BRENT SCORES 12 SECONDS INTO OT TO LIFT PENS OVER BEARS

WILKES-BARRE, PA - Tim Brent scored 12 seconds into overtime, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins posted a 3-2 win against the Hershey Bears on Wednesday night at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza.

The win raised the home club's record to 31-20-0-3, and moved the Penguins one point ahead of Hershey (29-18-1-5) in the East Division standings.

"It's obviously a big win for us, but the difference of the game was Mr. Fleury," said head coach Todd Richards. "Especially for the middle period. We weren't good at all. But we found a way to win. He made some key saves in the third, and we scored first shift of overtime."

That goal from Brent proved to be the difference in the end, but the game could have just as easily ended with Hershey on the plus side.

Midway through the second period, a possible Hershey goal was waved off after the goal judge and referee conferred, saying that the blistering shot never crossed the goal line, and instead bounced off the cross bar.

"I have to look at the replays of that, from where I was standing it was tough to see," said Richards. "But they outchanced us, they outskated us. The only difference was twe got credit for three goals in the game."

The game was more than likely the final home contest of Fleury's rehab stint with the AHL Penguins, during which he has gone 3-1-0 with a 1.51 goals against average and .951 save percentage.

"I think I've had a couple of good games, a couple of good wins for the guys here, and I'm looking forward to get back to Pittsburgh," Fleury said.

The Penguins jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Jonathan Filewich picked up a loose puck in the slot, then spun and beat Daren Machesney for his eighth tally of the year at 1:23.

Hershey mounted a blistering attack in the second, and finally solved Fleury when Kyle Wilson picked the far corner during a two on one 13:44 into the middle stanza.

Slightly more than a minute later came the no-goal call from referee Dean Morton, which gave the home crowd some life. Dave Gove fed off that, netting his 13th of the season (fifth with the Penguins) with a slap shot off the right wing with 1:40 to go in the second.

Eric Fehr knotted the game with a power play goal, just as a five-on-three advantage ended for Hershey at 9:06 of the third.

Brent's 12th of the campaign boosted his point total to a team-best 41 on the year, and gave the Pens a much needed win against a divisional rival.

The Penguins are off until Saturday night, when they will take on the Syracuse Crunch in New York. They'll get another crack at the Bears on Sunday afternoon at the Giant Center.

NOTES: Fleury's win was the 39th of his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton career, moving him past Dany Sabourin for second place on the team's all-time wins list (Sebastien Caron leads with 48).