The WBS Penguins added to their road record winning the ninth straight road game as they took on the Connecticut Whale at the XL Center.The Penguins’ nine-game road winning streak broke their own mark of eight set at the beginning of the season.

It was the Penguins getting on the board first as Eric Tangradi slid a nice pass in front of the Whale crease setting up Ryan Craig who stuffed one home.

The Whale came back on goal by none other than Sean Avery, he would even things up for the Whale as he would get a nice low shot off through the pads of Thiessen. WBS would get a glorious chance to even things up as Avery sat in the box on a double minor ( go figure) but the WHale held the line keeping the Penguins out keeping the game one all.

Connecticut would take the lead early in the third after a shot bounced off the boards behind Thiessen came back out in front and ended up getting poked past Thiessen. WBS wasn’t out of this yet, Less than a minute later the Pens tied the game on the power play Jason Williams snapped the face off back to Bortuzzo who sent a slapshot past Chad Johnson making it two all.

That would be it for regulation both teams taking a point out of the night and heading for OT. late in the OT period Ryan Bourque would take a a hooking penalty giving the Penguins yet another glorious chance and they made it count with 54 seconds left in the OT and the power play Jason Williams would drive one home giving his team the OT win and the second point on the night.

The Penguins’ special teams units went 3-for-7 on the power play and 5-on-5 on the penalty kill tonight with 2 of those being 5 on 3 advantages, not a bad showing. Brad Thiessen finished the game with 20 saves to record his 17th win of the year.

You can read more on our interactive schedule here

The Providence Bruins came to Wilkes-Barre to take on the WBS Penguins tonight for one of two meetings this season. It was a sparse crowd tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza but we were there for our guys.

The Bruins came out looking to take a win out of the meeting and started out on the right foot scoring just 42 seconds in. Hennessy got the face off and centered a pass to Jordan Caron who put it past Scott Munroe making it one nothing Bruins giving the Penguin fans that same old feeling again.

Providence made it two nothing fifteen minutes later it would be David Warsofsky coming in on a 4-on-3 and fired a shot from the center point that just made it inside the post making it 2-0 Bruins

Colin McDonald would get the Penguins on the board just over a minute later Rust would get him a pass in the slot and McDonald let a quick wrist shot fly beating Anton Khudobin and making it a one goal game again.

The second period only saw one goal and no it wasn’t the Pens, the Providence Bruins would go up three to one as  Trent Whitfield would get a center ice turnover down the left side and fire a shot over Munroe‘s glove into the net.

The Pens now down 3-1 heading into the third had some catching up to do, Joey Mormina would tally his 5th of the season at 5:48 stepping around a Bruin and snapping a shot to the top of the net making it 3-2.

WBS evened the game up at three with a goal from Geoff Walker who came out of the corner and through one on net it seemed to go off the stick of Khudobin and into the net. That’s where it would stay through regulation 3 all forcing the OT

OT didn’t last long as the Pens turned the puck over in their own defensive zone and Craig Cunningham was there to capitalize on it netting the Bruins 4th of the game and game winner at :27 of the overtime period.

The Penguins struggled with the power play again tonight it seemed they just couldn’t get it set up the right way and when they did get a set up they didn’t get good shots on net, they did have some good shot just not a lot.

The PK did well killing off all five of the Bruins PP’s even some 5 on 3′s Munroe got pulled after letting in three goals out of ten shots Thiessen came in to replace him stopping 8 out of 9 shots he faced.

WBS Penguins went to 25-12-2-4 on the season and moved into sole possession of first place in the East Division.

You can get more information on our interactive schedule here

The Penguins took a trip up to Syracuse this afternoon actually they left after the game last night but anyway that’s where they are taking on the Crunch again this weekend looking to take four points away from the series and the Crunch looking to get back two after the loss last night.

The Penguins were looking good getting some great chances as were the Crunch but Brad Thiessen was keep the Crunch honest. WBS had some great shots on net but were hitting posts and just not getting the bounce, that is until Colin McDonald fired one in on a WBS power play giving the Pens a one to nothing lead.

Syracuse’s Bryan Rodney would score making it a one to one game giving his team a glimmer nearing the end of the first period but Zach Sill would put his team ahead again with a nice short handed goal with only 4.3 seconds left in the first period.

Syracuse starts the second period on what was left of a first period power play and the Pens kill the remainder of that power play. Penguins really giving Iiro Tarkki a run for his money making him earn his money today still hitting posts and putting the just over the cross bar but really crashing the net.

Alex Grant turned the puck over in his D zone but made a good play to nullify the play forcing a face off instead of giving them a scoring chance. Eight minutes into the second period the Pens still looking good Bortuzzo getting a good chance on net but no joy. Kyle Palmieri would score for the Crunch making it 2 all with just under eleven minutes left in the period.

Penguins would get the chance though Jean-Francois Jacques would sit for the Crunch taking a hooking penalty, WBS turning the Syracuse D zone into a shooting gallery but a lot of the shots going wide. Nearing the end of the power play Jason Williams fires a rocket into the back of the net giving the Penguins a one point lead again and Grant would add to his weekend points with an assist.

Brian Strait would take a cross checking penalty giving the Crunch a chance then Joey Mormina takes an interference giving the Crunch a short 5 on 3 Strait comes out of the box get’s the puck off a poke check and scores a WBS short hander making it 4-2 Pens.

Right form the get go the Penguins get after it Paul Thompson with a great wrap around bid but Tarkki held. Thiessen went behind the goal to play the puck the Crunch stole the puck Thiessen made the save but Kyle Palmieri fired one home making it 4-3 like I tweeted “Great second period by the WBS Penguins #Stickwithitboys Still have the entire third with Palmieri on the ice”.

Syracuse was coming in waves but Thiessen was holding the door WBS had to get back on it’s game don’t let the Crunch set the tone. I stated before that Tarkki was getting a work out but Thiessen is earning his stay so far in the third, Pens need to get control here and put the Crunch back on the defensive not offensive.

Sill with a bad turnover but the Pens got it under control then Thiessen loses the twig but makes the critical stop anyway all the while Bortuzzo is off for equipment fix. Ben Street got a great shot on net Tarkki made the save, coming back the other way the Crunch get a good chance but the Pens get a break still looking at a one point game with less than 7 minutes left in the game.

With less than five minutes left in the game the Penguins turn the table a little and go back on the offensive something we said they needed to do from the start of the third. Syracuse brought the extra attacker with less than a minute to go, Pens fight it off and hold on for the win. Final score is Penguins 4 Crunch 3 and can move into first place in the conference depending on the outcome of the Hershey game.

You can get more information on our interactive schedule here

Alex Grant posted 5 points during tonight’s game against the Crunch helping his team to a six to two win in front of a sold out crowd. The Pens took the ice tonight looking to better the record between the two clubs so far this season WBS has won two and lost three against the Crunch but tonight was different.

Grant would open up the scoring a little past the halfway point of the first period as he fired a laser from the point putting the Penguins on top an lighting the crowd off at the arena, just as things started to get back into rhythm the Crunch fired back with a goal of their own Luca Caputi would even the score for the Crunch.

Syracuse was playing a tuff game getting to the puck and winning the battles in the corners the Penguins had their work cut out for them in the next two periods.

The next goal of the game came just past the seven minute mark of the second period as Patrick Maroon put it past Munroe sparking a slight response from the Penguin crowd, but I didn’t feel as if they were turning on Munroe just letting Syracuse know where they were.

Syracuse took some badly timed penalties giving the WBS Penguins a five on three chance in the second that proved to be a costly error, Bryan Lerg would pop one in from in front of the net making it two all and giving his team some momentum then as the second penalty was winding down Ben Street would give the Pens a one goal lead making it 3-2 Penguins.

The third period came quickly knowing that the Crunch could and would catch up if given the chance and for a while it looked as if they were going to, Geoff Walker would open the lead up by two for the Pens scoring on the power play and taking back control of the game. Six minutes and change later Grant would get his second of the night going on HTA and putting the Pens up by 3.

The the icing on the cake as Zach Sill would get a great pass from Brian Gibbons ,who was playing a great game tonight , from behind the net and put it past Marco Cousineau to make it 6-4 Penguins. What a game fans really nice to hear our arena with a packed house. The boys played a great game tonight power play looked good even getting 5 out of an amazing 12 chances, and nice salute at the end for the crowd.

Read more on our interactive schedule here