Minor league report: Ville Koivunen scores in debut as Penguins drop Game 1
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Forward Ville Koivunen scored the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ lone goal in a 2-1 home loss to the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Game 1 of a first-round series at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.
Acquired via a trade on March 7 that sent All-Star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes, Koivunen made his debut for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Opening the contest on the left wing of the second line, Koivunen recorded two shots.
Also making his debut for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was forward Tristan Broz, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second-round pick (No. 58 overall) in 2021. Deployed at center of the third line to start the game, Broz logged one shot.
Goaltender Joel Blomqvist made 30 saves on 32 shots in the defeat.
Highlights:
Game 2 of the best-of-three series at Lehigh Valley is scheduled for Friday, 7:05 p.m.
Notes:
• Penguins forward Jonathan Gruden returned to the lineup after missing the final eight games of the regular season due to an undisclosed injury.
• Penguins forward Cooper Foster and defenseman Owen Pickering, each added to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s roster on Monday after their respective junior seasons came to an end, were scratched.