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Minor league report: Penguins beat Phantoms in Tanner Howe’s debut

Seth Rorabaugh
By Seth Rorabaugh
2 Min Read Feb. 1, 2026 | 1 day Ago
| Sunday, February 1, 2026 7:23 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Tanner Howe battles for position with Lehigh Valley forward Cooper Marody in front of goaltender Alexei Kolosov at the PPL Center in Allentown on Saturday. The Penguins won, 6-2. (JustSports Photography)

Defenseman Matt Dumba recorded four assists for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 6-2 win against the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Mohegan Arena in Allentown on Sunday.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (29-12-2-2) got goals from forwards Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Avery Hayes, Boko Imama, Aidan McDonough and Nolan Renwick, as well as defenseman Owen Pickering.

Goaltender Joel Blomqvist made 23 saves on 25 shots, boosting his record to 7-4-3.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Tanner Howe made his professional debut, opening the contest on the left wing of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s second line. He recorded an assist and two penalty minutes.

Howe had been sidelined since April after suffering a right knee injury with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. He was a second-round draft pick (No. 46 overall) in 2024.

Highlights:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is a home contest against the Hershey Bears on Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.

Goaltender Taylor Gauthier made 17 saves on 18 shots for the Wheeling Nailers in a 1-0 loss to the Worcester Railers at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.

The result dropped Gauthier’s record to 7-4-1.

Wheeling (26-12-2-1) was shut out for the second time this season as its season-worst losing streak was extended to six games (0-4-1-1).

Highlights:

The Nailers’ next game is a home contest against the Fort Wayne Komets on Wednesday, 7:10 p.m.


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