Walker Wins it for WBS in a Shootout, 6-5

Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Mustache or not, Geoff Walker is the hero tonight!
It took 65 minutes of hockey plus nine rounds of the shootout, but the Penguins managed to steal this game right from under the Hershey Bears in their rink tonight. Make that 9 straight wins now for WBS at the Giant Center.

It was Scott Munroe vs. Dany Sabourin in net. Peter Merth was added on a PTO and filled in for the injured Boris Valabik.  Ryan Schnell was again the healthy scratch.

The Bears lived on the power play tonight, scoring on all but one of their five power play chances tonight. The Pens meanwhile were just one for five tonight with the man advantage.

All seemed lost after Ryan Potulny's power play tally made it a 5-3 deficit for the Penguins. Then the failed 5-on-3 chance for the Penguins really seemed to make it appear improbable after Geoff Walker got the Penguins within a goal with about eight minutes to play.

But Nick Petersen finally got a bounce to go his way, banking one in off Sabourin with 1:53 to play and tying the game at five.  The Penguins dominated the overtime session - outshooting the Bears 7-0 - but the game would be decided in the shootout.

Bryan Lerg gave the Pens a 1-0 lead in the third round of the shootout, and Cody Eakin quickly tied it in the beginning of the fourth round. It wasn't until Geoff Walker stepped onto the ice at the end of the ninth round that the game would be ended. A great bounce back after being mauled by the Bears on home ice last night.

Eric Tangradi had a great night, scoring two goals with a team high six shots on net. He scored his 11 and 12th goals of the season tonight. Geoff Walker added a goal and an assist, while Alex Grant tallied two assists.

Scott Munroe also had a great game for the Penguins in the shootout stopping eight of nine shooters including the two leading scorers in the AHL - Kieth Aucoin and Chris Bourque - as well as Ryan Potulny, Kyle Greentree, and Jacob Micflikier. A very potent Bears forward group unable to do anything on the breakaways in the shootout.

0 comments:

Post a Comment