Murray Makes History as Penguins Sweep Falcons
March 8, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Penguins goaltender Matt Murray set the new American Hockey League shutout streak record and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton swept its four-game season series versus the Springfield Falcons with a 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon at MassMutual Center.
The Penguins skated to a 1-0 lead midway through the first period with the help of their power play unit. Stationed at the near circle, Conor Sheary sauced a pass to the right dot for Andrew Ebbett, who fed the puck to the top of the crease, where it banked off of Tom Kostopoulos' skate and past Oscar Dansk at 11:53. The goal would stand after an official review for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's captain 12th of the season.
Holding the 1-0 lead heading into the second, AHL history was made at 2:56 of the period as Murray's shutout streak reached 268:18, breaking the mark set by Barry Brust of the Abbotsford Heat in 2012.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was able to extend its lead to two goals at 6:38 after Dansk made a blocker save on Scott Wilson, but Adam Payerl swatted the floating puck to the back of the net for his second of the season.
Ebbett then put the Penguins ahead, 3-0, with 3:23 left until the second intermission when he fought through a hook and, from one knee, backhanded Sheary's centering pass over the glove of a sprawled-out Dansk.
With 5:04 left in regulation, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond stretched Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's lead to four, picking up a loose puck in front of the Falcons net and wristing his second goal of the season inside the near post.
Over their three previous games versus Springfield, the Penguins outscored the Falcons, 14-0, with Murray pitching the shutout in all three starts. Dana Tyrell finally got the Falcons on the board when he sneaked by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defense and tucked the puck through the pads of Murray with 1:11 left in the contest.
Murray finished with 32 saves on 33 shots as his shutout streak came to an end at 304:11. The rookie goalie raised his record to 18-8-2 and has allowed just two goals over his last seven starts, while recording five shutouts. Dansk stopped 23-of-27 for the Falcons.
The Penguins begin a three-game homestand on Wednesday, Mar. 11 when the take on the Hershey Bears at 7:05 p.m.
Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.
American Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2015
- Pirates Rout Bears 5-1 - Portland Pirates
- Admirals Toppled by Barons - Milwaukee Admirals
- Barons Down Admirals, 5-1 - Oklahoma City Barons
- Sens Surge Past Crunch for Third Straight Win - Binghamton Senators
- Senators Surge to 4-2 Victory over Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- Murray Makes History as Penguins Sweep Falcons - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Marlies Down Comets 2-1 - Toronto Marlies
- Falcons Fall to Penguins, 4-1 - Springfield Falcons
- Backman, Mersch Star in 5-3 Win - Manchester Monarchs
- Sharks Fire Season High 54 Shots in 3-2 Loss in Providence - Worcester Sharks
- Pickard's Shutout Leads Monsters to 1-0 Win - Cleveland Monsters
- Manchester Tops Wolf Pack 5-3 - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Marlies Trip up the Comets - Utica Comets
- Smith's 52 Saves Tame Sharks, 3-2 - Providence Bruins
- Monsters' Pickard Shuts Down Wolves - Chicago Wolves
- Penguins Prospect Matt Murray Sets American Hockey League Shutout Record - AHL
- Dallas Stars Recall Jamie Oleksiak - Texas Stars
- Checkers Sink Admirals 4-2 in Final Visit to Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Admirals Fall Short of Comeback at Charlotte and Lose, 4-2 - Norfolk Admirals
- Anaheim Reassigns Chris Wagner to Norfolk - Norfolk Admirals
- Noonan Reassigned to Cincinnati - Milwaukee Admirals
- Rampage Reassign D Josh McFadden to Cincinnati - San Antonio Rampage
- Capitals Re-Assign Andre Burakovsky to Hershey - Hershey Bears
- Monarchs Recall Kitsyn from Ontario - Manchester Monarchs
- Rockford Falls in Overtime Thriller - Rockford IceHogs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
