GOVE GIVES PENS OT WIN

HERSHEY, PA - Dave Gove's goal with 3:07 gone in overtime capped the comeback, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins posted a 4-3 victory against the Hershey Bears Sunday evening at the Giant Center

It didn't come easy, though. Andrew Gordon and Kyle Wilson tallied first period goals to give the Bears an early lead, and Sami Lipisto notched his fourth of the season six minutes after Jonathan Filewich got the Penguins on the board early in the second period.

"We fell behind early, but in this locker room, we're confident that we can come back any time," said Gove. "Tonight was no different."

After the slow start, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton turned it on in the second, outshooting their hosts 18-5. One of those shots was courtesy of Tim Brent, who picked up a pair of roughing penalties in what was a chippy game. Brent's 18th of the season at 13:36 pulled the Penguins to within one goal before the middle frame was out.

Chris Minard then pulled the Pens back even with the Bears, swatting at a puck in the slot that seemed to flutter over Cassivi's blocker early in the third period. The goal was Minard's team-leading 25th of the campaign.

The winning goal came off of a backhander by Gove, about four feet to the left of Cassivi.

"I saw [Jonathan Filewich] go up the [left] wall there, and I knew he didn't have much, just threw it to the net," Gove said of the play. "So I just took off, went right to the net. He made a great shot, it was right there and I tried to get good wood on it.

"It was a tough shot for [Cassivi] to handle. I just beat their D-man to the net, and the puck was laying there. I had to bury it."

With the win, the Penguins upped their record to 46-26-1-4 on the year, and kept pace with the Philadelphia Phantoms for first in the East Division. Both teams have 97 points after wins on Sunday, with the Penguins holding the first tie-breaker, 46 wins to 45.

"Right now I think our goal in this locker room is to win the division," said Gove. "Wherever we end up in the playoffs, Hershey or Albany, we can't worry about that. We just have to worry about our goal, which is winning the division."

NOTES: The victory was also the Pens' 24th of the year away from home, establishing a new team record for road wins in a season...With the win, the Penguins assured themselves of a first or second place finish in the East Division. Third place Albany sits six points behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (97 to 91) with three games to play, but can only get a possible 45 wins on the season. The Penguins already have 46...The Bears honored Dennis Bonvie prior to the game with an on-ice ceremony and video tribute. Bonvie played parts of two seasons in Hershey (2003-2005), recording 27 points (7+20) and 511 penalty minutes in 106 games.