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AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins to play three before All-Star break

January 23, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will take to the ice for three games before breaking for the 2007 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held in Toronto, Ontario on Sunday, January 28 and Monday, January 29.

The Penguins play their final home game before the mid-season exhibition on Wednesday night, when they face the Manitoba Moose at 7:05pm. They finish up the week with a pair of East Division matches, traveling to Philadelphia on Friday and Bridgeport on Saturday.

The Penguins head into this week's action with the third-best record in the American Hockey League at 28-9-2-3, good for 61 points and a .726 points percentage. The Penguins posted a 2-2-0-0 record in four games last week, posting wins against the Syracuse Crunch and Norfolk Admirals, and dropping games to the Admirals and Hershey Bears.

Season ticket plans and partial packages for the 2006-07 season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey are on sale now, and available by calling (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS LEAGUE LEADERS

- Jonathan Filewich is tied for 19th with 18 goals and tied for 12th with two shorthanded goals.

- Tyler Kennedy is tied for seventh among rookies with 35 points and 23 assists (12+23=35). He is tied for 17th among all players with a plus-14 rating.

- Micki DuPont is tied for fifth among defensemen with 24 points (8+16=24).

- Kyle Brodziak is tied for ninth with four game-winning goals.

- Stephen Dixon is tied for 12th with two shorthanded goals.

- Daniel Carcillo is tied for fifth in the league with 136 penalty minutes.

- Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers is 11th in the AHL with a 2.49 GAA, is tied for 11th in the league with 13 wins, tied for 13th with a .911 save percentage and tied for fifth in the league with two shutouts

- Andrew Penner is tied for sixth with 15 wins and fourth in the league with three shutouts.

POWER PLAY

The Penguins currently have the top ranked power play in the American Hockey League, striking at a 22.7% rate (55 goals/242 attempts). The Penguins home power play is first in the league at 28.0% (33 goals/118 attempts). The Pens road power play ranks 10th at 17.7% (22 goals/124 attempts).

PENALTY KILL

The Penguins rank fifth overall with an 86.0% penalty kill rate (33 goals against/236 attempts). The Pens home penalty kill is 15th in the league at 82.9% (20 goals against/117 attempts). The Pens road penalty kill is first at 89.1% (13 goals against/119 attempts).

WHO'S HOT?

Kyle Brodziak has a three-game point streak (3+1=4) and a three-game goal streak. He also has points in six of his past seven games (7+3=10) and in 11 of his past 13 games (9+8-17). Micki DuPont has points in three of the past four games (1+3=4). Andrew Penner has won his past eight decisions.

PENGUINS COACHES TO LEAD PlanetUSA ALL-STARS AGAIN

Penguins head coach Todd Richards and assistant coach Dan Bylsma will lead the PlanetUSA team at the upcoming 2007 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, being held January 28-29 at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.

Richards and Bylsma earned the honor as the Penguins clinched the best points percentage in the league at the end of play Sunday, January 14, the predetermined deadline. Wilkes-Barre recorded a 26-7-2-3 record, good for 57 points and a .750 points percentage.

Richards, 40, is in his first season as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's head coach following four years as an assistant with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. In Milwaukee, Richards won a Calder Cup championship in 2004 and returned to the Finals in 2006, and served as the assistant coach for the Canadian team at the 2005 AHL All-Star Classic in Manchester, N.H.

Bylsma, 36, is in his third season as an AHL assistant coach and first in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; he worked with the NHL's New York Islanders in 2005-06 and the AHL's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in 2004-05.

Richards and Bylsma are the second Penguins coaching duo to receive the All-Star honor in the past two seasons. Joe Mullen and Al Sims guided the PlanetUSA squad at the 2006 RBK Hockey All-Star Classic in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

By virtue of winning the Calder Cup in 2006, Hershey Bears head coach Bruce Boudreau and assistant coach Bob Woods will lead the Canadian team in Toronto.

WELCH, FILEWICH NAMED ALL-STARS

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Noah Welch has been voted a starter for the PlanetUSA All-Star Team, and right wing Jonathan Filewich has been named to the Canadian All-Star Team for the 2007 RBK Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, which will take place January 28 and 29 at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.

Welch, 24, will be making his second consecutive start for the PlanetUSA squad, after also being voted a starter for the 2006 even held in Winnipeg. The native of Brighton, MA, has recorded 17 points (5+12) in 18 games with the AHL Penguins this season, and carries a four-game point streak (2+6=8) into this week's action.

The 6-4, 212 pound blueliner has also appeared in 18 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, recording two points (1+1) and 20 penalty minutes.

Last season Welch, recorded 29 points (9+20) in 77 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and added four points (1+3) in five games with the NHL Penguins. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round (54th overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Welch is the first Penguins player to be named a starter in two AHL All-Star Games.

Filewich, 22, will be taking part in the All-Star festivities for the first time. The second-year pro from Sherwood Park, AB, currently leads the Penguins with 16 goals and 33 points, while appearing in all 36 of the team's games.

The 6-2, 205 pound forward ranked fifth on the team during the 2005-06 regular season with 36 points and second with 22 goals. He then went on to lead the Penguins with six goals in the postseason, and finished second on the team with 10 points.

Filewich was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round (70th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by Pittsburgh.

PENGUINS ALL-STARS, YEAR-by-YEAR

2000 - John Slaney (Canada)

2001 - Toby Petersen (PlanetUSA), Billy Tibbetts (PlanetUSA)*, John Slaney (Canada) **, Andrew Ference (Canada), Greg Crozier (Canada)

2002 - Tom Kostopoulos (Canada), Shane Endicott (Canada)*

2003 - Milan Kraft (PlanetUSA)*, Ross Lupaschuk (Canada), Tomas Surovy (PlanetUSA)

2004 - Matt Murley (PlanetUSA)

2005 - Michel Ouellet (Canada)

2006 - Michel Ouellet (Canada) *, Noah Welch (PlanetUSA), Dany Sabourin (Canada), Tomas Surovy (PlanetUSA)*, Joe Mullen (Head Coach - PlanetUSA), Al Sims (Assistant Coach - PlanetUSA)

* = chosen but did not play

** = traded to Philadelphia day before All-Star Game

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

Manitoba Moose - Wednesday, January 24 - 7:05pm @ Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza

- RECORD: 22-14-5-4, 53 points, Second Place in North Division

- LEADING SCORERS:

o Points: Brad Moran (51)

o Goals: Jason Jaffray (24)

o Assists: Brad Moran (35)

- LEADING GOALIES:

o GAA: Drew MacIntyre (2.27)

o Wins: Drew MacIntyre (11)

o Save%: Drew MacIntyre (.921)

- SEASON SERIES: This is the fourth of four meetings between the teams. The Penguins have a 3-0-0-0 record so far this season.

Philadelphia Phantoms - Friday, January 26 - 7:05pm @ Wachovia Spectrum

- RECORD: 15-23-2-3, 41 points, Sixth Place in East Division

- LEADING SCORERS:

o Points: Mark Cullen (26)

o Goals: Niko Dimitrakos (12)

o Assists: Mark Cullen (19)

- LEADING GOALIES (Minimum 5 Games):

o GAA: Scott Munroe (3.01)

o Wins: Scott Munroe (7)

o Save%: Scott Munroe (.912)

- SEASON SERIES: This is the fifth of 10 meetings between the Penguins and Phantoms this season. The Penguins are 2-2-0-0 so far.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers - Saturday, January 27 - 7:00pm @ Arena at Harbor Yard

- RECORD: 18-17-1-4, 41 points, Fifth Place in East Division

- LEADING SCORERS:

o Points: Jeff Tambellini (40)

o Goals: Jeff Tambellini (20)

o Assists: Robert Nilsson (25)

- LEADING GOALIES (Minimum 5 Games):

o GAA: Wade Dubielewicz (2.42)

o Wins: Wade Dubielewicz (12)

o Save%: Wade Dubielewicz (.927)

- SEASON SERIES: This is the fourth of eight meetings between the Penguins and Sound Tigers this season. The Penguins are 3-0-0-0 so far.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

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