One expects to see Dennis Bonvie's name on the scoresheet
when the Penguins and Hershey Bears tangle. After
all, Hershey has its fair share of tough guys on the
roster, and dropping the gloves is nothing new for
the league's all-time penalty minutes leader.
Seeing Bonvie's name in the goal column rather than
in the penalty ledger is something far more rare.
And Dennis with the game-winning goal? Who would
have thunk it.
Well, it was one of those nights for Bonvie, as the
veteran pugilist netted his first goal of the season
- and the deciding tally at that - as the Penguins
posted a 4-1 win against their divisional rivals.
"A blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while,
eh," said a jovial Bonvie after the game. "I
just tried to work hard, and the puck came my way.
I got an empty net and put it in."
Bonvie's last goal came against the Syracuse Crunch
on January 18, and this tally was his 81st in 776
AHL games. Compare that to the 4,148 penalty minutes
he's racked up in that time.
"Sitting on the bench, seeing everyone smiling
and happy for you, that's a great feeling," Bonvie
said.
Bonvie did have to throw down with Peter Vandermeer
after the game got out of reach for the Bears in the
third period, and teammates Wade Skolney, Matt Carkner
and Daniel Carcillo also took the opposition to task.
"I was happy they stuck up for themselves and
they stuck up for each other," head coach Todd
Richards stated. "It was a 4-0 game, you had
a feeling it was going to go like that."
Wilkes-Barre started strong, peppering goaltender
Frederic Cassivi with 18 shots in the opening frame.
Carcillo tapped home a puck on the goal line five
and a half minutes in during a power play before Bonvie
closed out period by scoring with less than a minute
to go.
