Minor league report: Penguins win as Joel Blomqvist, Rutger McGroarty make season debuts
Goaltender Joel Blomqvist and forward Rutger McGroarty each made their season debuts for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-1 win against the Springfield Thunderbirds at Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the Pittsburgh Penguins activated Blomqvist and McGroarty from the season-opening non-roster injured list and assigned them to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Both players entered the regular season with undisclosed ailments.
Blomqvist made 23 saves on 24 shots while McGroarty opened the contest on the left wing of the top line and scored a goal on two shots.
Forwards Raivis Ansons and Boko Imama also scored goals for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12-3-1-0), which extended a winning streak to four games.
Highlights:
The Penguins’ next game is a road contest against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday, 7 p.m.
A pair of goals by forward Mike Posma led the Wheeling Nailers to a 4-1 win against the Maine Mariners at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va.
Defenseman Brent Johnson recorded two assists for Wheeling, which extended a winning streak to eight games, while forwards Max Graham and Zach Urdahl each contributed a goal.
Goaltender Jake Smith made 22 saves on 23 shots to boost his record to 4-0-0.
Highlights:
The Nailers’ next game is a road contest against the Reading Royals on Sunday, 3 p.m.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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