Penguins win Game 3 in overtime 4-3 after Ilya Protas gets stick slashed out hands on Avery Hayes’ game-tying goal: ‘I think it was a penalty’
RMNB • • sports
Key Points:
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Hershey Bears 4-3 in overtime, putting them one win away from the Atlantic Division Finals, but the game featured a controversial non-call on a potential penalty.
- Penguins coach Kirk MacDonald pulled goaltender Sergei Murashov for an extra attacker late in the game, leading to a key sequence where Bears’ Tristan Broz lost his stick due to a slash by Penguins forward Gabe Klassen, yet no penalty was called.
- Avery Hayes scored the game-tying goal with 2:53 remaining after the missed penalty, and Rutger McGroarty scored the overtime winner, deflecting a shot past Bears goalie Clay Stevenson.
- Bears coach Derek King and players expressed disbelief over the missed call but acknowledged the officials’ difficult job, emphasizing the need to move forward despite the setback.
- Hershey had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to lead 3-2 late in the third period, but the Penguins' late-game surge shifted momentum; Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday night at Giant Center.
