Micki DuPont scored (Video) with 1:44 in regulation to tie
the game, then Tyler Spurgeon netted the OT winner
(Video) with 21 seconds left in the extra frame to give the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a 2-1 win against the
Norfolk Admirals on Friday.
The win allowed the Penguins to clinch a spot in
the Calder Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive
season, and the sixth time in the club's eight year
existence.
The victory also stretched the Pens' home winning
streak to 15 games against the Admirals, who have
not posted a victory in Northeast Pennsylvania since
Valentine's Day, 2004.
With time running down and the Admirals holding a
1-0 lead, DuPont let a blast fly from the slot that
beat goaltender Corey Crawford. The shot was the Pens'
46th of the night, and forced the extra period.
Spurgeon, who assisted on the game-tying goal, kept
his torrid pace alive by crashing the net and banging
home a Connor James feed at 4:39 of OT to give the
Penguins their third consecutive victory.
Nolan Schaefer was solid in winning his sixth consecutive
contest for the Pens, stopping 19 of 20 shots. Martin
St. Pierre's power play tally in the first period
was the only blemish on Schaefer's scoresheet, as
the traded deadline acquisition upped his record to
7-1-0 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
