1/27- Penguins Win in Overtime
By: Phil Schoener
Updated: January 28, 2012
HARTFORD, C.T. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won their AHL-season high ninth straight road game with a 3-2 overtime win against the Connecticut Whale on Friday at the XL Center. The Penguins' special teams units went 3-for-7 on the power play and 5-on-5 on the penalty kill.
With the two teams tied, 2-2, going into the overtime, Ryan Bourque was whistled for a hook at 3:50 of the extra session to give the Penguins their final power play of the game.
Jason Williams would end things 16 seconds later, driving his sixth marker of the season past Whale goaltender Chad Johnson.
Connecticut took its first lead of the contest, 2-1, five minutes into the third after Andre Deveaux fired a shot the bounced off the back boards and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault was able to poke the loose puck past an unsuspecting Brad Thiessen.
Less than a minute later, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tied the game on the man-advantage. Williams won a faceoff back to Robert Bortuzzo, who quickly sent a slapshot to back of the twine.
The remainder of the period would see Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forced to kill off two separate 5-on-3 advantages for the Whale to keep the game knotted through the end of regulation.
The Penguins jumped ahead 1-0 with a first period power play goal. Eric Tangradi feathered a pass to front of the Whale crease that Ryan Craig stuffed home at 8:16 for his sixth goal of the season.
Connecticut bounced back 3:28 into the second frame when Sean Avery got past the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defense and squeezed a low shot through the pads of Thiessen.
Thiessen finished the game with 20 saves to record his 17th win of the year. Johnson took the loss for the Whale despite making 37 saves on 40 shots.
The Penguins' nine-game road winning streak broke their own mark of eight set at the beginning of the season.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins skate for the final time before the All-Star Break on Saturday, January 28 against the Binghamton Senators at 7:05 PM. For more information, call the Penguins at (570) 208-PENS or visit www.wbspenguins.com.
