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Phil Janack For The Times Leader

ALBANY, N.Y. — Given the way his veteran partner has been playing, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rookie goaltender Brad Thiessen hasn’t had much opportunity to get in the net early this season other than inpractice.

Penguins head coach Todd Reirden rewarded Thiessen with a rare start on Friday night, and the undrafted free agent out of Northeastern University made it count.

Thiessen stopped 38 of 39 shots, including 14 in the first and third periods, and was backed by a pair of Luca Caputi goals as Wilkes-Barre edged the Albany River Rats, 3-1, at the Times Union Center.

Alternate captain Ryan Bayda added an empty-net goal with 8.5 seconds left for the Penguins (8-4-1-1), who have won three straight. It was the first professional win for the 23-year-old Thiessen after a pair of losses in his only previous appearances.

“Our goaltending’s been strong this year,” Reirden said. “John Curry has done a great job, and then tonight, Brad Thiessen got his first American Hockey League win. He was the difference tonight. It was a great game for Brad.”

Two pucks found their way past Thiessen on the night, but only one of them counted. Light-scoring Albany defenseman Zack FitzGerald tied the game at 1 midway through the second period.

Wilkes-Barre didn’t get its first power play until early in the second period, but quickly made it count. Just 19 seconds into the man advantage, Albany goaltender Mike Murphy made a chest save on defenseman Chris Lee’s wrist shot but Caputi was able to drive the net and push in the rebound for his sixth goal at 3:11.

After FitzGerald’s goal, Caputi restored the lead just over two minutes later. Straddling the blue line as Eric Tangradi carried the puck up right wing, Caputi had Tangradi’s centering pass bounce in off his shin pad as he was being checked in front by Rats defenseman Brett Bellemore at 12:10. Lee nearly made it a 3-1 game moments later, sneaking in behind the defense for a mini-breakaway, but his backhander sailed over the net.

The first period featured no goals, 25 combined shots and three fights, the first between Pens rookie Lane Caffaro and Albany’s Steve Goertzen, just four seconds after the opening faceoff. The two rookie goaltenders traded big saves, with Murphy stoning Bayda off a steal in the slot at 11:08 and again on Bayda’s own rebound.

Thiessen stuck out his right pad to make a skate save at the post on Rats rookie Zach Boychuk’s redirection with 5:12 left in the first period. With Albany skating on its second power play, forward Mike Angelidis dove through a scramble to poke a loose puck past Thiessen, but it came after the horn sounded ending the period.

“We had more than enough chances to win the game, and we just couldn’t score,” Rats head coach Jeff Daniels said. “Their goalie played real well. He was the first star tonight, and he deserved to be.”

Bayda missed an opportunity to give Wilkes-Barre a two-goal lead 4:45 into the third period, but his one-timer from the right circle rang off the goal post behind Murphy’s glove. Bayda was denied again on an open-net try at 7:52, this time by Bellemore, who dropped to his back to guard the net after Murphy had his helmet knocked off stopping a shot from Pens defenseman Jon D’Aversa.