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Sound Tigers And Bulldogs Visit This Week

March 25, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL) - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (42-25-0-3, 87 points, second in East Division), in the midst of a tight race for the top of the division, look to continue their recent form when the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Hamilton Bulldogs visit the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza this week.

The Penguins are 9-1-0-0 in their past two games, and currently sit one point behind the Philadelphia Phantoms for first place in the East Division, with one game in hand on their intra-state rivals.

The Sound Tigers (35-30-1-2, 73 points) are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the Calder Cup postseason, holding down the sixth spot in the East Division. Bridgeport is currently without three of its top four scorers in Jeff Tambellini (29-29-58), Steve Regier (19-22-41) and Frans Nielsen (10-28-38), as all three have been recalled by the parent New York Islanders.

The Penguins have posted a 3-2-0-0 record against the Sound Tigers this season. They face off on Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre (7:05pm), and will meet again on Saturday night in Bridgeport (7:00pm)

Sandwiched in between those games is a meeting with the defending Calder Cup champion Hamilton Bulldogs. The Bulldogs enter the week with a 31-30-3-5 mark (fourth place in the North Division), and are winless in their past nine games (0-8-0-1). Hamilton will have some work to do over the final month of the season if they are to get a shot at a second straight championship, as their 70 points through Tuesday left them 11 points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Penguins took the only other meeting between the clubs this season, scoring a 3-2 victory at the Copps Coliseum on November 28.

PENS RAISE MORE THAN $8,000 FOR ROBO'S READERS AND FIGHT AGAINST DYSLEXIA

Penguins fans showed their support for former Penguins defenseman Darcy Robinson, by donating a total of $8,652.75 during the first three weeks of March. Funds were raised through two jersey raffles, featuring sweaters from Robinson's Italian league club, Asiago HC, and by taking donations to sign a memorial banner, which now adorns the Wachovia Arena rafters. That money will go to the Robo's Readers program, which encourages local school children in reading, and to the dePaul School in Scranton, which features a special curriculum for students with Dyslexia, a condition from which Robinson suffered. Robinson passed away while playing for Asiago on September 27, 2007.

JAMES RECALLED BY PITTSBURGH - AGAIN

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Connor James from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it was announced Tuesday by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ray Shero.

James enters his sixth stint with Pittsburgh this season. He has played a total of 12 games in five previous recalls with the club. James played in four games after being recalled on March 11th. He was recalled on February 26th vs. the New York Islanders and recorded his first NHL goal. He made his Pittsburgh debut on December 15th vs. the New York Islanders during his first recall to Pittsburgh.

James has registered 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 54 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. He is currently tied for third on the team in assists (24). James was originally signed by the Penguins as a free agent on August 9th, 2006. He made his NHL debut during the 2005-06 season playing two games with the Los Angeles Kings.

PITTSBURGH SIGNS NICK JOHNSON

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Nick Johnson to a two-year, entry-level contract, it was announced Tuesday by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ray Shero.

Johnson recently completed his collegiate career at Dartmouth posting 125 points (57 goals, 68 assists) and never missing a game (133) during four seasons with the team. He led the club with 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists) playing all 32 games this season. His 25 assists were a career high and his 35 points equaled a career best.

Johnson led the ECAC with six power play goals and ranked third with 17 assists in 22 conference games. He was named first team All-ECAC and first team All-Ivy this season. In addition to his performance on the ice, he was selected team captain and named to the ECAC All-Academic Team. Johnson was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year following the 2004-05 season and was honorable mention during the 2005-06 season. He finishes his time at Dartmouth ranked 10th all-time in scoring.

Johnson was originally selected by the Penguins in the third round (67th overall) in the 2004 NHL Draft. He will join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) for the remainder of the season.

PENGUINS POINTS OF INTEREST

BREAKING DOWN BENJAMIN

It took Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy a total of 59 games before he netted his first professional goal (four games last season with Norfolk, 55 this season with the Penguins), but just six games to pick up his second. Lovejoy netted the game-winning goal in the Penguins' 3-2 victory against the Providence Bruins on Saturday night.

The Dartmouth graduate is in the midst of a solid first season, with 18 points (2+16) and a plus-16 rating in 62 games. His plus-minus rating is tied for 25th in the league, and is fifth among AHL rookies.

BIG MAC

Kurtis McLean broke the team record for game-winning goals in a single season when he picked up his eighth of the campaign on March 19 against the Lowell Devils. The former record of seven game-winning goals was set by Michel Ouellet in 2003-04 and tied by Matt Hussey in 2005-06.

For his career, McLean has recorded nine game-winners with the Penguins, tying Jonathan Filewich for seventh place on the team's all-time list.

McLean entered this week tied for first in the AHL in game-winning goals, and was tied for the team lead with 21 goals overall.

SHOOTOUT SUCCESS

The Penguins entered the week tied for fourth with six shootout victories, and tied for fourth with a .667 winning percentage (6 wins, 3 losses). The Penguins have converted on 18 of 50 shootout attempts, good for a .360 success rate, eighth best in the league. Penguins goaltenders have stopped 37 of 50 shots, for a 74% success rate, the sixth best mark in the league.

DEFENSIVE DYNAMITE

The Penguins allowed just 158 goals through the first 70 games of the season, the lowest total in the American Hockey League. The team record for fewest goals allowed in a season is 178, set by the 2005-06 squad.

POWER OUTAGE

With 10 games left in the regular season, the Penguins had recorded just 52 power play goals. Only the Norfolk Admirals (50), the Hamilton Bulldogs (48) and the Toronto Marlies (47) had recorded fewer goals while on the man advantage. The team record for fewest power play goals in a season is 60, set by the 2001-02 club.

STREAK TIMES TWO

The Penguins posted their second nine-game winning streak of the season between March 2 and March 19. That tied the record for longest winning streak in club history, and is tied for the longest in the AHL this season. The Peoria Rivermen posted nine straight wins from January 4-18.

What might be more impressive, though, is that the Penguins have the shortest losing streak in the AHL this season, having never dropped more than three games in a row all year (October 7-14). Only the Portland Pirates, Hartford WolfPack and Syracuse Crunch have equaled that mark this season.

BONVIE DVD GIVEAWAY ADDED TO PROMO SCHEDULE

Don't miss Dennis Bonvie's last stand on April 12th, as the Penguins battle the Norfolk Admirals at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The Pens have added a special limited edition Bonvie DVD giveaway for the first 6,000 fans through the gates that night.

The 55 minute DVD looks back on Bonvie's career with the Penguins, and features interviews with some of the players who know him best. Additionally, the special giveaway features archive footage of some of Dennis' biggest moments in the AHL and NHL, as well as plenty of his best scraps while wearing a Penguins uniform - and one memorable tussle as a member of the Hershey Bears as well!

Now through March 27th, season ticket holders can exclusively purchase additional seats for the game through the Pens offices by contacting your account executive. All remaining seats will be released to the general public on March 28th, or can be purchased now through the Drive for the Cup ticket plan. Call 208-PENS for more information.


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