his second goal about four minutes later off a Michael Milne feed from the right goal line, sealing a 5-0 final.

Halverson’s shutout came over a tidy 16‑shot night by the Penguins, a season‑low for Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton, while Murashov made 24 saves on 29 Syracuse shots. Syracuse’s 29-16 shot advantage underpinned both the five‑goal outburst and a disciplined defensive showing that stifled the Penguins’ transition game. The Crunch finished 2-for-6 on the power play and held the Penguins scoreless on three chances.

Beyond the boxscore, the result has immediate standings and momentum consequences. Syracuse improved to 27-16-3-1 as reported, while Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton dropped a game in a packed Atlantic Division slate and saw its five‑game run halted; the Penguins’ overall mark stood at 32-13-2-2. Local standings context keeps Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton comfortably ahead of Charlotte in the race for second, but the loss shrinks breathing room relative to Providence, per regional summaries.

This win also underscored strategic trends now common in the AHL: low‑event games decided by tight defensive structure, opportunistic power play execution, and goaltending that can swing outcomes. Syracuse’s ability to manufacture three goals on set plays and limit the Penguins to 16 shots shifts the conversation from pure scoring depth to execution in special teams and net-front presence. That combination creates a clearer, shareable takeaway for fans: two goaltending duels in one season where Syracuse blanked Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton, including a 6-0 shutout on Jan. 3 and now this 5-0 result, suggests a matchup pattern worth debate among followers.

A small production note: distributed team copy for the Crunch at times carried a Syracuse dateline despite the game being played at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes‑Barre, PA. Boxscore verification remains recommended for exact goal times, official assist credits, and final standing confirmations. Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton was scheduled to host the Cleveland Monsters the next day with a 3:05 p.m. puck drop, while Syracuse moves forward off a performance anchored by Halverson’s fourth shutout and Flinton’s multi‑goal night.