It’s been a decade since the Baby Pens advanced this far in the Calder Cup tournament. Newswatch 16’s Adi Iyer joined the fans at the arena for game one.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — It’s been ten years since the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins got to this point.

It’s the first game of the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs hosted by the Baby Pens at the Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township.

“We’re so excited about it, we wouldn’t miss this game for the world. It’s so cool to see them do so well and go so far with their games,” says Isabelle Wessler of Pittsburgh.



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LJ Cunningham of Conyngham says, “I think we’re going to, we’re going to be alright. I think we got this far; it’s been ten years since this happened. I think we got momentum and I think we’re going to ride that momentum all the way to the Calder Cup.”

For some longtime fans, the team’s current lineup is unlike many they’ve seen.

“They’re special guys, it’s a special team. One we haven’t had in a long time,” says Patricia Gozikowski of Center Moreland.

For the fans who weren’t around to see the Pens go this far last time.

“I was a little young but I don’t remember exactly.”>

“I wasn’t even a fan at that time.”>

Seeing the team compete at this level for the first time is something special in its own right.

“I’m excited, I feel like I could run through a brick wall at the moment. It feels great because I’ve been a fan for longer than most of my family, so to be here after ten years feels really great,” says Jamison Patton of Berwick.

“This is huge, I mean, this is the most I’ve seen any Penguins team succeed, as long as I’ve been a fan, so I’m extremely pumped and excited,” says Davin Ridall of Nescope.

And although there were some nerves going into the game against the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Gozikowski says, “It’s going to be a tough game because Thunderbirds have picked up their pace a lot.”>

But the penguins came out on top, winning the game 2-0. 

The team plays the Thunderbirds again Thursday night at Mohegan Arena.