AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Outlast IceCaps with Another Offensive Burst

November 6, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - For the second game in a row, a flash of offense against the St. John's IceCaps lifted the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to victory. The Penguins scored three goals in 2:25 late in the third period, leading to a 4-1 win and their eighth-straight victory on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

The Penguins controlled the pace of play throughout the entirety of the third and final period, outshooting the IceCaps 12-5 in addition to their three goals. The late-game surge drew mighty praise from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Mike Sullivan.

"We didn't have it in the first period," Sullivan said. "But from a hard, consistent compete standpoint, the second and third periods were our best of the year... and I thought the third period was our best of the game."

Tim Erixon scored his first goal as a Penguin at 14:53 of the third after a pass intended for Josh Archibald stuck the heel of St. John's defenseman Morgan Ellis and slowly crossed the goal line to make the score 2-1.

Just 1:15 later, Carter Rowney flipped a puck over Eddie Pasquale's shoulder and just under the crossbar to extend Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's lead to 3-1. The goal put Rowney on a three-game goal streak.

In an attempt to climb back into the game trailing by two, the IceCaps pulled their goalie in favor of an extra attacker with three minutes to go in the game, but Derrick Pouliot sealed the win for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 17:15 of the third, making the score 4-1 and giving Pouliot his second point of the night.

The Penguins' third period goals beat their mark of three goals in 2:45 of game time on Wednesday night against St. John's.

After trailing 1-0 for a majority of the game thanks to Daniel Carr's first period goal, the Penguins tied the score in the waning moments of the second period. Dominik Simon took a cross ice saucer pass from Will O'Neill and fired into the top corner for a power play goal with nine seconds remaining in the second frame to tie the game at one-goal apiece.

The power play that led to Simon's goal was sparked by captain Tom Kostopoulos, who fought St. John's six-foot-six, 231-pound rookie, John McCarron. After the fight, both players were dealt identical five-minute majors for fighting while McCarron was awarded an extra two minutes for roughing.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tied the game on the ensuing power play and never looked back. Sullivan was quick to credit Kostopoulos for his contribution to the win after the game.

"I think it's evident why [Kostopoulos] wears the 'C'," Sullivan said of the fight. "There are a few moments in every game that are opportunities to turn the outcome, and for me, that was one of them. He's the ultimate competitor."

O'Neill had two assists, giving him five points (0G-5A) in the two consecutive games played against the IceCaps.

Matt Murray stopped 20 of 21 shots faced and improved his record to 7-1-0-0 this season.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's power play, which came into the game as the league's best, went one-for-four on the evening, while the penalty kill neutralized all three man advantages for the IceCaps.

The win was not only the Penguins' eighth in a row, but the 4-1 victory saw them improve to an undefeated 6-0-0-0 record on home ice.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton does not play again for a full week until it continues its seven-game home stand with a showdown against the Hershey Bears on Friday, Nov. 13. Puck drop between the Atlantic Division rivals is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from November 6, 2015


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