Beware the Penguins

Earl Jackson, Franchise Savior? No one sane ever thought those words would ever be uttered... but yet, there in proof - the Pittsburgh Junior squad has been on a roll.

The team continued its winning efforts against the Providence Bruins, winning 3-2 at home in an overall vanilla game, with the difference ebing as usual for Providence - special teams. There, Pittsburgh claimed the edge, going one-for-five on the power play and killing the Bruins' only power play attempt.

Brett Nowak struck first, beating Brian Finley gloveside at 11:57 of the first period for his thirteenth goal of the year. A minute later, Colton Orr was spending private time in the Big Box for charging. Fifty seconds into the power play, Kurt Sauer sprawled out Jordan Sigalet as he attacked the net for the power play goal, tying the game at one.

A pair of high sticking and charging calls for both teams was the tone of the second period. This time, Pittsburgh struck first, as Sven Helfenstein scored at 06:32 of the period to put the home club up by a goal.

Both teams skated around in circles, occassionally firing the puck in the direction of the net, until with only five seconds left, Jake Taylor skipped a pass to Jiri Jakes in front of the net. Jakes rediverted the pass with a wrist flick, stunning Finley with the simplicity of the play as the red light spun and the period came to a close, tied at two-all.

In the third period, the Penguins just wanted it more. They spent twice as long in the Bruins zone, taking more than twice as many shots (fourteen to six). With that sort of advantage, one had to stick, and Dustin Brown was the lucky one who got to go home the hero. At 05:37 of the period, he scored the game winner, his twenty-first of the year, to give the home club a 3-2 lead it would not relinquish.

Ten thousand fans went home happy and cheered as Brian Finley claimed the top game star and his seventeenth win (17-27-4, 24 saves on 26 shots). Andrej Meszaros (0-1-1, +1) and Jiri Jakes (1-0-1, +1) claimed the second and third stars for the visitors, who head home to Providence to host the Junior Carolina Tropical Storms.