WILKES-BARRE, PA – Michael Latta scored again in his second game with the Binghamton Devils, however, it was the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coming away with a 4-3 overtime victory on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Penguins took the lead in the opening period after Adam Johnson beat out an icing call. Johnson scooped the puck up behind the net and fed Teddy Blueger who beat Ken Appleby in net for the lead on his seventh of the year at 4:19.
Jarrett Burton added to the lead on a deflection in front of the net for a 2-0 lead. Kevin Czuczman sent a shot on net from the point and Burton got a stick on it for his second goal of the year. Assists were credited to Czuczman and Andrey Pedan at 8:20 of the first period.
The Devils stormed back to score three-straight goals and take a one-goal lead. The scoring started on the power play as John Quenneville ripped a shot over the glove of goaltender Michael Leighton for his sixth of the year to split the Penguins’ lead in half, 2-1. Assists on Quenneville’s power-play goal were given to Jacob MacDonald and Nick Lappin at 12:37 of the first period.
Nick Lappin scored his team-leading 13th goal of the year to tie the game. Kevin Rooney ad Ben Thomson worked the puck in down low behind the net of Leighton as Lappin stayed to the left of the crease. The puck came to Lappin and he beat Leighton on his blocker side to tie the game at two goals with 4:29 left in the first period.
As Nick Lappin sat in the penalty box late in the first period, the Devils scored shorthanded to take a 3-2 lead into the first intermission. Latta started a rush through the neutral zone with Tim Kennedy and after a give-and-go between the two, Latta sent the puck just under the cross bar for the lead. The goal was Latta’s fourth of the year and second in as many games for the one-goal lead after 20 minutes with assists were credited to Kennedy and Brian Strait. After no scoring in the second period, the Devils held a 3-2 lead to start the third period with the shots even at 23.
The Penguins received a great bounce to tie the game in the third period. From below the goal line, the puck went 15 feet up in the air, off the back of Appleby, and in to tie the game at three. The goal was credited to Burton for his second of the night and third of the year at the 7:15 mark. Burton’s tally eventually forced overtime with both teams collecting a point in a 3-3 game.
In the extra time, after killing off a penalty, Blueger scored his second of the night and eighth of the year for the win off a pass from Jean-Sebastian Dea. The only assist was given to Dea and the Penguins came away with the extra point and the 4-3 victory. Appleby stopped 31 of 35 in the loss and Leighton denied 28 of 31 for the victory.+
