In a game that featured 19 power plays, Ben Street’s goal on the man-advantage with 6:02 remaining in regulation was the game-winning tally in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ 4-2 win over the Hershey Bears on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. With the victory, the Penguins built a four-point lead over the Bears for home-ice advantage in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
With the third period progressing in a 2-2 deadlock, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton headed to the power play after an interference call on Bears defense man Kevin Marshall. During the 5-on-4, Joey Mormina flung a shot toward the Hershey net that Street redirected into the top corner for his team-leading 27th marker of the season.
Nick Petersen added an empty-net power play goal with 15.7 seconds left to make the final score, 4-2.
The Penguins and Bears would combine for seven power plays in the first period and it was Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s fourth and final man-advantage of the frame that broke the scoreless tie.
Brandon DeFazio gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 2-0 cushion at 7:42 of the second, beating two Bears defenders to a puck down low and powering a backhand shot inside the left post for his 10th of the year.
Hershey quickly erased its deficit as Kyle Greentree scored twice in a span of 41 seconds. The Bears cut the Penguins’ lead in half when Greentree got a piece of Patrick McNeill’s slapshot to send it over the shoulder of Brad Thiessen at 10:20.
Thiessen would make 22 saves on the night to raise his record to 22-14-2. Sabourin suffered his third straight loss, turning aside 25-fo-28 shots.