Yesterday started with Kyle Dubas praising Bill Zonnon as the 2025 first round draft pick was about to turn pro full time. To say Penguin management is impressed with Zonnon’s habits would be an understatement after the player showed he was going above and beyond to watch and learn the system before even joining the team.
Zonnon put that preparation to good use when he scored the go-ahead goal that stood as the game winner in Wilkes-Barre’s 2-0 Game 1 victory over Springfield.
Needless to say the Atlantic Division Finals were not too big of a stage for the 19-year old to make his AHL debut. The Penguins took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series against Springfield.
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Here was the Pens’ lineup for the night.
Sergei Murashov only needed to stop 24 shots, the quantity not sounding like much but it doesn’t tell the whole tale of how good the goaltending was and needed to be. Murashov was deservedly named the number one star of the game and was the best player on the ice all night long, especially during a critical juncture in the second period when he had to be extremely sharp to keep the puck out of the net. What he lacked in total saves that needed to be made was more than made up for by the quality of stops required.
Harrison Brunicke wasn’t too far behind Murashov as far as top-performing players on the night. It has certainly been an unconventional and path-less-traveled type of season for Brunicke. Rocky at times even, in a year that spanned playing games across different leagues, levels and tournaments fromthe NHL. AHL, WHL to the WJC. Based on his play in the AHL playoffs, Brunicke has come out of the storm just fine. His defensive play looks much more confident and steady. His reads and stopping ability have increased, he uses his stick effectively. Overall he just looks like a stronger player whether it’s been boxing guys out in front of the net, tossing them aside from the goalies after whistles or using his body to shield pucks as he carries them. Maybe it was going back to junior and getting the chance to play huge minutes and grow. Maybe a light just went of and he would have been fine by now no matter what happened. No matter how the particulars, Brunicke looks like a different and better version of himself compared to the one who had an AHL conditioning stint early in the regular season.
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Tanner Howe scored a third period insurance goal to boost the lead to 2-0.
In the end, Game 1 will be remembered as the Zonnon debut. Springfield’s goalie, Georgi Romanov has arguably been the early player of the playoffs so far in the AHL. Romanov’s 5-1 record and .954 save% in the first two rounds of the playoffs were a leading reason why the Thunderbirds pulled off upsets over Charlotte and Providence. Romanov had the Pens blanked too until Zonnon made it happen with his goal.
The Pittsburgh organization has to continue to be pleased with how this playoff run is going. Murashov has been stellar, Brunicke is showing out and seemingly growing by the game and now their latest player to join the fray in Zonnon has made an immediate impact to show why they were so excited to get him into their organization. Vibes are strong, all signs pointing in the right direction as Wilkes heads into Game 2 tomorrow night.
