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WBS attack frustrated again as Bears post another shutout

By Tom Venesky tvenesky@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Call it Game 8 of the 2009 Calder Cup playoffs.

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Penguins center Wyatt Smith (19) takes a shot on goal against Hershey’s Braden Holtby as Penguin right wing Chris Conner (23) moves in during the second period at Wachovia Arena on Friday night.

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

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Penguins goalie John Curry deflects the puck against the Hershey Bears on Friday night. Curry stopped 25 of 28 shots in the 3-0 loss to Hershey.

Bill tarutis/for the times leader

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Friday’s matchup between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hershey Bears had all the elements of last season’s seven-game playoff series between the two rivals – tight defense, few mistakes, big hits and a rookie goaltender posting a 3-0 shutout.

Hershey’s Braden Holtby stopped all 38 shots he faced to lead the Bears to a 3-0 win over the Penguins in the first regular-season matchup between the two East Division rivals.

Holtby’s effort replicated the back-to-back shutouts Hershey posted against the Penguins in Game 6 and 7 of last season’s playoffs behind then-rookie goaltender Michal Neuvirth.

Despite the similarities, Penguins head coach Todd Reirden refused to acknowledge a common bond between the games and said he was happy with his team’s effort.

“I can’t carry over last year’s games to this year,” Reirden said. “We have a completely different team and this is a new season and a new start. We have to build each game on the positive things we did.”

Things like killing all four Hershey power plays, keeping top scorers Keith Aucoin and Alexandre Giroux quiet for most of the night and ripping shots and driving to the net shift after shift.

The only thing the Penguins didn’t generate was a positive result on the scoreboard.

“We just weren’t able to finish anything off,” Reirden said. “I can’t fault our effort.”

Hershey didn’t exactly have an easy time of it, however, as it was outshot 28-15 after the first two periods.

Still, the Bears were able to make a few chances count, including Darren Reid’s goal in the first period and two third-period tallies that gave them an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

The back-breaker occurred when Hershey’s Boyd Kane scored 36 seconds into the third period after a two-on-one breakaway with Kyle Wilson. The play caught goalie John Curry flat-footed when Wilson sent a pass in front of the crease to Kane.

“That was a bad time for a goal,” said Curry, who stopped 25 of 28 shots on the night. “We were playing well, had some momentum and they go up 2-0 on that play.”

Meanwhile, at the other end, Holtby stopped everything the Penguins threw his way in an effort that went against the norm.

Usually when a team puts 38 shots on a rookie goaltender making his second AHL start something is bound to go in, right?

“You would think,” said Chris Conner, who had a team-high six shots for the Penguins. “But there’s not much you can do when you run into a goaltender playing really well. Just keep shooting and hopefully one goes in and breaks his confidence a little bit.”

But nothing did. Not even an Eric Tangradi redirect in the crease, a Conner slam-dunk attempt by the post or a Wyatt Smith flip shot that Holtby saved by gloving the puck behind his back in the third period.

“You have to give him (Holtby) credit. He played well,” Reirden said.

Hershey’s high-scoring duo did manage to get on the scoresheet late in the game when Giroux set up Aucoin’s goal at 15:27 of the third period for a 3-0 lead, but the game was all but decided at that point. The Penguins will look to rebound tonight against Bridgeport at home, and Reirden said if his team brings a similar effort as it did against Hershey the wins will come.

“I’m happy with out team effort tonight. I’m just not happy with the result,” he said. “If we play this way every night we’ll win more than our fair share of games.”

NOTES

• Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Chris Kelleher, who is now a scout for the Minnesota Wild, attended Friday’s game.

• Lane Caffaro, Konstantin Pushkarev (healthy), Alex Grant, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Jesse Boulerice, Aaron Boogaard and Joey Haddad were scratched for the Penguins

. • Reirden said he will wait and see how Curry feels today before making a decision whether to start him in goal in back-to-back games.

First Period: Scoring – 1. HER, Darren Reid 1 (Amadio, Joudrey) 7:16. Penalties – HER, Osala (holding) 1:50; WBS, Johnson (hooking) 5:02; HER, Amadio (roughing) 11:10; HER, Amadio (fighting) 18:11; WBS, Brookbank (fighting) 18:11.

Second Period: Scoring – None. Penalties – WBS, Vitale (hooking) 1:26; WBS, Guenin (interference) 5:14; HER, Kane (tripping) 14:41; HER, Helmer (elbowing) 18:00.

Third Period: Scoring – 2. HER, Boyd Kane 1 (Wilson, Bouchard) :36. 3. HER, Keith Aucoin 1 (Giroux, Gordon) 15:27. Penalties – WBS, Sill (slashing) 8:15; HER, Aucoin (boarding) 12:43.

Shots: Hershey – 8-7-13-28. Penguins – 13-15-10-38.. Power Play: Hershey – 0 for 4. Penguins – 0 for 5. Goaltenders: Hershey – Braden Holtby (2-0-0) 38 saves – 38 shots; Penguins – John Curry (1-1-0) 25-28Three Stars: 1. HER, Braden Holtby (38 saves, shutout) 2. HER Boyd Kane (goal) 3. HER Darren Reid (game-winning goal)Referee – Geno Binda. Linesmen – Jameel Chaudry, Matt McNultyAttendance – 6,071