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AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Four In Five For Penguins This Week

November 18, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


The Penguins posted a 1-2-0-0 record in last week's action to remain in fourth place in the East Division.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton began the weekend on the road, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Binghamton Senators. Janne Pesonen and Connor James recorded goals for the Pens, while John Curry stopped 33 of 37 shots. James' goal was a shorthanded tally, his second of the season.

The Penguins got a little revenge the following night, as Adam Berkhoel turned aside 27 shots for his league-leading third shutout of the season, 3-0, over the Senators. Pesonen, Dustin Jeffrey and Dave Gove all notched goals for the Penguins.

Sunday afternoon saw the Pens jump out to a 2-0 lead on early goals from Pesonen and Jeff Taffe, but the Crunch battled back, scoring with 36 seconds left in the game to take a 4-3 win. Chris Minard scored his league-high 14th goal of the season to tie the game at 3-3 with four minutes to play. Curry stopped 29 of 33 shots in the loss.

UPCOMING GAMES:

The Penguins play their first four-in-five this week, taking on the Syracuse Crunch at home on Wednesday, before hitting the road for games at Grand Rapids, Toronto and Lake Erie. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton plays six sets of four-in-fives this season:

Nov. 19, 21-23 (vs. Syracuse, @ Grand Rapids, @ Toronto, @ Lake Erie)

Dec. 10, 12-14 (@ Norfolk, @ Syracuse, vs. Portland, @ Philadelphia)

Dec. 26-28, 30 (@ Philadelphia, vs. Bridgeport, vs. Binghamton, vs. Philadelphia)

Feb. 25, 27-March 1 (vs. Hartford, vs. Albany, @ Bridgeport, vs. Bridgeport)

March 4, 6-8 (vs. Binghamton, @ Syracuse, vs. Binghamton, vs. Norfolk)

April 8, 10-12 (vs. Norfolk, vs. Albany, vs. Norfolk, @ Hershey)

The Penguins face the Crunch for the second straight game, before heading to Michigan for the team's first visit to Grand Rapids since Jan. 13, 2007. It will be a homecoming for Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, who hails from nearby Grand Haven, Michigan. Adam Berkhoel could also see action against his former team. The league's current shutout leader posted a 10-14-4 record with the Griffins last season.

The Pens will then play back-to-back afternoon contests, with games against the Marlies (4:00pm) and Monsters (5:00pm)

LEAGUE LEADERS

Chris Minard is first in goals (14), tied for second in points (24), tied for first in power play goals (6), first in game-winning goals (4), and tied for 11th in plus/minus (plus-10)

Janne Pesonen is tied for 18th in points (17), tied for ninth in assists (12), tied for eight in power play assists (3) and tied for 11th in plus/minus (plus-10)

Jeff Taffe is tied for firth in points (19), tied for seventh in goals (10), tied for 12th in assists (9), tied for third in game-winning goals (2) and tied for eighth in plus/minus (plus-11)

Ben Lovejoy is tied for third in plus/minus (plus-13)

Connor James is tied for first in shorthanded goals (2)

Adam Berkhoel is first in shutouts (3), fifth in goals against average (1.95), fifth in save percentage (.936), and tied for 12th in wins (5)

BERKHOEL BLANKS THEM AGAIN: Goaltender Adam Berkhoel entered the 2008-09 season with one AHL shutout to his credit, that coming last February 23 in a 1-0 Grand Rapids win against Manitoba (18 saves).

He's already tripled that number in his first eight games with the Penguins.

Berkhoel has posted three shutouts with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - October 22 @ Lowell 5-0, 46 saves; November 7 vs. Lowell 4-0, 26 saves; November 15 vs. Binghamton, 3-0, 27 saves. He has shutouts in two consecutive starts and in three of his past four appearances

Berkhoel's 46 saves on October 22 at Lowell was a new personal high for the fifth year pro.

PESONEN POURING ON POINTS: Janne Pesonen continues to be one of the most consistent helpers in the AHL this season, having recorded at least one point (5+12=17) in 12 of the 14 games he has appeared in so far.

Pesonen picked up points in his first six games in North America (2+7=9) after joining the Penguins from Karpat in Finland. He was held scoreless against the Portland Pirates on October 25, and was recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins following that contest.

He rejoined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton prior to a November 2 game against the Houston Aeros, in which he recorded two assists. Pesonen has eight points (3+5) in seven games since his return to the AHL.

SHORT STUFF: Connor James netted his second shorthanded goal of the season on November 14 against the Binghamton Senators. That gave the Penguins a league-high five shorthanded goals through 13 games.

The Penguins recorded four shorthanded goals (Ryan Lannon - 1; Dave Gove - 3) during the entire 2007-08 season.

LOVEJOY A PLUS FOR PENS: Ben Lovejoy leads the team and is among the league-leaders in plus-minus rating at plus-13 as of November 18. He also led the club with a plus-16 rating last season, his first full year as a professional.

MOVING UP THE LADDER - PENGUINS ALL-TIME LEADERS

- Ryan Stone picked up his seventh assist of the season on November 16 vs. Syracuse, giving him 83 assists for his Penguins career and moving him into a tie with Colby Armstrong for seventh place on the team's all-time assist list

- Stone started the season in 12th place on the team's all-time penalty minutes list with 324, but has since moved into 10th place with 359 (32 this season). He trails Steve Parsons by seven minutes for ninth place and Billy Tibbers by 19 for eighth.

- Jonathan Filewich appeared in his 239th career game on November 16 vs. Syracuse, moving him into a tie for 12th place with Tomas Surovy

- Adam Berkhoel's shutout on November 17 vs. Binghamton was his third with the Penguins, tying him with Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Andrew Penner and John Curry for sixth place on the team's all-time list.

MINARD'S GREAT START: Chris Minard has had one of the hottest scoring hands in the American Hockey League this season, recording 24 points (14+10) in 14 games with the Penguins. He missed the team's October 31 game against the San Antonio Rampage due to recall by Pittsburgh, but was returned to the team prior to a November 2 contest in Houston.

He carries a 14-game scoring streak into tonight's action.

CHRIS MINARD GAME-BY-GAME SCORING

Date Opponent G-A-Pts Notes

Oct. 8 vs. Hershey 0-1-1

Oct. 11 vs. Philadelphia 2-1-3 Game-Winning Goal

Oct. 17 vs. Bridgeport 1-0-1

Oct. 19 @ Hershey 2-1-3 Game-Winning Goal

Oct. 22 @ Lowell 1-0-1

Oct. 24 @ Manchester 0-1-0

Oct. 25 @ Portland 1-1-2

Oct. 31 @ San Antonio On Recall To Pittsburgh

Nov. 2 @ Houston 3-0-3 Hat Trick, Game-Winning Goal

Nov. 5 @ Bridgeport 1-1-2

Nov. 7 vs. Lowell 2-0-2 Game-Winning Goal

Nov. 8 vs. Hershey 0-1-1

Nov. 14 @ Binghamton 0-1-1

Nov. 15 vs. Binghamton 0-1-1

Nov. 16 vs. Syracuse 1-1-2

Minard's personal best for points in a game is three, and he has already accomplished that feat three times this season.

CHRIS MINARD CAREER AHL THREE POINT GAMES

February 26, 2006 vs. Syracuse (0+3)

December 17, 2006 vs. Providence (2+1)

October 3, 2007 vs. Hershey (3+0)

January 2, 2008 vs. Syracuse (3+0)

October 11, 2008 vs. Philadelphia (2+1)

October 19, 2008 @ Hershey (2+1)

November 2, 2008 @ Houston (3+0)

Minard netted a hat trick in his return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from Pittsburgh, the third of his AHL and Penguins careers.

CHRIS MINARD HAT TRICKS

October 3, 2007 vs. Hershey

January 2, 2008 vs. Syracuse

November 2, 2008 @ Houston

Minard equaled Michel Ouellet's team record for career hat tricks with his performance in Houston, and now has at least one point in every game he has played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

MINNY A WINNER: Chris Minard has recorded four game-winning goals in the Penguins' first 14 games. The team record for game-winners in a season is eight, set by Kurtis McLean in 2007-08.

Minard now has six game-winning goals in his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton career. The team record is 13 (Michel Ouellet).

GREAT DEALS FROM THE PENGUINS

DOUBLE FEATURE PLAN

It's a Penguins double feature! Buy two tickets to the Wednesday, November 26th game vs. the Philadelphia Phantoms and get two free movie passes to Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 - a more than $25.00 value! Packages are NOW available and start at just $30.00. Offer redeemable at the Penguins Team Store in the Waterfront Complex only. Movie passes based on availability. Limited time offer so hurry in soon!

FREE TICKETS FROM RBK

Stop by the Pens Team Store in the Waterfront Complex and take advantage of a special retail promotion from Reebok and CCM. For a limited time, buy any new RBK Edge jersey and receive two free tickets to a future Pens game! This promotion only lasts as long as the tickets do, so don't delay and take advantage of this special offer today!

SUNDAYS ARE FUN DAYS FOR KIDS

In honor of the Pens 10th Anniversary Season all blue and gold zone tickets to any Sunday game are just $10 for kids 14 and under! Be sure to take advantage of this offer next Sunday as your Pens take on the Syracuse Crunch! Tickets can be purchased at the Wachovia Arena Box Office or any Ticketmaster outlet.

NEW ONLINE TEAM STORE UP AND RUNNING

The Penguins and Solid Cactus have teamed up to bring you an all new online team store shopping experience. Log on to wbspenguins.com and check out all of our newest merchandise for the holiday season featuring third jerseys, player t-shirts and more. Log on to www.wbspoenguins.com to check it out!

FOUR SNOW TIRES, FOUR TICKETS FROM McCARTHY

Fans, next time your vehicle needs new tires, stop by any McCarthy Tire location and take advantage of this exciting new offer. Now through December 15th, buy four snow tires at McCarty Tire and receive four free ticket vouchers good for any Penguins home game. That's $70 worth of tickets, absolutely free!

THE OLD COLLEGE TRY

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Luzerne County Transit Authority have teamed up for an incredible new offer, EXCLUSIVELY for local college students.

The LCTA will be offering transportation to and from all Penguins Saturday home games. The LCTA trolley will pick students up at the Ramada Inn on Public Square at 6:00pm and transport them to the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The trolley will also provide return travel back to Public Square at 9:30pm. Students will receive transportation to and from the game, a Blue Zone ticket, hot dog, soda and popcorn, all for just $15.25! Students must present valid college ID at the Wachovia Arena to take full advantage of the deal.

Can't make it to a game on Saturday? Take Part in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Student Rush. Present your valid college ID at any Penguins home game and receive a discount off the gate price. For more information, contact the Penguins at 570-208-7367.

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