Rutger McGroarty scored five minutes into overtime Tuesday night to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 4-3 win over the Hershey Bears in Game 3 at GIANT Center. The victory moved the Penguins ahead 2-1 in the best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals.
The game turned quickly from there. Phil Kemp opened the scoring at 3:15 of the first period, Mikhail Ilyin added his first AHL goal three minutes later and Ivan Miroshnichenko made it 2-1 at the midway mark of the opening frame. Bogdan Trineyev tied it just before the first intermission, then Brett Leason restored Hershey's lead 37 seconds into the second period.
That edge held until the closing minutes, when Avery Hayes scored with 3:03 remaining after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pulled its goalie for an extra attacker. Murashov finished with 26 saves for the Penguins, while Clay Stevenson stopped 23 shots for the Bears.
The series now shifts to Game 4 on Thursday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. back at GIANT Center. If a fifth game is needed, it is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
For Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the win came from a lineup built around young prospects and another timely goal from McGroarty, whose first playoff score as a professional ended one of the series' most back-and-forth games. Hershey will need to answer quickly on home ice, or the Penguins can close in on the division final before the weekend.