PENS TAKE GAME ONE vs. ICECAPS, 3-2

Chuck Kobasew, Conor Sheary and Tom Kostopoulos tallied for the visitors, while Peter Mannino made 31 saves, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins posted a 3-2 win over the St. John's IceCaps in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night at the Mile One Centre.  Game Two of the best-of-seven series takes place Sunday night at 6:00pm.

The teams traded first period goals, with Kobasew opening the scoring at 7:02.  Brian Gibbons carried the puck up the left side and fed the veteran forward at the goal crease, where he put home his sixth goal of the postseason for the early lead.

Andrew Gordon cancelled that tally out six and a half minutes later, picking up a puck that jumped off the back boards and swatting home a shot at Mannino's right side for his first goal of the evening.
The Pens pulled in front for good with a pair of second period scores.

An amateur tryout from the University of Massachusetts, Sheary grabbed a puck on the near boards, then flung a shot that fluttered off of goaltender Michael Hutchinson's glove.  The puck fell behind the netminder, and Sheary tapped it home at 2:32 of the second frame  The goal gave the rookie 10 points in 10 games, good for third on the team.

Kostopoulos netted his fourth of the playoffs 12 minutes later, taking a cross ice pass during a three-on-two break and beating Hutchinson over his left shoulder for his fourth goal of the postseason.
Gordon picked up his second goal of the evening 5:31 into the third period, sniping a shot off of an offensive zone faceoff just one second after Zach Sill and Eric O'Dell were whistled for coincidental minors.

The Penguins penalty kill came up big on the night, snuffing St. John's on five different occasions.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow night in St. John's, before the series heads to Wilkes-Barre for games on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday (if necessary).  Tickets for all three games are on sale now, and kids ages 14 and under get in for free with a paid adult ticket to the same game.  Get your seats for Calder Cup playoff action by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367.

SHAMELESS PLUG AND GIBBONS GOAL REVERSE ANGLE

HOW TWEET IT IS

A little off day fun for our Gold Rush blog followers.  Enjoy this selection of Tweets from Pens players, fans and media reports:

@carman_electra is excited for the third round! @WBSPenguins #sickbeard #boooogophers pic.twitter.com/uaWR7xsR0u
— Peter Mannino (@ManninoPeter) May 22, 2014

This goal by Brian Gibbons last night… wowza - http://t.co/eOvSgqjosm
— Sean Leahy (@Sean_Leahy) May 22, 2014

It worked!!! @TimKelchner Go @WBSPenguins Game 7 win tonight! #DigDeep #GoldRush pic.twitter.com/Sbood7d7Az"
— Monica Madeja (@MonicaReports) May 22, 2014

It might be one of the best goals you'll EVER see! Congrats to @Bgibb99 of the @WBSPenguins on earning #The1 tonight! pic.twitter.com/8R05297Mq2
— FOX Sports Live (@FOXSportsLive) May 22, 2014

WATCH: Brian Gibbons scores absurd goal for score of the postseason for AHL Penguins http://t.co/qywH8mGlgw
— Eye on Hockey (@EyeOnHockey) May 22, 2014

Thanks to @WBSPenguins, What you are a/b to watch is arguably the best goal of 2014 - http://t.co/TqcbDOOneH / pic.twitter.com/0UKCVFZxUP
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 22, 2014

I don't really have words for that Gibbons goal. Just sick. Like something you do goofing around in practice.
— Shawn Rine (@Shawn_Rine) May 22, 2014

What a goal by @Bgibb99 tonight. He takes the face-off, then keep watching him. http://t.co/2TLQAixI90
— John Buccigross (@Buccigross) May 22, 2014

It's possible Brian Gibbons scored one of greatest goals in Calder Cup history tonight. Sit down first: http://t.co/W9agkWcubf @WBSPenguins
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) May 22, 2014

PENS HOLD ON TO OUST BRUINS IN GAME SEVEN

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins posted five goals in a span of 5:59, then hung on to post a 5-4 win over the Providence Bruins in Game Seven of the AHL’s Eastern Conference Semifinal round on Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre.  The Penguins eliminated the Bruins from the postseason for the second consecutive season, and will now face the St. John’s IceCaps in the Eastern Conference Final.  Game One takes place this Saturday night in Newfoundland.

The Penguins dominated the first period of play, but had nothing to show for a solid 20 minutes of hockey, despite outshooting the Bruins 10-3 in the opening frame.

They made up for lost time in the second period.

Anton Zlobin attempted a cross ice feed to Conor Sheary after a steal in the neutral zone, but his pass knocked off the skate of Chris Casto in the slot, and bounced past NiklasSvedberg at 1:17 of the second to give the Pens the 1-0 lead.

Sheary made it a 2-0 game 2:07 later.  Nick Drazenovic took a feed from Chuck Kobasew, drawing Svedberg out of his net.  That left Sheary all alone on the right post, and he easily swatted home his fifth goal of the playoffs.

Jayson Megna took a drop pass from Harry Zolnierczyk just inside the blue line and lazered home his first of the playoffs into the far corner at 5:22.

Brian Gibbons scored what could arguably be the goal of the year off the ensuing face-off when he dangled around five Bruins skaters and slipped a shot through Svedberg’s five hole for his first of the AHL postseason at 5:35 to make it a 4-0 game.

Brendan Mikkelson notched the Pens’ second power play marker of the period at 7:16 with a shot through traffic, giving the home club what seemed to be a comfortable lead.

But the Bruins weren’t about to go down without a fight.

David Warsofsky beat a screened Peter Mannino with a point shot that found the far corner during a late penalty kill to make it a 5-1 game after 40 minutes, and Ryan Spooner cut the lead to three 23 seconds into the third frame with a long wrist shot.

Alexander Khokhlachev netted the next two goals, picking up the rebound off of a Spooner shot for his eighth of the playoffs at 6:43, then redirecting a Tommy Cross centering feed past Mannino’s left skate at 9:55 of the third.

The Penguins were able to shut down the Providence attack the rest of the way though, defeating the their Atlantic Division foes in seven games for the second straight year.

Megna (1+1) was the only Penguins player to record multiple points on the night, while nine other Wilkes-Barre skaters notched one apiece.

The Penguins remained undefeated in home Game Sevens, upping their record to 3-0.  They also improved their overall record in winner-take-all contests to 8-2 all-time, and 2-0 against the Bruins.

Tickets for Penguins home playoff games G, H and J (if necessary) - scheduled for Wednesday, May 28; Thursday, May 29; and Saturday, May 31 - are on sale now and available by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367, or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Arena box office.

PENS TO FACE ICECAPS IN EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will face off with the St. John's IceCaps in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Final, it was announced on Wednesday night.

This marks the second straight year and fifth time overall that the Penguins have reached the Conference Final.   Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defeated the Providence Bruins, 5-4, in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Wednesday night to advance.

The schedule for the Eastern Conference Final is as follows: 

Game 1	Sat., May 24		W-B/Scranton at St. John’s		6:00 PM EDT
Game 2	Sun., May 25		W-B/Scranton at St. John’s		6:00 PM EDT
Game 3	Wed., May 28		St. John’s vs. W-B/SCRANTON		7:05 PM EDT
Game 4	Thu., May 29		St. John’s vs. W-B/SCRANTON		7:05 PM EDT
*Game 5	Sat., May 31		St. John’s vs. W-B/SCRANTON		7:05 PM EDT
*Game 6	Tue., June 3		W-B/Scranton at St. John’s		6:00 PM EDT
*Game 7	Wed., June 4		W-B/Scranton at St. John’s		6:00 PM EDT
* - if necessary

Games 3,  4 and 5 (tickets marked F, G, and H for playoff ticket package holders) of the Eastern Conference Final are on sale now online at Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or by calling the Penguins offices at (570) 208-7367.  Children 14 and under can receive one (1) free ticket with each purchase of an adult ticket for the same game.

GOING THE DISTANCE

By Brian Coe

Is there a team historically better than the Penguins when it comes to dealing with high pressure situations in the playoffs?

Doubtful.

Wednesday night’s Game Seven will be the 10th time the Penguins have gone the distance in a playoff series.  Wilkes-Barre/Scranton holds a 7-2 mark in the first nine decisive games.

Here’s a quick look back at the full list of series finishers as you get ready to see the Pens and Bruins face off one more time on Wednesday.

2001 DIVISION SEMIFINAL vs. SYRACUSE (6-2 WIN, April 18):  The Penguins jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period and never looked back en route to a win in the best-of-five series.  Milan Kraft recorded two goals and picked up an assist for the Penguins, while Michal Rozsival, Trent Cull, Toby Petersen and Eric Meloche also chipped in with goals.  Rich Parent turned aside 21 shots in the win.  

2004 DIVISION SEMIFINAL at BRIDGEPORT (3-2 OT WIN, April 25):  Konstantin Koltsov’s goal at 11:44 of overtime capped the series comeback for the Penguins.  Koltsov and Tom Kostopoulos gave the Pens a 2-1 lead after two periods before Rob Collins tied the game early in the third period.  Koltsov then took a Matt Hussey feed and beat net minder Dieter Kocahn for the win.  The Penguins actually trailed the best-of-seven series, 3-1, before posting wins in Game Five (2-1 in Wilkes-Barre) and Game Six (5-0 in Bridgeport) to force Game Seven.

2004 CONFERENCE FINAL at HARTFORD (2-1 OT WIN, May 29):  Another Game Seven on the road, another OT win.  Matt Murley slid a shot low past Jason LaBarbera at 13:21 of the extra frame to send the Penguins to their second Calder Cup Final appearance.

2006 DIVISION SEMIFINAL vs. BRIDGEPORT (5-4 WIN, April 29):  Five different Penguins tallied goals as the Pens defeated the Sound Tigers in the best-of-seven series.  Jonathan Filewich got the eventual game-winner with an empty netter at 18:52 of the third to put the Pens up 5-3, but Rob Collins scored with 45 seconds left in regulation to make it a 5-4 game. Ryan Whitney, Dan Carcillo, Erik Christensen and Ryan Stone also scored for the Penguins.

2008 CONFERENCE FINAL vs. PORTLAND (3-2 WIN, May 24):  Tim Brent’s goal with 31 seconds left in the third gave the Penguins another series comeback, and sent Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to its third Calder Cup Finals appearance.  Brent dangled around former Penguins net minder Jean-Sebastien Aubin for his 11th goal of the playoffs to beat his former club.  The Penguins got to Game Seven after Connor James tallied 20 seconds into overtime the previous night to give WBS a 4-3 win (the Pens trailed that game 3-0 at one point, thanks to a pair of goals by Andrew Ebbett).

2009 EAST DIVISION FINAL at HERSHEY (3-0 LOSS, May 12):  Michal Neuvirth made 24 saves en route to a 3-0 win in Game Seven at the Gian Center.  Wilkes-Barre led the series, 3-2, before Neuvirth posted back-to-back 3-0 wins on home ice to eliminate the Pens from the postseason.

2012 CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL vs. HERSHEY (2-1 WIN, April 28):  The Pens captured the best-of-five series thanks to goals from Cal O’Reilly and Zach Stone, which came just seven seconds spar later in the second period. Brad Thiessen made 18 saves for the win.

2012 CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL at ST. JOHN’S (3-2 LOSS, May 12):  After posting a 3-2 double OT win in Game five, the Pens traveled to Newfoundland and downed the IceCaps, 4-2, in Game Six to force the decisive tilt.  The Pens got goals fry Ryan Craig and Colin McDonald, but Aaron Gagnon’s two tallies gave the home team the trip to the Conference Final.

2013 CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL at PROVIDENCE (5-0 WIN, May 22):  The Pens capped perhaps the biggest comeback in AHL history with a decisive victory in Providence.  After trailing the series, 3-0, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fought back with 3-1, 4-0 and 2-1 OT wins to force Game Seven.  That momentum carried over as Chad Kolarik, Warren Peters, Adam Payerl, Zach Sill and Trevor Smith scored to send the Pens to the Conference Final.  Brad Thiessen made 34 saves, helping the Penguins to become the first team in league history to win a Game Seven on the road after trailing a series 3-0.

Now, 364 days after that historic win, the Pens will look to send the Bruins home for a second straight season.  Tickets for Wednesday night’s Game Seven are on sale now at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office, or by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367.  Kids 14 and under get into the game FREE with a paid adult ticket.

It’s time to #DigDeep again!  Let’s Go PENS!

BRUINS FORCE GAME SEVEN WITH 4-1 WIN

Alexander Khokhlachev provided the offense with two goals and an assist, while Niklas Svedberg handled the defense by making 36 saves as the Providence Bruins posted a 4-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday night in Wilkes-Barre.  The win forces a decisive Game Seven between the clubs this Wednesday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Svedberg, who served as the Bruins backup for Games Four and Five of the series after allowing five goals in Games Two and Three, was stellar between the pipes, stopping 27 shots over the first 40 minutes of play for his fourth win of the postseason.

The Penguins controlled the opening frame, outshooting the Bruins 14-5 and controlling play in the Providence zone for long stretches of time.  Wilkes-Barre also had the advantage of the only power play of the first period, but couldn’t capitalize on a hooking call to Khokhlachev at 16:11.

Wilkes-Barre appeared to grab a gritty goal by Bobby Farnham about six minutes into the second period, but the referees ruled that the Pens forward pushed the puck AND Svedberg into the goal, negating the opening tally.

Two minutes later, the Bruins took the lead.  

Khokhlachev grabbed a loose puck on the near wall starting a two-on-one break for the Bruins, and took the shot himself, beating Peter Mannino short side for the Russian center’s sixth goal of the playoffs.

Khokhlachev figured in the second Bruins goal five minutes later, stealing a puck off of Jayson Megna, then helping out with some tic-tac-toe passing with Jared Knight and Bobby Robins.  Returning to the lineup after a three game suspension, Robins pushed home his first of the playoffs past Mannino’s glove hand at 12:56.

The Bruins started the third period on the power play after Philip Samuelsson was whistled for slashing with just three seconds remaining in the second, and didn’t let the opportunity go to waste.  Once again, it was Khokhlachev banging home his second of the night down low after a feed from Ryan Spooner to make the score 3-0.

Conor Sheary extended his point streak to five games with his fourth goal of the series at 17:03, but Spooner put the game out of reach with an empty net goal at 18:11.

This is the second consecutive season the Penguins and Bruins have met in a Game Seven in the second round of the playoffs, with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton taking a 5-0 win in Providence on May 22 of last year.

Good seats for Wednesday night’s game are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367.  Kids 14 and under get into the game for free with a paid adult ticket – that offer good only at the arena box office or through the Penguins front office.

NOTES: Philip Samuelsson returned to action for the first time since suffering a lower body injury against the Bruins on March 26…The Penguins are 5-2 all-time in Game Sevens.