Penguins Hang On to Defeat Bears

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Brian Dumoulin scored a first-period power play goal, and Brad Thiessen survived late pressure in making 23 saves, en route to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ 1-0 blanking of the HERSHEY BEARS on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The loss was just the second by the BEARS against the Penguins in eight games this season, and snaps the BEARS seven-game road winning streak.

The Penguins got things started at the 12:57 mark of the first period, on the game’s first power play. Just over one minute in, Beau Bennett fed the left point. Dumoulin collected the pass, walked the blue line and sent a waist-high slap shot past a screened Dany Sabourin.

The BEARS were given an opportunity to tie the game late in the period, when Warren Peters was whistled for a knee-on-knee hit to BEARS forward Jeff Taffe. The BEARS were unable to cash in on the power play.

The BEARS penalty kill was successful on two Penguins power plays in the second period, but the hosts still held their lead into the final frame.

HERSHEY then earned two power play chances in the second half of the final period, but Thiessen was at his best, stopping two point-blank chances by Ryan Potulny.

With Sabourin on the bench for an extra attacker in the game’s final 1:15, the BEARS put on relentless pressure, which finished with a shot in the final second of play deflecting off of a body and just wide of the right post.

Thiessen improves to 5-7-1 with the win, while Sabourin took the tough loss in stopping 20 of 21 shots to fall to 5-5-0. The BEARS ended the night 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

The BEARS return home tomorrow, January 12 to host the Connecticut Whale at 7:00 PM. The first 5,000 fans will receive an ice scraper courtesy of UGI. Tickets for this game and all home games are on sale at the GIANT Center box office, by calling (717) 508-BEAR or online at TicketMaster.com.