AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

McLean, Penguins over Bears

January 11, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, PA - For 44 minutes, Brent Johnson looked to be unbeatable.

In Hershey on a conditioning stint, the Washington Capitals netminder stopped the first 33 shots he faced against the Penguins, and looked poised to pluck his first AHL win since the 2003-04 season when he was a member of the Worcester Ice Cats.

But Kurtis McLean had other thoughts.

With the Penguins down 1-0 in the final frame, McLean scored twice in a span of 5:21 to propel Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a 3-1 win in front of a sellout crowd of 8,162. The win raised the club's record to 23-13-0-1 (47 points, second in the East Division), while Hershey fell to 21-14-0-2 (44 points, third in the East Division).

"This was the type of game where, at the start of the year when we weren't scoring goals...going in down 1-0, we might not have scored a goal," said McLean, who now has 11 goals on the season, including a team-best four game-winning tallies. "But having that winning streak, I think the confidence is up. And even though we were down one with all those shots, the guys' morale was up in here. We knew we were going to get one, you could just feel it. It was a great atmosphere, the crowd was into it.

"As soon as we got that first one, we just see the bench erupt, and then it's onward from there."

Johnson was outstanding between the pipes for the first two-plus periods, and was helped out when Chris Bourque scored a shorthanded goal less than two minutes into the second period.

That looked like it would be all the ammunition Hershey would need, until McLean and Chris Minard arrived on the scene.

"Obviously their goaltender played very well," said Penguins head coach Todd Richards. "But I'm real proud of our effort tonight, real proud of the way we played, and I felt that we were in control for a good portion of the 60 minutes. That's hockey. You've got to keep plugging.

"They certainly have some chemistry," Richards said of the duo of Minard and McLean, which has combined for 32 points (15+17) since December 15. "Minard one-touches [the puck] quickly in the middle of the ice, and we catch them on a quick two-on-one [for the first goal.

"The other goal was a great play by Minard finding McLean coming through the high slot for a high deflection. So it was a great game. It was a great game to watch."

Mark Letestu stayed hot as well, finishing off the scoring with his fourth goal in the last four contests to seal the win.

John Curry faced just 16 shots on the night, but turned aside 15 to record his seventh straight win. The rookie netminder now leads all AHL goalies with a 1.82 goals against average and is tied for firth with a .923 save perecentage.

"That's not an easy game for John Curry either," said Richards. "When a majority of the game is played down at the other end...He made some big saves for us in the third period."

The victory was the eight in a row on home ice for the Penguins, setting a new team mark. The previous record of seven straight home victories was set from Dec. 17, 2005-Jan. 18, 2006.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 11, 2008


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