The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came away with their fifth straight victory, shutting out the St. John's IceCaps, 3-0, at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Penguins goaltender Brad Thiessen stopped 26 shots for his third shutout of the year. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton struck early and often in the first period, running out to a 3-0 lead. Controlling the puck by the far post during a power play, Riley Holzapfel found Alex Grant pinching in from the point for a one-time shot past IceCaps goalie Eddie Pasquale at 2:32. Trevor Smith gathered the second assist on Grant's second goal of the season. Phillip Samuelsson also scored his second goal of the year, flinging a wrist shot from the blueline to the back the net to double Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 12:23. Late in the same period, Holzapfel added his 12th marker of the year, slapping home a Paul Thompson rebound at the near circle to make it a three-goal cushion with 2:19 to go. Both Thompson and Smith contributed two assists on the night, with Thompson's point streak extending to four games. Thiessen's shutout was the third in his last six starts. Pasquale was relieved after the first period by back-up goaltender Chris Carrozzi, who held the Penguins scoreless over the remaining forty minutes of hockey. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head north to battle the Rochester Americans on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7:05PM. Tune in on 102.3 The Mountain and AHLLive.com. Individual seats for all Penguins' home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, and by calling 800-745-3000. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton season ticket packages, including 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at 570-208-7367.
