WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins closed out November on a high note and are looking to freeze out the competition as we enter December. This past weekend, the Pens snagged key victories over Laval and Hershey, two of the best teams in the AHL.
"I thought the effort was outstanding. We kind of faced a little bit of adversity in game, some of it from our own doing, but again, we bounced back every time we faced it. I thought just start to finish the effort and the attitude from the guys who was outstanding," said Kirk MacDonald.
"For us to come out with two wins is awesome. It kind of proves to us that we belong up here. It's kind of just about chipping away and when we're feeling good, keeping it rolling. There's a lot of confidence in this room right now," said Dan Renouf.
Depth is a major part of the Penguins success, especially when it comes to putting pucks in the net.
"I think we have a great four lines and they can score, each of the guys. I think our pressure is really good right now so we can retrieve the pucks in their zone and get the quick goals from it, so that's a huge thing for us," said Filip Kral.
The Penguins are in second place just behind the reigning Calder cup champion Hershey Bears, their opponent on home ice Wednesday night.
The focus is always on the game at hand, and getting that W, but Coach MacDonald believes in the bigger picture with this team.
"You string some wins together all of a sudden, you're creating some separation within the division and maybe creating separation from the whole division. You want to get that bye in the first round of the playoffs, you kind of bank some points early in the year. It's really important," MacDonald said.
After this game with the Hershey Bears, the Penguins will be on home ice six more times through the rest of December.