AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

W-B/S matches own AHL-best with eight straight road victories

January 24, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20: PENGUINS 4, Monarchs 1...

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins saw the opposition score first for the 11 time in 12 home games, but they used two Colin McDonald goals en route to a 4-1 win over the Manchester Monarchs at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Patrick Mullen put Manchester up 1-0 just 47 seconds into the match, but the Penguins went on to score four unanswered before the intermission to put the game out of reach.

Bryan Lerg and Zach Sill also lit the lamp for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while Brad Thiessen made 29 saves to record the victory.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21: PENGUINS 6, Crunch 2...

The Penguins' power play exploded for five power play goals in a 6-2 rout of the Crunch in Wilkes-Barre. Alex Grant led the offensive charge with a team-season high five points on two goals and three assists - all coming on the man-advantage.

Geoff Walker and Bryan Lerg each tallied a goal and an assist as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the second period.

Scott Munroe made it seven wins in eight starts as he stopped 21 of 23 shots.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22: Penguins 4, CRUNCH 3 ...

Special teams provided all the scoring for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a 4-3 defeat of Syracuse at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

Colin McDonald and Jason Williams each potted a goal to help the Penguins go 2-for-2 on the power play. Zach Sill recorded his second shorthanded goal of the season and Brian Strait provided the eventual game-winner at 14:32 of the second while on the penalty kill.

Brad Thiessen won his fourth in a row with 32 saves on 35 shots in the contest.

MEET ME IN ATLANTIC CITY...

Though Simon Despres will be missing the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 29-30, Colin McDonald will still be heading to Atlantic City as the Penguins' representative on the Eastern Conference Team. The team's leading scorer with 34 points, McDonald will be attending his second consecutive trip All-Star Weekend.

THESE SPECIAL TEAMS ARE SPECIAL...

The Penguins' penalty kill continued its torrid scoring pace with another two shorthanded goals last weekend. After scoring four over two games against the St. John's Ice Caps on Jan. 14 and 15, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton added a pair in their 4-3 win over Syracuse on Sunday. They lead the league with 11 shorthanded goals this season.

The power play has converted in eight straight games, clicking at 31.5% (14-for-41) over that span. It matched a league-season best with five goals on the man-advantage in the Penguins' 6-2 triumph over the Crunch on Saturday. Alex Grant (2g-3a) had a hand in each power play goal and now leads the Penguins with 15 power play points (3g-12a).

DYNAMIC DUO...

The goaltending tandem of Brad Thiessen and Scott Munroe continues to string together wins for Wilkes- Barre/Scranton as the team has gone 9-2-0-0 in its last 11 games. Thiessen has won four in a row and is now fifth in the league with 16 wins. Munroe has been victorious in seven of his last eight starts and has the 14th -best GAA in the league at 2.44.

ROAD WARRIORS...

With their victory over the Crunch on Friday, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won eight consecutive road games for the second time this season - matching their own league mark this season. The Penguins began their 2011-12 road schedule with eight wins in a row from Oct. 13 - Nov. 11. The Penguins are 17-3-0-2 on the road and are tied for the highest win total (17) and own the best road winning percentage (.818) in the league.

ICE CHIPS...

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins played their 1000th regular season game in team history on Friday against Manchester...Bryan Lerg is on a five-game point streak (5g-3a)...Alex Grant posted eight points (2g-6a) in three games over the weekend...Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 9-0-0-2 in road games decided by one goal, joining St. John's as the only other team without a regulation loss in that category...The Penguins 5-1-0-2 versus the Atlantic Division this season...The Penguins' current six-game winning streak is their second-longest of the season (8, Oct. 21 - Nov. 11).

PENGUINS RECENT TRANSACTIONS...

01/24/2012 Steve MacIntyre LW DEL Recalled from loan by Pittsburgh (NHL)

01/22/2012 Jason Williams C ADD Returned on loan from Pittsburgh (NHL)

01/20/2012 Jason Williams C DEL Recalled from loan by Pittsburgh (NHL)

01/20/2012 Ryan Schnell LW DEL Returned on loan to Wheeling (ECHL)

UPCOMING GAMES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 7:05 PM: PENGUINS vs. Bruins

The Penguins meet the Providence Bruins (19-20-2-3) for the first time this season as they skate into Wilkes- Barre/Scranton on Wednesday. The Bruins have registered points in four straight games (3-0-1-0), but remain in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with 43 points.

Goaltender Anton Khudobin leads the AHL with 1900 minutes played and 957 saves made. He has won his last three starts, allowing only seven goals. Carter Camper compiled a goal and three assists in Providence's 4-3 win over Springfield on Sunday. He is tied for 10th in rookie scoring with 30 points (10g-20a).

The Penguins and Bruins did not meet last season, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton went 2-0-0-0 during 2009-10. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will visit Providence to complete the season series on March 6. The Penguins are 10-4-3-1 all-time versus the Bruins.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM: Penguins at WHALE...

The Penguins make their first trip of the season to Connecticut to meet the Whale. Connecticut is mired in a winless streak that has seen the team go nine games (0-5-2-2) without a win. The Whale (19-15-3-5) are still in first place in Northeast, but only have a two-point edge on a three-way tie for second place in the division.

Jonathan Audy-Marchessault ranks third among first-year players with 36 points (14g-22a). He is also tied for third with 22 assists. Connecticut is the only team in the league without a winning record when leading after the first period (5-5-1-4). They are 10-2-2-2 when leading after two periods.

The Connecticut Whale scored a 1-0 shootout win against the Penguins in their second game of the season. The two teams next face each other on March 30 in Hartford. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 6-12-1-0-2 all-time versus the Whale.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 7:05 PM: Penguins at SENATORS...

The Penguins renew their rivalry with the Senators for game seven of the ten-match series. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has rattled off five wins in a row against Binghamton after falling 5-4 in overtime in the first meeting of the season.

The Senators ended a four-game losing streak with wins over Hershey and Adirondack last weekend. Binghamton is now 18-24-1-1 on the season and sits in fifth place in the East Division. Jim O'Brien notched two goals including the game-winning tally in both contests. Teammate Corey Locke is on an eight-game point streak having totaled two goals and 12 assists.

The Penguins are 5-0-0-1 against the Senators this season and next play on February 17 in Binghamton. Wilkes- Barre/Scranton leads the all-time series 42-27-4-3-2.

UPCOMING EVENTS/PROMOTIONS...

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).

All 80 regular-season Penguins games can be heard live on the home for Penguins hockey, 102.3 The Mountain, and on-line at www.wbspenguins.com. Games may also be viewed on-line 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



American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2012


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