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November 15, 2009

Penguins’ offensive struggles continue against Bears

Recalls to Pittsburgh hurt the WBS attack, which manages only one goal at Hershey.

TIM LEONE For The Times Leader

HERSHEY -- Already shut out by the Hershey Bears once this season, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins aren’t the offensive force they were in 2008-09 when they ranked second in AHL goals.

Streaking Hershey nearly earned a second shutout Saturday night at Giant Center before settling for a 3-1 triumph that increased its winning streak to four.

The defanged Penguins – Mark Letestu, Ben Lovejoy and former Bear Deryk Engelland are on recall to Pittsburgh – only managed a Jesse Boulerice goal midway through the third period.

Hershey got goals from Boyd Kane (short-handed), Karl Alzner and Kyle Wilson.

“Last year, they were a very high-powered offensive team,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “This year, with losing guys like (Janne) Pesonen and (Jeff) Taffe, they’ve lost some of their offense and they’ve gone back to a very disciplined defensive system. That’s probably even moreso with some of the talent they’ve lost to recalls to Pittsburgh.”

First-place Hershey has won eight of its last nine and opened a six-point lead in the East Division.

“Two good divisional wins to get some separation early in the year,” said French, whose club beat Norfolk Friday.

Bears goalie Michal Neuvirth (6-3-0) made 27 saves to win his fifth straight start.

Boulerice scored off a pretty rush with Tim Wallace and Joe Vitale to cut Hershey’s lead to 2-1 at 9:54 of the third. But Wilson answered at 13:28.

“I think they’ve got still a pretty good team,” Neuvirth said, “and obviously they can score the goals. My defense played great.”

WBS goalie John Curry (32 saves) played a strong game. The Kane and Alzner goals were flukey.

Kane gave Hershey a 1-0 lead at 5:02 of the first when the rebound from his shot, set up by strong penalty-killing work from Jay Beagle, deflected off Baby Pens defenseman John D’Aversa past Curry.

On Alzner’s goal, Curry had lost his stick and was using a non-goalie loaner from a teammate. Alzner, getting his first goal of the season, shot from the left circle.

“It just worked out perfectly,” Alzner joked. “I guess if that’s what it takes for me to score, I’m in trouble. How often does that happen?”

The Bears, who went 0-for-5 on the power play, wasted a chance to extend the lead when they couldn’t convert a 5-on-3 opportunity lasting 1:50 that started late in the second.

The tag team, er, defensive pair of Bryan Helmer and Greg Amadio had a physical game. Both had fights, with Amadio fighting Aaron Boogaard in the first and Helmer taking on Tim Wallace in the second.

Helmer responded to a Wallace hit on rookie teammate Trevor Bruess.

“He (Wallace) works hard,” Helmer said. “That’s the game of hockey. Sometimes stuff like that happens. When a guy runs your teammate, sometimes you’ve got to stick up for him. I’m sure Bruiser could have held his own, too. But you don’t like stuff like that. I tried to take care of it.”

Boogaard was injured in the Amadio fight. And a big Amadio check injured Keven Veilleux in the second.

WBS also lost Ryan Bayda during the game.

“A lot of short shifts,” WBS head coach Todd Reirden said. “Just tried to keep our game as simple as we could. We weren’t able to really open it up to score many goals tonight. We were that shorthanded.”

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