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WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Once the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins used their special teams to move into the lead in Saturday night’s home opener, they did not allow Utica many chances.
The Comets, however, made the most of the opportunities they had.
Carter Bancks scored with 2:13 left in regulation and Lukas Jasek connected with 1:41 left in the three-on-three, sudden-death overtime period to lift Utica to a 4-3 American Hockey League victory.
“We had six chances, they had one in overtime,” new Penguins head coach and general manager Mike Vellucci said. “What are you going to do? We played hard. We took it to them in overtime.
“Sometimes that happens. They get one chance and it goes in. I can’t take anything away from our guys on that.”
After Utica took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period, the Penguins excelled on the power play, the penalty kill and even in facing a penalty shot.
Combining Oula Palve’s faceoff skills, David Warsofsky’s shot from the point and Stefan Noesen’s work in front of the net, the Penguins scored just six and 12 seconds into their second-period power plays.
The Penguins took the lead in the third period eight seconds after killing off a penalty.
Warsofsky, the team captain, assisted the first goal and scored the second.
Noesen worked a rebound free on Warsofsky’s shot from the point to score at 3:13 of the second. Signed the day before the season started, Noesen has scored in each game and already has four goals in the 1-1-1-0 start.
There was no point for Noesen on Warsofsky’s goal, which came on a hard one-timer after a point-to-point pass from Andrew Agozzino. Both Vellucci and Warsofsky, however, praised Noesen’s willingness to create traffic in front of the goalie for helping the puck find its way through.
“We’re all pretty new with each other so we don’t know each other’s patterns completely yet,” Warsofsky said. “So, I think it’s important to get shots to the net. Usually good things happen.
“Stefan did a good job in front there. He had a good screen.”
Angello came out of the penalty box as the Penguins completed killing off his roughing penalty. Jon Lizotte spotted Angello and hit him with a long pass, fueling the clean breakaway that produced Angello’s goal at 8:56 of the third period.
The Penguins protected the lead until Utica defenseman Ashton Sautner found room to carry the puck into the left corner and send it in front to Bancks for the tying goal.
After the Penguins created steady pressure throughout the first half of overtime, Brogan Rafferty carried the puck down the middle and set up Jasek at the right post for the winning goal.
Two of the first four AHL players to four goals got there at Mohegan Sun Arena Saturday night.
Reid Boucher had the two first-period goals for Utica to give him four in the team’s 2-0 start. Vellucci assessed them as one breakdown, for not being ready on a faceoff, and one bad bounce.
NOTES: Emil Jarmi made his first North American professional start in goal for the Penguins and had 31 saves, including one on a second-period penalty shot by Jonah Gadjovich to keep the game tied, 2-2. … The Penguins released Steve Oleksy, a former alternate captain, from his professional tryout contract Saturday, before the veteran defenseman ever appeared in a game. … The scratches from Saturday night included right wing Ben Sexton and left wing Jamie Devane, who have non-specified injuries and have not played yet. … The Penguins finish their three games in three days by returning to Hershey for a 5:05 p.m. Sunday game. They beat the Bears, 4-3, in last weekend’s season opener.
Utica 4, Penguins 3
Utica`2`0`1`1 — 4
Penguins`0`2`1`0 — 3
First Period — 1, Utica, Boucher 3 (Camper) 17:40; 2, Utica, Boucher 4 (Juolevi, Goldobin), (PP), 19:41. Penalties — Lind, Utica (high sticking), 1:41; Almari, Penguins (slashing), 8:25; Warsofsky,Penguins (tripping), 19:19.
Second Period — 3, Penguins, Noesen 4 (Warsofsky, Palve), (PP), 3:13; 4, Penguins, Warsofky 1 (Agozzino, Palve), (PP) 8:49. Penalties — Arsenault, Utica (hooking), 3:07; Abt, Penguins (tripping), 6:01; Bench, served by Stevenson, Utica (too many men on ice); 8:37; Jasek, Utica (hooking), 14:51; Almari, Penguins (interference), 17:41.
Third Period — 5, Penguins, Angello 2 (Lizotte), 8:56; 6, Utica, Bancks 1 (Baertschi, Sautner), 17:41. Penalties — Angello, Penguins, (roughing), 6:48; Arsenault, Utica, (roughing), 10:37.
Overtime — 7, Jasek 1 (Rafferty, Baerstchi) 3:19. Penalties — None.
Shots on Goal — Utica 11-10-9-1—31. Penguins 10-14-10-3—37.
Power-play opportunities — Utica 1 of 5; Penguins 2 of 5.
Penalty shot — Gadjovich, Utica, 19:30-2nd, saved by Larmi.
Goalies — Utica, McIntyre 1-0-0 (37 shots-34 saves). Penguins, Larmi 0-0-0 (31 shots-27 saves).
A — 6,131.
Referees — Olivier Gouin, Carter Sandlak; Linesmen — Jud Ritter, J.P. Waleski.
