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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins battled to a 4-3 overtime loss against the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday night at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (24-26-5-5) picked up a point in the standings with the OT decision, moving closer to playoff position in the process.
The Penguins struck first, turning a net-front scramble into the night’s first goal. Justin Addamo swept in a rebound that lingered behind Crunch goalie Hugo Alnefelt at 7:38 of the opening frame.
Syracuse responded with a redirect goal from Lucas Edmonds at 10:58.
The two clubs engaged in several fiery, post-whistle scrums throughout the first period, but things really boiled over in the second period. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Syracuse combined for 30 total penalty minutes during the middle chapter, including a pair of fights.
Amidst the chaos, the Penguins took back the lead. Tyler Sikura polished off a feed from Filip Hållander to put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead, 2-1, at 12:45 of the second period.
Syracuse rattled off two goals in under 30 seconds early in the third to flip its one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead. First Félix Robert knocked in a backdoor pass at the four-minute mark, followed by Trevor Carrick granting the Crunch their first lead of the night.
Hållander equalized with a bullet shot at 11:42 of the final frame, and game eventually reached overtime.
The Penguins went a perfect six-for-six on the penalty kill, including a clutch kill during the sudden-death session. However, Syracuse’s Declan Carlile buried the game-winner with just 28.5 seconds left in OT.
Taylor Gauthier recorded 25 saves while manning the crease for the Penguins, while Alnefelt denied 23 shots for the Crunch.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wraps up its busy, three-in-three weekend on Sunday in a matinee matchup with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Game time between the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. at PPL Center in Allentown.