Five Goals Not Enough to beat WBS Penguins

Geoff Walker wins it for the Penguins in the shootout. All photos by Kyle Mace.

After quite the trumping of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last night, the Bears had a lot to live up to, especially in front of a filled-to-the-brim Giant Center.

The first period didn’t live up to the energy that everyone thought it would have. Both teams were keeping calm, perhaps saving their energy for the later periods. The Penguins had two power play opportunities but, thanks to Dany Sabourin, it was scoreless after one.

After no goals in the first, six goals were scored in the second. The Penguins were the first on the board with a power play goal in the second period with a deflected shot past Sabourin. Thankfully, the Bears were able to counter with a power play goal of their own, courtesy of Graham Mink in front of the net.

Cody Eakin has been on fire since returning from Washington. He scored a goal tonight, his fourth in the past three games. The Penguins weren’t going to sit back and they tied it up again right off of a face-off.

The Bears earned a late power play. It started off awfully when the Penguins scored short-handed while Sabourin may have been screened by his teammate. But the Bears used the remainder of the power play to tie it up with a shot from Tomas Kundratek.

With the lead going back and forth, Chris Bourque pushed it back in Hershey’s favor with a one-timer power play goal. After a series of penalties, Ryan Potulny scored a one-timer power play goal of his own.

The Penguins made it a one-goal game against with a kind of strange bounce past Sabourin. Then another bad bounce off of Christian Hanson made it a tie game at 5 goals each. The teams needed more than three periods to solve this one.

The Penguins dominated overtime, out-shooting the Bears 7-0 but the score stayed the same. The first five rounds of the shootout ended tied 1-1. It took nine rounds for the game to end and the Penguins took it 6-5 (SO).

Tonight’s Notes:

• With an assist on Mink’s  goal, Keith Aucoin became the first player this season to reach 50 points (…and 51 and 52). He also has points in seven straight games.
• Ryan Potulny is also riding a six game point streak thanks to a goal and assist tonight.
• The power play was what kept the Bears in it. They scored on 4-of-5 power play chances, all crucial goals. They also held back the Penguins to one power play goal on five chances.

Lines and Pairings:

Greentree – Aucoin – Bourque
Micflikier – Potulny – Ford
Kane – Eakin – Mitchell
Carroll – Hanson – Mink

McNeill – Collins
Brouillette – Flemming
Wellar – Kundratek

Three stars of the game:

1. Geoff Walker (WBS)
2. Eric Tangradi (WBS)
3. Ryan Potulny (HER)

More Photos from Tonight’s Games:
WBS is first on the board.

The Bears celebrate Mink’s power play goal.

Eakin continues his goal streak.

Nice to have Eakin back!

Patrick McNeill skates away from the Penguins celebration.

Zach Sill beats Dany Sabourin.

Kundratek continues the back and forth scoring.

Bourque finds his way on to the scoresheet.

Bourque was definitely happy about that one.

Potulny’s missile finds the back of the net.

Sabourin displays my emotions on that Pens goal.

Game-tying goal, yuck.

One of Hershey’s least favorite sights.

Eakin’s shootout goal wasn’t enough to win.

Penguins win…this time.