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By Tom Venesky tvenesky@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter
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WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The camouflage jerseys donned by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday worked so well that they disappeared during the second period.

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The Penguins allowed three consecutive goals to the Syracuse Crunch in the second period, going on to lose 4-1.

The loss moved the Crunch into a tie with the Penguins for fourth place in the East Division. The Penguins are 3-7 in their last 10 games and it’s clear that something – effort, tight defense – is missing.

It’s something that the players hope to correct soon.

“Whatever it is we’ve got to find it and find it soon or it’s not going to be good,” said defenseman Deryk Engelland, who dropped the gloves with David Liffiton at the end of the second period in an attempt to spark his team.

The Penguins did have the spark in the beginning of the game … at least the line of Jesse Boulerice, Zach Sill and Wade Brookbank did. On their first shift of the night, the trio leveled several Crunch players in the offensive end, forcing a turnover that led to a shot from Sill and a holding penalty by Syracuse.

Nick Johnson scored 18 seconds into the power play to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead, but that was all the offense they would generate.

“We were all out there buzzing, finishing hits and trying to cause chaos down low,” Sill said of the shift. “Then our power play scores and it makes us feel like we’re doing our job.”

Syracuse answered with a power-play goal of its own late in the first period to tie things up, 1-1, and then cruised through the second period with three goals while limiting the Penguins to six shots.

Entering the game the Penguins were 0-19 in contests when they trailed after the second period. Opening the third period with a 4-1 deficit was clearly not the place where they wanted to be.

“Second periods have been a struggle for us,” said Penguins head coach Todd Reirden. “They (Syracuse) carried the play in the second period.”

The Crunch buckled down in the third period to minimize the Penguins’ scoring chances and protect their lead. The Penguins had two power plays in the first half of the third period but blanked on both – an aspect that added to the frustration of the night.

And whatever it is that’s missing from the Penguins game of late, the search for an answer will continue tonight on the road against the AHL’s top team, the Hershey Bears.

“It’s not fun when things aren’t going your way and I can’t really put my finger on it,” Sill said. “Someone should put their finger on it so we could fix it, that’s for sure.

“The Hershey game will be huge for us in the way of a turning point.”

Notes: Nate Guenin, Robert Bortuzzo, Ryan Bayda and Keven Veilleux were scratched for the Penguins. … With an assist on Nick Johnson’s power- play goal, Luca Caputi extended his points streak to seven games.