AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins extend winning streak to seven with 5-2 victory vs. Senators

Published on December 29, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, PA Tim Brent recorded two goals and added an assist, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins posted a 5-2 win against the Binghamton Senators on Saturday night at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The victory extended the Penguins' winning streak to seven games, and gives the club a 19-12-0-1 mark headed into Monday night's New Year's Eve contest against the Norfolk Admirals.

The Senators meanwhile fell to 15-14-3-2 on the year, and now trail the Pens by four points in the tight East Division standings.

The Pens' winning streak just happens to coincide with a jump in Brent's play. He has recorded at least one point in each of the team's seven straight wins, and now leads the club with 27 points (5+22).

"There's a big difference between guys that play in the NHL, and guys that stay in the NHL. I don't want to be a guy that gets a cup of coffee and that's it," said Brent, who appeared in 15 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season. "I want to be a guy that earns a spot there and is a consistent player in the NHL.. And I've tried to refine my game into something that's going to allow me to do that."

Brent's may have scored two goals on the night, but it was his assist that helped put the team over the top. He was instrumental in setting up Chris Minard's game-winning tally 7:52 into the third period.

"My stats probably show I'm more of a passer than a scorer in this league. And Mini's a guy that can score and shoot the puck a lot," said Brent, who ranks 14th in the AHL with 22 assists. "Then adding Kurtis McLean [to the line]...he's been banging them in. It's so easy to get those guys the puck. They're in the right place all the time. It's never a real tough pass to make."

With the score tied 2-2 entering the third, Brent poked the puck loose in the Binghamton zone, allowing his linemates to finish the job.

"I just opened up, that's what I usually do," said Minard, whose one-time blast from just inside the blueline beat goaltender Jeff Glass low on the left side. "It was a great forecheck first of all. Tim got it in there and got a big hit, then Mac picked up the puck, protected it, came all the way up."

Brent opened the scoring with a power play tally 3:24 into the game. He initially fed Ryan Stone at the far post, but Stone's redirection went just wide. With the netminder down, the puck squirted back to Brent, who shot into a virtually empty net.

Lawrence Nycholat, returned to Binghamton from the Ottawa Senators just an hour before game time, tied the score with a power play goal of his own. His shot from the point deflected off of Stone's hand and fluttered past John Curry to finish the first period scoring.

Alex Goligoski put the Pens back in front, kicking a Mark Letestu cross-ice feed to his stick and putting the puck behind glass at 7:17 of the second.

Former Penguin Matt Carkner evened things once again, popping a shot over a prone Curry as a Pens penalty was just expiring at 11:38.

Jonathan Filewich netted the Penguins' fourth goal of the night, and paid the price for it. Filewich swatted home a loose puck from the top of the goal crease just a second before Carkner caught his former teammate in the mouth with a high stick. Filewich did not return to action afterward, and received several stitches as a reward for his fifth goal of the year.

Brent closed out the scoring with an empty net goal at 18:29.

Curry stopped 16 shots to record his fifth win of the season, while Glass turned aside 32 in the loss.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2007


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