THREE-GOAL THIRD PROPELS PENGUINS PAST BEARS

March 12, 2015

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Despite multiple-point efforts from three Hershey Bears players, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins scored three third-period goals to claim a 5-3 victory on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
 
The Penguins took the lead at 5:44 of the first period, as video replay would show a backhanded rebound attempt by Jayson Megna found the inside crossbar before coming out of the net.  Philipp Grubauer made the original save on Scott Wilson, but Megna hurried to the puck to fire it in.  Play would continue for one full minute, and after a stoppage for a minor penalty on Erik Burgdoerfer, the goal was reviewed and awarded.
 
Hershey would tie the score on a line rush shortly after the penalty kill.  Dustin Gazley cruised down the left wing with the puck and took a wrist shot from the top of the left circle.  Connor Carrick got a stick on it as he was charging down the slot, and the puck deflected over the arm of goaltender Matt Murray at 10:55.
 
The Bears took their first lead of the game – and became the first team since Lehigh Valley on January 31 to get more than one goal past Murray – when Gazley and Kris Newbury were sent down ice on a two-on-one rush.  Newbury passed from the left side to Gazley, who tried to go back to Newbury.  The puck hit defenseman Danny Syvret’s stick and blooped over Murray at 12:06 of the second frame.
 
But the Penguins would draw even in a four-on-four situation.  Defenseman Barry Goers drove the middle lane, reached out for a pass from Megna and tipped the puck over Grubauer’s glove at 16:28.
 
Mike Moore then joined in on the offense to put Hershey in front 3-2 at 3:18 of the third.  Moore, stationed at the bottom of the left circle, accepted a cross-crease feed from Chris Conner.  He then waited for Murray to commit and slipped a shot home for his second of the season.
 
But the lead lasted only 13 seconds as the Penguins’ fourth line came back the other way.  Pierre-Luc Letorneau-Leblond would fire a shot that bounced down off of Grubauer’s chest, and Matia Marcantuoni was there to clean up the rebound.
 
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton captain Tom Kostopoulos delivered the game-winner with 3:23 left to play, when he redirected a Conor Sheary feed through the pads of Grubauer and over the goal line.
 
Sheary rounded out the scoring on a power-play goal at 19:22.
 
Grubauer made 22 saves and saw his record drop to 23-13-4.  Murray made 24 saves to improve to 19-8-2 on the season.
 
The Bears’ lead over the Penguins is now three points, as the club’s record is now at 36-17-5-2.
 
The Bears travel to face the Binghamton Senators on Friday, March 13 at 7:05 PM.  Fans may listen to the M&C Foreign Car Parts pre-game show beginning at 6:25 on the Bears Radio Network of affiliates WQIC-FM 100.1, WTKT-AM 1460, WOYK-AM 1350 and via the iHeart Radio app (1460 AM).

The Bears return home on Friday, March 27 to host the Manchester Monarchs.  All fans in attendance will receive a ticket to the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice on June 6, courtesy of Pocono Raceway.  Individual tickets for this and all remaining home games are on sale at the GIANT Center box office, by calling (717) 508-BEAR or online at TicketMaster.com.

NOTES: The Bears scratched LW Dane Byers, C Jim O’Brien, C Chandler Stephenson, LW Aaron Volpatti and D Patrick Wey… The Penguins scratched RW Josh Archibald, C Jean-Sebastien Dea, C Nick Drazenovic, D Reid McNeill, D Harrison Ruopp, RW Bryan Rust and LW Anton Zlobin…The Bears ended the night 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill…LW Chris Conner earned his 200th AHL assist in the game…The Bears have a record of 6-3-2-0 against the Penguins, with the season series finale coming on Saturday.