Four In Five For The Penguins This Week
February 26, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
A busy and important week lies ahead for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (31-22-0-3, 65 points, fourth place in the East Division), as the team gets ready to play four games in five nights. And with only seven points separating second through sixth places in the division, every point will be crucial.
The puck drops on Wednesday night, when the Syracuse Crunch (27-26-2-4, 60 points, fourth place in the North Division) visit the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The Penguins hold a 5-1-0-0 advantage over the Crunch in the season series, but are coming off a 1-0 loss in Syracuse on Saturday night. Wednesday night's game will be the seventh of eight between the clubs this season.
The homestand continues on the weekend, as a pair of divisional foes travel to Wilkes-Barre. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (30-26-1-1, 62 points, fifth place in the East Division) will get to be quite familiar to Pens fans, as the teams face off five times in the next month. The Pens hold a 2-1-0-0 advantage over the Tigers this season, dropping a 4-0 decision in the last meeting on February 16.
The first place Philadelphia Phantoms (37-18-2-2, 78 points) pay their fourth visit to Wachovia Arena this season on Saturday. This will be the eighth of 10 meetings between the teams, with the Phantoms taking five wins in the first seven games. Philadelphia took the last contest by a score of 1-0 on February 15.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wraps up the weekend with a trip to Binghamton to take on the sixth place Senators (26-23-5-4, 61 points) in the eighth and final meeting between the teams this season. The Penguins hold a 4-3-0-0 advantage in the season series, and have won the past three meetings.
PENGUINS POINTS OF INTEREST
FLEURY IN FINE FORM: Marc-Andre Fleury's win against the Hershey Bears on February 20 was his 39th in a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton uniform, moving him past Dany Sabourin for second place on the team's all-time wins list. Sebastien Caron is first with 48...Fleury ended his recent rehab stint with a 3-2-0 record, a 1.42 goals against average and a .950 save percentage in five games. Both of his losses were 1-0 defeats (Philadelphia, February 15 & Syracuse February 23).
GOVE A GAME WINNER: Dave Gove recorded six goals in his first 12 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and two of those have been game-winning efforts. He netted the decisive goals in the Pens' 5-3 win against Bridgeport on February 1 - his first game with the team - and in the team's 3-1 win in Norfolk on February 13. For the season, Gove has recorded six game-winning goals with the Penguins and Albany River Rats.
A PLUS FOR LOVEJOY: Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy was tied for third among American Hockey League rookies with a plus-12 rating as of February 24. Only Toronto's Darryl Boyce (plus-18) and Providence's Matt Hunwick (plus-15) had better marks than the first year blueliner out of Dartmouth.
BONVIE KEEPS CLIMBING: Dennis Bonvie appeared in his 850th career AHL contest on February 20 against the Hershey Bears. As of February 24, Bonvie had appeared in 852 AHL games, and ranked 17th on the league's all-time games played list. He sat seven games behind 16th place Andy Branigan, who played for the Springfield Indians, Indianapolis Capitals, Hershey Bears, and Providence Reds during his AHL career, which ran from 1940-58).
GREAT OFFERS FROM THE PENGUINS - Call 208-7367 for Information
Drive To The Cup Plan
The AHL season isn't even half way over, but it's never too early to start thinking about the playoffs! With that in mind, the we have put together a ticket plan that is sure to make keep any Calder Cup dreamer happy - the Drive to the Cup plan.
Here's how it works: you get tickets to any three remaining regular season games (YOUR choice), PLUS grab a seat for either of the Pens' first two home playoff contests (once again, YOUR choice). Should the Penguins not qualify for the postseason (bite your tongue!), you'll get a seat to the 2008-09 home opener at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza.
Plus, everyone purchasing a Drive to the Cup plan will get a stick signed by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins player of his or her choice (one stick per package purchased).
Subway Friday Family Nights - All Friday home games
Looking to keep your love of hockey and appetite in check this season? Purchase four or more tickets to any Friday night Penguins home game (tickets start at just $14.75) and get vouchers for free Subway Fresh Fit Meals. Each Friday night one lucky Subway family will win a Pens gift and a free sub platter from Subway. Call the Pens at 208-PENS for more details!
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American Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2008
- Devils Score Early and Often in 7-3 Rout - Manchester Monarchs
- Devils Romp Over Monarchs, 7-3 - Albany Devils
- Pirates Flip Score, Beat Admirals 5-1 - Norfolk Admirals
- Motzko Joins Wolves After Flurry of Atlanta Transactions - Chicago Wolves
- Canucks recall Rypien; re-assign Bourdon to Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Blues Recall Woywitka - Peoria Rivermen
- Dallas Stars Recall Jancevski and Stephan from Iowa - Iowa Chops
- Derick Brassard Returned from Columbus, Derek MacKenzie and Aaron Rome Recalled - Syracuse Crunch
- Quickway Trading Card Night Set For March 1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Hurricanes Assign Jeff Hamilton To Albany - Albany River Rats
- Kings Assign Purcell To Manchester - Manchester Monarchs
- Hamilton Summons Goaltender Cedrick Desjardins - Hamilton Bulldogs
- RW Brandon Segal Joins Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Kings Pick Up Three Draft Picks In Trade - Manchester Monarchs
- Rats Call Up Albany Native Marc Cavosie - Albany River Rats
- Four In Five For The Penguins This Week - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Boucher Heads To San Jose - Adirondack Phantoms
- Rats Call Up Albany Native Marc Cavosie - Albany River Rats
- Hockey Hair Invades Manchester For "Mullet Night: Redneck Edition" - Manchester Monarchs
- Howard Assigned By Wings - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Falcons Get Ready For Four Games In Five Days - Springfield Falcons
- Defending Champs Making Their Move - AHL
- Canadiens Recall Goaltender Jaroslav Halak - Hamilton Bulldogs
- AHL All-Star Defenseman Alexandre Picard to Join Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Crunch to Hold Syracuse Blazers Tribute Night March 8 - Syracuse Crunch
- Wolves Play It By The Book This Weekend - Chicago Wolves
- Montreal Recalls Mikhail Grabovski From Hamilton - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Blues Deal Salvador for Janssen - Peoria Rivermen
- Rivermen Weekly - Peoria Rivermen
- Aeros announce 'Skate with the Aeros' season ticket holder event, March 7 - Houston Aeros
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