Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opens Atlantic Division Semifinals at home against Hershey
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got the opening edge in a dead-even rivalry, hosting Games 1 and 2 before a quick turnaround sends the series to Hershey.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton entered the Atlantic Division Semifinals with the best kind of playoff edge, two home games to start against Hershey at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. Game 1 was set for Thursday, April 30, at 7:05 p.m., with Game 2 following on Saturday, May 2, at 6:05 p.m., and in a best-of-five series that opening stretch could decide whether the Penguins controlled the tone or spent the rest of the matchup chasing it.
The American Hockey League’s semifinal format is built for swing moments like this. Division series are played in either a 2-2-1 or 2-3 setup, depending on building availability, and this matchup gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the first two dates before the series shifted to Hershey’s Giant Center for Game 3 on Tuesday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m. Game 4, if necessary, was scheduled for Thursday, May 7, also in Hershey, with a potential Game 5 back in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, May 9, at 6:05 p.m. The swing date is May 5, when the Penguins would have had just two days after Game 2 to reset before the first road test of the series.
That opening-home stretch mattered even more because Wilkes-Barre/Scranton reached the round on a first-round bye, finishing the regular season 46-17-7-2 with 101 points. Hershey arrived with game speed already in place after eliminating Bridgeport, 2-0, in the opening round. The schedule also put a business dimension around the bracket: playoff packages were available on a pay-as-you-play basis, and each home game included an $8 voucher, a detail that made the postseason feel less like a one-off and more like a repeat appointment.
The rivalry gives the schedule real weight. This was the ninth all-time playoff meeting between the Penguins and Bears, the most Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has had against any opponent in the postseason. The previous eight series were split 4-4, and the 40 playoff games were even at 20-20. The last time they met in the Calder Cup Playoffs, in the 2022 Atlantic Division First Round, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won the series 2-1 with an overtime victory in the deciding Game 3. That kind of balance is exactly why the first two games at home mattered so much: in a series this tight, the opening weekend can decide who owns the pressure when the schedule turns south.
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