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AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

New Coach carries Eight Game Winning Streak into this Weekend

February 18, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


Interim head coach Todd Reirden hopes to keep the Penguins on track, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton carries an eight-game winning streak into a three-game road swing, starting this Friday night in Syracuse.

Reirden was promoted to interim head coach after Dan Bylsma was named to the same position with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday evening.

The Penguins have not lost since January 24, when they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Hartford WolfPack, and have outscored the opposition 32-13 during the streak.

The team record for longest winning streak is nine games, which has occurred three times - Oct. 5-29, 2005; Dec. 15, 2007-Jan. 2, 2008; and March 2-19, 2008.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Friday, February 20 @ Syracuse, 7:30pm - The Crunch (26-23-3-2, 57 points, fifth in North Division) have accumulated more penalty minutes per game this season (25.148 minutes per game, 1358 minutes in 54 games) than any team in the American Hockey League. Four players have more than 100 penalty minutes on the season, with notorious tough guy Jon Mirasty ranking second overall on the year with 217 in just 53 games.

Saturday, February 21 @ Hamilton Bulldogs, 7:00pm -The Bulldogs (33-20-2-0, 68 points, third in North Division) rank third in the AHL in goals scored with 185 - trailing only the Penguins (194) and the Hershey Bears (210). Yanick Lehoux has led the way for Hamilton, pacing the team with 31 assists and 47 points, while Mike Glumac leads the club with 21 goals. The Bulldogs have nine players with double figure goal totals. They also have a top-10 goaltender in Marc Denis (19 wins, 2.46 goals against average, .920 save percentage).

Sunday, February 22 @ Albany River Rats 5:00pm - The River Rats (24-25-3-2, 53 points, sixth in East Division) posted a season-high five consecutive wins from Feb. 7-13, but have since dropped two in a row to the Lowell Devils (7-4 on Feb. 14) and the Manchester Monarchs (4-3 on Feb. 16). The Rats have been without leading scorer Michael Ryan (25+27=42 in 40 games) for stretches of the season as the left wing has seen significant time with the parent Carolina Hurricanes.

LEAGUE LEADERS

JEFF TAFFE is tied for sixth in points (56), tied for fifth in assists (37), tied for sixth in game-winning goals (5) and tied for sixth in plus-minus (plus-17)

JANNE PESONEN is tied for 15th in points (49), tied for 16th in assists (33)

LUCA CAPUTI is tied for third among rookies in points (37)

BEN LOVEJOY is tied for 17th in defenseman scoring (27) and first in the league in plus-minus (plus-35)

CONNOR JAMES is tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (4) and shorthanded points (5)

DUSTIN JEFFREY is tied for the league lead in shorthanded points (5) and shorthanded assists (4)

JOEY MORMINA is second in the league in plus-minus (plus-32)

J.P. COTE is tied for sixth in the league in plus-minus (plus-17)

JOHN CURRY is sixth in goals against average (2.37), tied for seventh in save percentage (.920), tied for fourth in wins (21) and tied for seventh in shutouts (3)

ADAM BERKHOEL is 11th in goals against average (2.47), tied for 16th in save percentage (.913) and tied for fourth in shutouts (4)

CURRY CRUISES TO TEAM RECORD: Penguins netminder John Curry stopped 38 shots in a 5-2 win over the Worcester Sharks on February 15, giving him his 10th consecutive victory between the pipes and setting a new team record.

Since returning to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from Pittsburgh on December 13, Curry has posted an 18-3-0 record with a 2.02 goals against average (43 goals against, 1275:41 minutes played) and a .930 save percentage (569 saves, 612 shots).

The second year pro has moved into second place on the team's all-time wins list (45) and third place on the team's all-time shutout list (6) this season.

PENGUINS ALL-TIME WINS LEADERS

1. Sebastien Caron 48

2. JOHN CURRY 45 (21)

3. Marc-Andre Fleury 39

4. Dany Sabourin 38

5. Andy Chiodo 31

PENGUINS ALL-TIME SHUTOUT LEADERS

1. Sebastien Caron 10

2. Andy Chiodo 7

3. JOHN CURRY 6 (3)

4. Marc-Andre Fleury 5

Dany Sabourin 5

The Shorewood, MN native made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this season, posting a 2-1-0 record in three outings.

Curry became the first Penguins goaltender to post back-to-back 20 win seasons when he stopped 20 shots in a 3-2 win against Hamilton on February 14.

In 2007-08, Curry was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team and backstopped the Penguins to the Calder Cup Finals. The 24-year-old has a career record of 45-19-3 with six shutouts in 69 career AHL games.

BIG CONS HITS 100: Connor James picked up an assist on Luc Caputi's first period goal on February 14, giving him 100 points (35+65) in 185 career games with the Penguins.

MIXING IT UP: The Penguins have seen 16 different players score goals during their current eight-game winning streak (Wallace, Caputi, Jeffrey, Engelland, Cashman, Mormina, Pesonen, James, Johnson, Daoust, Letestu, Taffe, Bissonnette, Cote, Goligoski, Henrich).

COTE BITES FORMER TEAM: J.P. Cote netted his first career game-winning goal on February 14, scoring with seven minutes left in regulation to give the Penguins a 3-2 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs. Cote spent the first five seasons of his pro career with Hamilton, netting 10 goals in that time.

UP AND ADAM: Adam Henrich netted his first goal of the season on February 11 against the Lake Erie Monsters, becoming the final Penguins regular to score this season. He wasted little time in picking up his second, scoring on February 15 against Worcester, giving him two goals in three games. Henrich recorded a career-best 14 goals in 43 games with the Norfolk Admirals last season, and his goal snapped a 29 game scoring drought.

OVERALL EFFORT: The Penguins have allowed 144 goals against this season, the fifth lowest total in the AHL, and have scored 194 goals, the second-highest total in the league behind only Hershey (210).

FIRST TAKE: The Penguins have posted a 25-7-0-1 record when they score first. Those 25 wins are tied for the second-highest total in the league this year (Hershey - 28).

PK IS OK AWAY: The Penguins rank second in road penalty killing on the road, stopping 87.8 percent (115 of 131) opponent attempts. The Penguins have also scored six shorthanded goals on the road, tied for second most in the league (Rochester - 7).

THIRD PERIOD A CHARM: The Penguins have scored more goals in the third period (72) than any other team in the league this season. The Penguins have dropped just two games (23-1-1-0) when carrying a lead into the third period.

PENALTY SHOT LACK OF SUCCESS: Mark Letestu failed to convert on a penalty shot on February 14 against Hamilton, making the Penguins 0-for-3 in penalty shot attempts this season and 1-for-19 all-time:

GREAT DEALS FROM THE PENGUINS

HOCKEY AND HEELS MARCH 7 - Ladies, want to become an expert on all things hockey? If so, be sure to attend our Hockey N' Heels event sponsored by Sorella Hair Salon and Day Spa on Saturday, March 7th starting at 3PM. For just $25 you will receive a ticket to game, an off-ice Hockey 101 clinic, Q&A with the coaches' wives & women in sports, gift bag, tour of the Arena and pre-game social mixer. A portion of ticket sales will benefit the Domestic Violence Service Center. Stop by the Fan Assistance center in Section 108 on the concourse during any home game or call 208-PENS for more details! Tickets are available through the Penguins Team Store only.

FAITH AND FAMILY NIGHT MARCH 8 - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are inviting families to participate in Faith and Family Night. The event will take place on Sunday, March 8th at 5:05pm, when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins face the Norfolk Admirals. After the game, all fans are invited to hear motivational Christian speaker and former major league baseball player Dave Dravecky tell his inspirational story of how he overcame cancer with the support of his family and his trust in faith.

The Faith and Family Night is a great opportunity for families to take time out of their busy schedules and spend time together in an exciting and motivational setting.

Tickets sold through the Faith and Family Night offer will be sold at the discounted group ticket rate, with savings of up to $3.25 per ticket. Additionally, all fans purchasing tickets through the offer will receive a Penguins baseball cap, and recognition on the scoreboard during the game. To receive the special discount, tickets must be purchased from Mike Chatburn at the Penguins front office.

Additionally, tickets for children under the age of 14 are only $10.00 in the Blue and Gold Zones. The first 5,000 fans at the game will also receive a 10th Anniversary Marc-Andre Fleury bobblehead.

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