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COMEBACK KIDS HIT CENTURY MARK
James' Quick Two End Week In Style

 

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins reached the century mark for the second consecutive season, recording points 99 and 100 in Sunday evening’s 3-2 win against the Hershey Bears.

With the victory, the Penguins upped their record to 47-20-2-4 on the season.  They currently sit in third place in the East Division, trailing the Norfolk Admirals (48-19-6-1, 103 points) and the Bears (46-15-6-6, 104 points).

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will look to overtake the Admirals this week, as the clubs face off in a two-game series in Norfolk on Wednesday, April 4 and Friday, April 6.  The Pens return home to take on the Philadelphia Phantoms on Saturday, April 7 at 7:05pm, before venturing to the Bears’ den once again on Sunday, April 8 at 5:00pm.

PENGUINS LEAGUE LEADERS
- Micki DuPont is second among defensemen with 45 points (16+29=45), and tied for first with 16 goals.

- Jonathan Filewich is tied for 15th with 29 goals and tied for 17th with 11 power play goals.
- Robert Nilsson is tied for fifth with 46 assists and tied for 13th with 19 power play assists.
- Rob Schremp is tied 12th among rookies with 50 points (16+34=50) and tied for 16th overall with 18 power play assists.
- Kyle Brodziak is tied for seventh with six game-winning goals.
- Wade Skolney is eighth with 206 penalty minutes.
- Dennis Bonvie is 18th with 177 penalty minutes.
- Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers is 13th with a 2.56 goals against average.
- Nolan Schaefer is tied 14th with a 2.57 goals against average.

POWER PLAY
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The Penguins currently have the second ranked power play in the American Hockey League, striking at a 21.2% rate (89 goals/420 attempts).
- The Penguins home power play is second in the league at 25.0% (55 goals/220 attempts).
- The Pens road power play ranks 11th at 17.0% (34 goals/200 attempts).

PENALTY KILL
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The Penguins rank tied for fifth overall with an 85.2% penalty kill rate (59 goals against/398 attempts).
- The Pens home penalty kill is 14th in the league at 83.4% (32 goals against/193 attempts).
- The Pens road penalty kill is third at 86.8% (27 goals against/205 attempts).

JAMES MAKES QUICK WORK
Connor James set a new team record for the fastest two goals by one player, when he scored a pair of goals just 13 seconds apart on Sunday, April 1 in Hershey.  James broke the former record of 21 seconds, set by Tomas Surovy on November 26, 2005 against the Binghamton Senators.

James also set the team mark for the fastest goal from the start of a game, when he scored just 15 seconds into the Pens’ 4-0 win against the Philadelphia Phantoms on March 21.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH
The Penguins posted eight goals against the Binghamton Senators on March 28, equaling the team mark for goals in a game.  The victory marked the ninth time in team history – and the second time this season - that the team has put eight goals on the scoresheet.

DATE                            OPPONENT                  SCORE
January 25, 2000           vs. Syracuse                 8-4
February 6, 2001            @ St. John’s                 8-6
January 13, 2002           vs. Milwaukee                8-5
February 4, 2005            vs. Hershey                   8-2
October 5, 2005             vs. Bridgeport                8-1
October 23, 2005           @ Bridgeport                 8-3
December 26, 2005        vs. Hershey                   8-1
January 6, 2007             vs. Hershey                   8-4
March 28, 2007              vs. Binghamton              8-1

The victory against the Senators also equaled the largest margin of victory in team history, while the Pens also tied the team marks for assists (15) and points (23) in a game.

SCHAEFER SHUTS THEM DOWN
Nolan Schaefer joined the Penguins at the trade deadline, coming to Wilkes-Barre with a 5-11-3 record to go along with a 2.93 goals against average and .894 save percentage.

Since landing with the Pens, Schaefer has posted an 8-3-0 record with a 1.98 goals against average, a .918 save percentage (22 goals agains/267 shots) and one shutout. 

Schaefer’s overall statistics now stand at 13-14-3, with a 2.57 goals against average and a .902 save percentage in 31 games with the Penguins, Hershey Bears and Worcester Sharks.

DUPONT MARCHES ALONG
The month of March was a good one for Micki DuPont.  Not only was he named the team’s 11th captain on March 2, but DuPont notched 14 points (7+7=14) in 15 games during the month – including three three-point games (2+1 on March 2 vs. Bridgeport; 2+1 on March 18 @ Albany; 2+1 on March 28 vs. Binghamton).  He also has two game-winning goals in that time, and has moved into second place among AHL defensemen with 44 points (16+28=44) and tied for first among blueliners with 16 goals.

BRODZIAK NEARING TEAM MARK FOR GWG
Kyle Brodziak is tied for sixth in the AHL with six game-winning goals.  That total is also the second-highest single season mark in team history.  Matt Hussey (2005-06) and Michel Ouellet (2003-04) each recorded seven game-winners in a single season.

RATCHUK A PLUS FOR PENS
Since arriving back in Wilkes-Barre, defenseman Peter Ratchuk has posted seven points (2+5=7) and a plus-6 rating in 14 games.  His positive rating is quite a change from where he was in Houston (minus-9) and from his first stint with the team.  Ratchuk finished last in the league during the 2001-02 season with a minus-32 mark.

During the past six games, Ratchuk has posted a plus-9 rating, including a plus-4 mark on March 25 in Philadelphia and a plus-3 rating on March 24 vs. Hartford.

SPURGEON’S SPURT
Rookie Tyler Spurgeon played the hero in the Penguins’ 2-1 overtime win against the Norfolk Admirals on March 23, setting up Micki DuPont’s game-tying goal with less than two minutes to play, and then netting the OT winner with 21 seconds left in the extra frame.

Spurgeon had his first multi-point night in the AHL when he chipped in with a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win against the Albany River Rats on March 18. 

In his past 10 games dating back to March 11, Spurgeon has 10 points (4+6=10) and a plus-8 rating.

FILLY HITS FIFTY
Jonathan Filewich notched two goals in the Penguins’ 4-2 win against the Philadelphia Phantoms on March 25, giving him a team-high 28 for the season.  That second goal was also Filewich’s 50th in a Penguins uniform (22 in 2005-06, 28 in 2006-07), tied for 10th on the team’s all-time list with Eric Christensen.

Filewich also scored on March 28 vs. Binghamton, giving him 29 goals for the season.  That total is the fifth-highest single season total in team history:

PLAYER                       # of GOALS       YEAR
Toby Petersen              31                     2002-03
Michel Ouellet               31                     2004-05
John Slaney                  30                     1999-00
Michel Ouellet               30                     2003-04
Jonathan Filewich       29                     2006-07

Filewich’s 11 power play goals this season are tied for the fourth-highest single-season total in team history:

PLAYER                       # of PPG           YEAR
Greg Crozier                  13                     2000-01
Michel Ouellet               12                     2003-04
Toby Petersen               12                     2002-03
Jonathan Filewich       11                     2006-07
Eric Christensen           11                     2005-06
Toby Petersen               11                     2000-01

PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY
Individual tickets for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins first round home playoff games will go on sale this Friday, April 6, beginning at noon.  Tickets will be available through the Wachovia Arena Box Office and at all TicketMaster locations.

Tickets for games A, B and C of the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs will be available, with pricing starting at just $17.00 per ticket.  Dates of first round games, as well as an opponent, will be released at a later date.

Additionally, first round playoff ticket packages are on sale now, and available by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367.

Group and individual tickets for all Penguins regular season home games are on sale now.  Individual tickets are available at all TicketMaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com, and at the Wachovia Arena Box Office.  Group tickets and other special offers are available through the Penguins Team Store, or by calling 570-208-7367.