Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Hershey Bears brought the two longest active winning streaks in the American Hockey League into Saturday night’s game.
Fresh off clinching the best record in the entire 32-team league, the Bears were unable to keep their streak going.
The Penguins received goals from four different players while Ludovic Waeber made 22 saves as they celebrated Fan Appreciation Night, completing their regular-season home schedule with a 4-1 victory over the league’s top team, both throughout this season and as the defending Calder Cup champions.
The win extended the league’s longest current streak to seven straight wins, easily the longest of the season for the Penguins (38-22-8-1).
Jansen Harkins led the way with the game-winning goal and an assist, giving him five goals and seven assists in 14 games.
The game was a physical battle worthy of the two hottest teams in the AHL, two potential playoff opponents and an in-state rivalry that will be renewed again Sunday on the back end of a home-and-home series that completes three games in three days for both squads.
“We’re on a good stretch right now,” Waeber, who is 2-1 since joining the team after starting the season with division rival Charlotte, said in the on-ice postgame interview. “We just have to keep it going.”
Considering the Penguins have outscored their seven victims by a total of 30-13, it’s not surprising that several players currently have hot hands.
Avery Hayes, Harkins, Corey Andonovski and Sam Poulin scored the goals as the Penguins put on a show for the crowd of 7,461 at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Hayes opened the scoring, taking a drop pass from Beau Jelsma and sending a wrist shot over the glove of Hershey goalie Clay Stevenson at 11:02 of the first period.
After being scoreless 20 games into his season, Hayes has six goals in six games and four in the last three.
“After I saw that first one go in, I feel like I had a weight lifted off my back,” Hayes said after scoring in Friday’s win over the Bridgeport Islanders. “I’m definitely playing with a bit more confidence and obviously, I’ve been playing more lately, which always helps.”
Jelsma, a 19-year-old on an Amateur Tryout Contract, scored in his AHL debut Friday night and had an assist early Saturday.
Hershey’s only goal went in off a skate of a Penguin in front of Waeber to tie things up at 7:05 of the second period.
Harkins scored the game-winner 4:32 later. He walked in from the left corner, caught Stevenson leaning the other way and snapped a wrist shot past him on the short side. The goal gave him points in nine of 14 games.
Evan Vierling had an assist on the play, giving him seven points with at least one in each of his first six AHL games.
Andonovski spent most of the night delivering hits, but also scored at 4:42 of the third period on assists from Xavier Ouellet and Harkins.
Scoreless for an eight-game stretch back in January and February, Andonovski now has points in six of his last seven outings.
It was the fourth straight game with an assist for Andonovski.
Like Hayes, Poulin scored for the second straight night.
Poulin’s team-leading 15th goal of the season was assisted by Jack Rathbone and Austin Rueschhoff at 17:16. Poulin deflected Rathbone’s point shot.
NOTES: Waeber was the first star, Harkins second and Andonovski third. … The Penguins finished with a 30-23 shot advantage. … The Penguins were 1-for-4 on the power play while the Bears were 0-for-4. … The teams meet again Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Giant Center in Hershey to begin what will be their final week of the regular season. The Penguins end the regular season Saturday in Allentown against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the league schedule wraps up the next day. … Defenseman Scooter Brickey, playing his sixth game for the team, got his first assist on the Hayes goal. … The third-place Penguins completed their home schedule 20-11-5-0, second-best in the division behind Hershey’s 27-6-0-0. … The Bears are 51-13-0-5 overall.