WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The Springfield Thunderbirds (34-30-2-4) could not get their offense in rhythm in a 4-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who rebranded as the Carbondale UFOs (38-22-7-1) on Saturday night inside Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

In his AHL debut, rookie forward Jacob Hudson could not have dreamt of a better script for his first shift with the T-Birds just 1:45 into the contest. He jumped on the ice, picked off the puck from fellow rookie Harrison Brunicke at the Penguin line, and snapped a perfect wrist shot past the glove of Joel Blomqvist to give Springfield the 1-0 advantage.

From that point forward, though, the Penguins, rebranded on this night as the Carbondale UFOs, kept the pressure on inside the Springfield defensive zone. At 13:32, Tristan Broz broke through on an odd-man rush, taking a beautiful drop pass from Sam Poulin and beating Colten Ellis to tie the game. The rookie's 19th goal of the year turned out to be just the first of two in a 20-second blitz for the UFOs, as fellow ookie Nolan Renwick cashed in for his first pro tally at the goal crease following a centering pass from Chase Stillman at 13:52.  The two strikes gave the home team the 2-1 lead heading into intermission. 

Ellis continued to be the busiest man on the ice in the second period. The T-Bird netminder saw his save total rise to 30 through just 40 minutes of game action. Among his best work in the period were splendid close-in shots from Emil Bemstrom and Broz.

Offense continued to be hard to find for the visitors, and the UFOs eventually added to their lead at 16:44, just seconds after a power play had concluded. Owen Pickering sent the puck to the back door from the right circle, where Atley Calvert wedged it through Ellis to extend the lead to 3-1. 

The story did not change much in the third, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton continued outpacing Springfield in the shot department, finishing the night with a 44-23 advantage in shot attempts. Ellis's terrific night would not be enough despite his 40-save effort. Bemstrom sealed the night with his 22nd of the season into an empty net with 1:31 remaining. 

Springfield returns home to close the regular season for a two-game set against the Charlotte Checkers at the Thunderdome next Friday and Saturday. Fans can watch the games at 7:05 p.m. each night on AHLTV powered by FloHockey or listen on NewsRadio 560 WHYN.

Fans can get their Thunderbirds tickets for the Calder Cup playoff push today by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.