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Offensive sparks have Penguins flying

Published on December 20, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... After a slow start to their Eastern Conference championship defense, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are making their move, sliding into second place in the East Division with their sights set on the top spot.

The Penguins take a record of 14-8-4-3 into their Christmas break, an impressive turnaround after they posted just one win in their first seven games of the 2004-05 season (1-4-1-1). Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is fourth in the league in offense at an average of 3.24 goals per game, and the trio of Kris Beech, Michel Ouellet and Matt Murley has been especially productive in recent weeks.

Beech, a first-rounder in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, has 17 points (4g, 13a) and a plus-13 rating in nine games during the month of December, including 10 points in a three-game stretch from Dec. 11-17. Ouellet, named to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2004, has recorded 11 points (8g, 3a) and a +12 rating in December, and currently ranks second in the league with 20 goals on the season. Murley, an AHL All-Star in 2004, has posted 10 points (3g, 7a) and a +14 on the month, matching his output from October and November combined.

The Pens' balanced offense includes seven players with at least 20 points apiece. Shane Endicott is second on the team with 13 goals, six shy of the career high he set as a rookie in 2001-02. Ramzi Abid, who played 16 NHL games in Pittsburgh before missing most of last season with a knee injury, has scored a goal in three straight games. Third-year pro Colby Armstrong, who set a career high with 27 points last year, already has seven goals and 15 assists this season, while Tomas Surovy, an AHL All-Star in 2003, has added eight goals and 14 assists.

Marc-Andre Fleury, the first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, has emerged as the Penguins' number-one goaltender. The 20-year-old netminder is 7-1-1 in his last nine decisions and 11-5-2 overall on the season. Chris Kelleher, a member of the Penguins' first Calder Cup runner-up team in 2001, has returned to Wilkes-Barre this season and leads team defensemen in scoring with 13 points. Ross Lupaschuk has nine points and a plus-11 rating in 16 games this year, and rookie Ryan Whitney has added two goals and eight assists from the blue line.

The Penguins are back on ice Sunday, when they host the first-place Philadelphia Phantoms at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre is 1-0-0-2 against the Phantoms so far this season.

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800 FOR VIRTUE ... Utah Grizzlies defenseman Terry Virtue became the 26th player in AHL history to skate in 800 career regular-season games when he hit the ice for Saturday's 5-4 win over Milwaukee at The "E" Center. Virtue enters Monday's action with a five-game scoring streak (5a), and has eight assists in 16 games since joining the Grizzlies from Springfield on Nov. 22.

Only six defensemen have ever played more AHL games than the Scarborough, Ont., native. In 800 contests since making his debut in 1993-94, Virtue has recorded 83 goals and 283 assists for 366 points. He won Calder Cups with Providence (1999) and Hartford (2000), and also has 90 postseason games to his credit.


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OFF THE ICE ... 'Tis the season for Teddy Bear Tosses, hospital visits and drives to collect coats, canned goods and toys; all 28 AHL teams are once again participating in various community efforts this holiday season... Grand Rapids held its third annual Great Skate event this past weekend, with every Griffins player and coach taking a turn skating with fans over a 24-hour period to raise money for the team's Youth Foundation... Tonight's Hamilton-Edmonton game at the 16,839-seat Rexall Place is sold out, with proceeds from ticket sales going to local holiday charities in Edmonton.


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ETC. ... In a battle of 1 vs. 2 on Friday night, Philadelphia posted a 1-0 win over visiting Manchester, with Antero Niittymaki making 24 saves and Jon Sim scoring his fourth game-winning goal as a Phantom... Lowell's Eric Staal has recorded a point in seven straight games (5g, 5a)... Rookie left wing Josh Prudden, who entered the week with two goals in 24 games, was credited with the game-winning goal in each of Cleveland's three contests last week... Syracuse goaltender Andrew Penner made 30 saves in his AHL debut on Sunday, earning a 2-0 shutout win over Hershey... 2004 AHL All-Star Jozef Balej ended a 17-game drought with a goal on Saturday night against Providence... After Friday's natural hat trick, Hershey forward David Masse has 8+3=11 pts. in seven career games against Albany, and 5+5=10 pts. in 29 games against the rest of the AHL... Playing its first game in 13 days, Houston got 33 saves from Mike Smith in a 2-0 win over Norfolk on Thursday... Smith and San Antonio's Travis Scott combined to stop 119 of 124 shots (.960) in the first three games of Norfolk's Texas road trip... Edmonton and Cincinnati split a two-game series at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim over the weekend... Springfield defenseman Darren Rumble announced his retirement on Friday and accepted a position as assistant coach with the Falcons; a league All-Star and Eddie Shore Award winner in 1997, Rumble tallied 394 points in 614 career AHL games... Providence is on an eight-game points streak (6-0-0-2), including seven straight one-goal decisions... Rochester is 7-1-1-2 in its last 11 contests... Utah enters Monday's action coming off its first back-to-back wins of the season... Bridgeport, which skated to 12 ties during the 2003-04 season, remains the only team yet to participate in a shootout this year... The entire American Hockey League extends best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy holiday season.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 20, 2004


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