Bears shut out Penguins

HERSHEY — When you give the Hershey Bears two chances to score on the same shift, the outcome usually won’t be good.

When those chances are given to the top two leading scorers in the AHL, it’s almost a given that a point will go on the scoreboard.

That’s what the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins did on Saturday night, going on to lose to the Bears 4-0.

After battling the Bears through a scoreless first period, the Penguins gave them a chance that they hoped to avoid all night.

The first scoring opportunity went to the AHL’s second-leading scorer, Alexandre Giroux, when he blocked a Deryk Engelland shot and raced down the ice on a breakaway. Brad Thiessen deflected Giroux’s shot with his glove, but the Penguins subsequently then turned the puck over on the same shift, giving the Bears a second chance.

This one went to the AHL’s leading scorer, Keith Aucoin, who slammed it home to give the Bears a 1-0 lead early in the second period. And that’s all they needed.

“They’re (Giroux, Aucoin) going to get their chances, but two breakaways on the same shift is a little bit extreme,” said Mark Letestu.

Hershey gained more momentum when Bears defenseman Greg Amadio caught Konstantin Pushkarev with his head down inside the Penguins blueline and threw a crushing hit. Alex Grant rushed to Pushkarev’s aid and dropped the gloves with Amadio, but Hershey came out with the upper hand as Grant got the extra minor for instigating.

Andrew Gordon scored for the Bears on the ensuing power play, but Penguins head coach Todd Reirden wasn’t disappointed in Grant’s actions that led to the Hershey man advantage. He called Amadio’s hit “questionable” and said Grant’s response was a team play.

“More often than not it seems like you kill off those penalties, but they were able to score on it,” Reirden said.

While the lopsided score would seem to indicate that the Bears dominated both ends of the ice, the Penguins did have plenty of chances. Hershey goaltender Braden Holtby stopped Chris Conner on a breakaway early in the first period, and the Penguins generated numerous scoring chances in the second period but weren’t able to execute.

Letestu said if the Penguins had been able to convert on a few of those chances it may have changed the momentum, but maybe not the outcome.

“Did we deserve to win? I don’t think so. They played better than us tonight,” he said. “If we could’ve converted on a couple maybe it would’ve changed momentum, but I don’t think we deserved to win tonight.”

During the third period the Penguins tried to generate chances by agitating the Bears and getting them off their game. The line of Wade Brookbank, Zach Sill and Jesse Boulerice hit, elbowed and jabbed at Bears players but they refused to retaliate.

“They didn’t take the bait. We couldn’t generate any momentum off of what we do,” he said.

NOTES

•With the win, the Bears extended their AHL record for consecutive home victories to 22, and they also tied the 1965-66 Muskegon Mohawks (IHL) for the longest home winning streak in pro hockey history.

First Period—Scoring – None. Penalties – HER, Wilson (hooking) 3:04; HER, Wellar (tripping) 11:52; WBS, Wallace (boarding) 13:53.

Second Period—Scoring – 1. HER, Keith Aucoin 30 (Miskovic) 1:10. 2. HER, Andrew Gordon 30 (Aucoin, Bourque) power play 11:11. Penalties – WBS, Engelland (hooking) 7:24; WBS, Grant (instigating, fighting, 10 minute misconduct) 10:09; HER, Amadio (fighting) 10:09; HER, Helmer (cross-checking) 18:45; WBS, Wallace (hooking) 19:33.

Third Period—Scoring – 3. HER, Alexandre Giroux 33 (Aucoin, Alzner) 1:51. 4. HER, Francois Bouchard 18 (Wilson, Kane) 14:11. Penalties – WBS, Brookbank (roughing) 3:41; WBS, Brookbank (elbowing, fighting) 6:55; HER, McNeill (double minor – roughing) 6:55; HER, Bouchard (hooking) 9:27

Goaltenders—Penguins – Brad Thiessen 6-10-1 (24 saves – 28 shots); Hershey – Braden Holtby 19-5-1 (25-25)

Starters—Penguins – G Brad Thiessen, D Ben Lovejoy, D Deryk Engelland, LW Chris Conner, C Wyatt Smith, RW Nick Johnson; Hershey – G Braden Holtby, D Karl Alzner, D Bryan Helmer, LW Alexandre Giroux, C Keith Aucoin, RW Andrew Gordon

Three Stars—1. HER, Braden Holtby (25 saves, shutout) 2. HER, Keith Aucoin (game-winning goal, two assists) 3. HER, Greg Amadio (hit, fight)