AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Weekly

Published on March 13, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 6: PENGUINS 2, IceCaps 5...

St. John's scored both on the power play and while shorthanded as part of a three-goal first period that allowed the IceCaps to skate away with a 5-2 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Simon Despres recorded his fourth of the season 32 seconds before the first intermission and Brian Gibbons tallied midway through the second period to pull the Penguins within a goal. Three minutes into the third, Arturs Kulda would register the IceCaps' second shorthanded goal of the game to give the road team some breathing room.

Scott Munroe took the loss for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while Patrick Killeen made 14 out of 16 saves in relief.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9: Penguins 3, BRUINS 2 (SO)...

Ben Street's goal with 6:31 left in regulation forced a shootout where the Penguins took down the Bruins, 3-2, at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton found itself down 2-0 after the first period on goals 50 seconds apart by Kyle MacKinnon and Josh Hennessy. Geoff Walker potted his 16th goal of the year for the Penguins in the middle period.

Goaltender Scott Munroe was a perfect 6-for-6 in the shootout and Colin McDonald provided the only blemish on Michael Hutchinson's ledger - the game-winning tally in the top of round six.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10: Penguins 5, SOUND TIGERS 4 (SO)...

Scott Munroe extended his shootout save streak to 14 as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton downed Bridgeport, 5-4, at Webster Bank Arena. The Penguins' goalie stopped all four Sound Tiger shooters and made 33 saves through overtime.

Ben Street recorded a pair of goals in the third period to help the Penguins erase a 3-2 deficit, but Rhett Rakhshani scored with the extra attacker to send the game into overtime.

Cal O'Reilly and Colin McDonald beat Kevin Poulin in the shootout to seal Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's win. The Penguins went 2-for-4 on the power play in the game.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11: Penguins 4, FALCONS 3 (SO)...

For the third time in three games, the Penguins rallied from a third-period deficit to come away with a victory as they defeated the Springfield Falcons in the shootout, 4-3.

This time, it wasAlex Grant scoring on the power play with just over five minutes remaining in the third period to knot the score at three. In the shootout, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Patrick Killeen turned aside all but Cody Goloubef in the first round. Cal O'Reilly once again converted, beating Paul Dainton, and Colin McDonald picked up the deciding tally for the second straight game.

Killeen gathered his first AHL win, making 21 saves through the extra session. Ryan Craig (1g-1a) and Cal O'Reilly (2a) each compiled multi-point games for the Penguins.

SHOOTOUT SUCCESS...

This past weekend marked the first time in team history that the Penguins have gone to the shootout in three consecutive games. By triumphing in all three contests, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has now won four straight in the shootout - including three backstopped by Scott Munroe. He has allowed only one goal in 15 chances over his last three shootouts. Colin McDonald also scored in all three shootouts over the weekend, notching two game- winners.

ROAD WARRIORS...

By virtue of their weekend sweep, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is currently on a five-game road winning streak. This is the third time this season that the Penguins have put together a string of five or more consecutive road victories. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened the season with eight road wins in a row and later put together an AHL-season high nine-game streak from Dec. 7 - Jan. 27. The Penguins currently lead the league with 24 road wins and a .773 road winning percentage (24-6-0-3).

ICE CHIPS...

Alex Grant is third among AHL rookies and tied for second among defensemen with 24 power play points (6g- 18a)...Nick Petersen is on a five-game assist and point streak (1g-6a)...After Wednesday's game against Norfolk, the Penguins will begin a five-game homestand - their longest of the season...Nine of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's final 14 games will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena...The Penguins have the most shootout wins in the AHL with seven.

UPCOMING GAMES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 7:15 PM: Penguins vs. ADMIRALS...

The Norfolk Admirals have rocketed to the top of the league standing thanks to a 15-game winning streak - the third-longest in AHL history. The Admirals (42-18-1-2) have an eight-point lead on the Penguins for first place in the East Division.

Reigning Reebok/AHL Player of the Week Tyler Johnson is currently on a seven-game point streak that has seen him compile six goals and nine assists. He ranks third in AHL rookie scoring with 52 points (24g-28a). The Admirals are 29-2-1-1 when scoring first - the most wins and best winning percentage (.909) in the league.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 2-6-0-0 in the ten-game season series against Norfolk. Ben Street has totaled six goals and three assists in eight matches versus the Admirals. Trevor Smith leads all scorers with 12 points (2g-10a) in seven games. The Penguins are 63-40-1-7-1 (W-L-T-OTL-SOL) all-time against the Admirals.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 7:05 PM: PENGUINS vs. Sharks...

The Penguins take the ice for their only home meeting of the season against the Worcester Sharks. Worcester (26- 23-4-7) has gone 2-6-0-2 in its last 10 games and sits one point behind Albany for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Goaltender Tyson Sexmith's 2.19 goals against average is the fourth best in the AHL. The Sharks are the second- most penalized team in the league (20.9 PIM/game). Worcester has a 5-1-0-0 record against the East Division.

The Sharks defeated the Penguins in their previous meeting, 3-1, on Nov. 20 in Worcester. It was the Sharks' first win at home over the Penguins since Dec. 14, 2007. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton leads the all-time series against Worcester with a record of 6-2-0-1.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 3:05 PM: PENGUINS vs. Senators...

This is the ninth meeting out of ten between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Binghamton during the 2011-12 season. The Senators (24-34-2-2) have dropped four of their last five and are in last place in the East Division.

Binghamton has a 15-12-0-0 record when scoring first for a .556 winning percentage - lowest in the AHL. Mike Hoffman leads the team with 25 power play points (9g-16a). Binghamton is 23-3-1-0 when scoring three goals or more.

The Penguins are 6-1-1-0 this year against the Senators. Their final match-up will be on April 11 in Wilkes- Barre/Scranton. The Penguins have a 43-28-4-3-2 record in the all-time series.

CHILLIN' WITH THE PENGUINS...

Fans will get an up close and personal look at the Penguins on TV, as CHILLIN' WITH THE PENGUINS hits the airwaves this season. The half-hour show will feature Penguins broadcaster Mike O'Brien chatting with Pens players, and will allow fans to ask questions directly to their favorite Penguins with an interactive Q&A session in each episode.

The show will feature two Penguins players or coaches each week, and will be taped in front of a live audience inside the Ice Rink at Coal Street Park (40 Coal Street in Wilkes-Barre). Ten shows will be taped this season, and aired at 6:30pm as a lead-in to Penguins home games being broadcast on MyNetwork TV.

The next taping will be held at 6:00pm on Thursday, March 15. This week's guests will be Brandon DeFazio and Paul Thompson. Admission to each taping is free and open to any Penguins fans in the area.

UPCOMING EVENTS/PROMOTIONS...

The Mohegan Sun Arena will be Sham-Rocking on Saturday, March 17, as the Penguins host the Worcester Sharks in our CELTIC CELEBRATION game.

The team will be sporting special four leaf clover jerseys for the night, which will be auctioned off during the game to benefit the Penguins United Way Charity Fund.

We'll also have special Pot 'O Gold Pucks for sale, featuring a great St. Patrick's Day design on the front and an autograph from a Penguins player on the back. Each of the 800 pucks is signed by a Pens player, and then individually wrapped, so fans won't know whose puck they are getting until the packages are opened. With a little luck, you'll find a silver signature, which also gets you a signed stick. Pucks are just $10 apiece, and proceeds benefit the Tickets For Tots program.

Are you looking for something to eat your Lucky Charms out of? Well, the first 5,000 fans at the game will receive a Penguins Shamrock Cereal Bowl and Spoon set to take home.

We'll also have members of the Wyoming Valley Pipe and Drum band, as well as the Gallagher School of Irish Dancing, on hand to entertain during the game.

But don't wait to purchase your seats. Fewer than 200 tickets remain for the game, which is sure to be one of the biggest and best of the season. Get your seats by calling the Penguins at 208-7367. Don't miss out, or you'll be GREEN with envy!

Tickets for all upcoming Penguins home games are available at the PennStar Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena, through any Ticketmaster outlet, or online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets can be purchased via phone by calling 1- 800-745-3000. Additionally, full and partial season ticket plans for the 2011-12 season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Hockey are on sale, and available by calling 570-208-PENS (7367).

BROADCAST INFO...

All 76 regular-season Penguins games can be heard live on the home for Penguins hockey, 102.3 The Mountain, and online at www.wbspenguins.com. Games may also be viewed online at www.ahllive.com. AHL Live, powered by NeuLion, is the official video provider of the American Hockey League.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from March 13, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central