Radim Zohorna was impressive in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters on Monday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Zohorna scored three goals and assisted in propelling Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (31-20-8-1) to a rebound win after losing in overtime to Cleveland the day before.
The 6-foot-7 forward casts a big shadow, but Jack St. Ivany and Jagger Joshua also stood out. St. Ivany gathered three assists after being moved from the NHL four hours before the game, and Jagger Joshua got a goal, an assist and a fight, achieving a “Gordie Howe hat trick.”
The Penguins took an early lead with a double deflection at 5:45 of the first period. St. Ivany shot towards the net, which was tipped by Zohorna and Joshua on its way across the goal line. Joshua was credited with the opening goal.
Cleveland responded with a power-play goal by Jake Gaudet, but Zohorna quickly put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton back in the lead 91 seconds later. Zohorna fired a slap shot from the blue line that passed Monsters goalie Malcolm Subban.
Vasily Ponomarev extended the Penguins’ lead to 3-1 by redirecting a shot from Jack Rathbone at 5:36 of the second period. This goal was part of an 18-shot onslaught by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the second period, but Subban did his part to prevent his team from falling too far behind.
The Monsters narrowed the gap with a goal by James Malatesta with 1:49 left before the second intermission.
Zohorna’s second goal of the game came on a redirect four minutes into the third period. The referee initially disallowed the tip-in, but after a discussion by all four on-ice officials, the call was changed to a valid goal.
Zohorna completed his hat trick with a slick tip on the power play with 1:57 left in regulation.
Joel Blomqvist secured his 20th win of his rookie season by making 25 saves. Subban, who debuted for the Monsters, made 35 saves on 40 shots.
The Penguins’ next game starts a three-game weekend, as they play against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday, Mar. 22. The Penguins and Crunch from Upstate Medical University Arena will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is their annual Star Wars Night, as they face the Utica Comets on Saturday, Mar. 23 with a 6:05 p.m. puck drop at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Tickets for the remaining games in the Penguins’ 25th season and for the 2024-25 season-ticket packages are currently on sale. Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating options can be obtained by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367. Individual-game tickets are also available through Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office, or by calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367.
