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By SCOTT REINARDY sreinardy@leader.net
Saturday, February 05, 2000 Page: 1B
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The last time the Penguins hosted the Hershey Bears at
First Union Arena, the home team feasted on seven goals, a franchise high at
the time. Too bad the Penguins couldn’t have stockpiled a few of those goals.
Instead, Friday was the famine that sometimes follows a feast. Hershey handed
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton its third shutout of the season, 3-0. To the cheers of
a packed crowd of 8,217, and a special guest appearance by former Penguins’
Dennis Bonvie and Tyler Wright, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton swarmed Hershey early
on. Unfortunately, the attack was quickly stymied by three Penguins’ penalties
in the first 14 minutes of the game. With Hershey having the second-best power
play in the AHL, the tide quickly turned in favor of the visitors. “Right
away they get a 5-on-3, they get a goal and it just takes any momentum we had
going away from us,” said Penguins coach Glenn Patrick. “Now we’re on our
heels and trying to catch up.” For the second consecutive Penguins’ game,
referee Conrad Hache played a significant role in the outcome. Tuesday against
Albany, Hache called a questionable penalty on Penguins defenseman Josef
Melichar at the end of the third period that eventually led to a 5-on-3 River
Rats power play in overtime. While Albany didn’t score until the two sides
were even, it reduced the Penguins’ chance of a victory. Penalties to
Penguins’ Chris Kelleher and Sven Butenschon just 27 seconds apart Friday
provided the Bears with a prime opportunity to take a 1-0 lead. They promptly
did that with Serge Aubin’s league-leading 20th power-play goal of the season
at 14:41. “I’d rather not make a comment on the officiating tonight,”
Patrick said. “I might get fined.” At 5:09 of the second period, Hershey
scored its second power-play goal of the game when the Penguins were penalized
with a bench minor. “Early in the game (Hache) called some questionable calls
on us and then we had a guy hauled down from behind. We had a few comments
from the bench and he called a bench penalty,” Patrick said. Aubin again
polished off the power-play when he slammed home a goal from the right circle
after receiving a cross-ice pass from Christian Matte. It was the eighth goal
Aubin has scored against the Penguins this season. With 57 seconds remaining
in the second, Hershey took a 3-0 lead when from behind the net Ville Nieminen
fed a pass to Matte in the slot. Matte buried his 29th goal of the season past
goalie Ryan Bach. The only Penguins’ goal of the game wasn’t a goal at all,
according to Hache. At 14:55 of the third, Steve Leach’s shot from the right
circle whipped past Hershey goalie Frederic Cassivi. Hache initially ruled it
a goal, but after conferring with a linesman, said that the goal was off its
standards, disallowing the score. “I said, `If the net is pushed off it’s a
penalty or a penalty shot,”’ Patrick said. “He had no comment to that.” In
the AHL official rule book, rule 51c states: “If the goal post is
deliberately displaced by a goalkeeper or player during the course of a
`breakaway,’ a penalty shot will be awarded to the non-offending team. … A
player with a breakaway is defined as a player in control of the puck with no
opposition between him and the opposing goal and with a reasonable scoring
opportunity.” It appeared Leach was in that position, but no penalty shot or
even a minor penalty was called as required by the rule book. It was the
Penguins’ first shutout loss since Oct. 24 against Cincinnati. “Tonight we
just couldn’t seem to get anything done,” Patrick said. “We worked hard, had
the puck in their zone most of the night, but we just couldn’t get the
finishing touches and score any goals.” The Penguins get another crack at
Hershey tonight at Hersheypark Arena. ICE SHAVINGS: Jean-Sebastien Aubin is
expected to start in goal tonight. … Pittsburgh picked Pat Falloon off
waivers from Edmonton on Friday. … The three stars Friday were: No. 1,
Frederic Cassivi; No. 2, Serge Aubin; No. 3, Christian Matte.