The Pens actually jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the game, with Jonathan Filewich and Kyle Brodziak getting the team on the board. Brodziak became the first member of the Edmonton Oilers organization to record a regular season point with the Pens after poking the puck behind Frederic Cassivi 10:38 into the game.

“We score a goal to go up 4-3, next shift out, goal,” Richards said. “You talk about huge shifts in games, start of periods, end of periods, and after goals. That was a huge shift. We gave up a bad goal.”

Wilkes-Barre kept the pressure on for much of the opening frame, but an easy goal by Tyler Sloan helped to turn the tide of the game somewhat.

“We gave up a bad goal. Defensive zone coverage, we had a breakdown,” said Richards.

Hershey went on to record the first two goals of the second period, as Joey Tenute tallied twice in less than a minute, with both goals coming on the power play (the second at 5-on-3).

Connor James evened the score before the second period was out, and Daniel Carcillo put the Pens back ahead 1:56 into the third period. But disaster struck the very next time Hershey touched the puck, as former Penguin Petr Taticek tallied 28 seconds later.

Louis Robitaille then went to work on the Pens, goading Skolney into an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

“Every team out there in the league knows what he does,” Skolney stated. “I think I’ve got to hold back. Knowing what he does and how he does it, you’ve just got to be controlled.”

Matt Hendricks netted his first of the year on the ensuing power play, before Chad Wiseman capped the night with two goals of his own to hand the Pens their first loss.

“We’re one-and-one,” remarked Richards afterwards. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”