Penguins Score Three in Third to Stun Pipers, Grab 3–0 Series Edge

Penguins Rally in Third Period to Defeat Shoreline Pipers 4–3

The Penguins mounted an impressive third-period comeback to defeat the Shoreline Pipers 4–3, erasing a two-goal deficit and closing out the game with three unanswered goals.

The Penguins opened the scoring early in the first period when Andrew Shewfelt scored his second of the playoffs, finishing a setup from Taylor Burke and Will Thompson to give the Penguins a 1–0 lead. The Pipers responded later in the period when Nate Leger found the back of the net to even the score at 1–1 heading into the intermission.

The Shoreline Pipers grabbed their first lead of the night midway through the second period when Brandon Verge beat Bryan Gillis to put the Pipers ahead 2–1. It was Verge’s first goal of the playoffs.

Momentum appeared to swing even further in the Pipers’ favor early in the third period when Jake Martin, with help from Evan MacLennan and Brendon Duff, extended the lead to 3–1.

However, the Penguins refused to go away quietly.

Regan Spears sparked the comeback, scoring with just over 12 minutes to go in the third period with assists from Taylor Burke and Ryan Daley to cut the deficit to one. Just over three minutes later, Cedric Ralph tied the game 3–3 at 10:35, finishing a play from Tyler Noseworthy and Thompson. You could feel the momentum building.

The comeback was completed with just under seven minutes to go when Alex Roode buried the game-winning goal, assisted by Garrett Holmes and Ty Hunter, giving the Penguins a 4–3 lead they would not relinquish.

The Penguins controlled much of the play offensively, outshooting the Shoreline Pipers 53–36 on the night. Bryan Gillis (W) made 33 saves in the win, while Andrew MacLeod, who has faced a ton of pucks this series, made 49 saves in the loss.

With the victory, the Penguins demonstrated resilience and offensive depth, turning a late deficit into a dramatic comeback win. They will now head back to the Igloo for Game 4 Sunday night with a chance to close out the series and punch their ticket to the Northumberland Championship Series.