T-Birds Go For Home Season Sweep of Penguins

Springfield, MA- The Springfield Thunderbirds (27-30-9-2) will look to complete a home sweep of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (46-18-3-0) on Friday at the MassMutual Center for a 7:05 p.m. ET puck drop on Pucks N' Paws night.

The Thunderbirds have dropped four straight games, but they have defeated the Penguins in three of the clubs' five matchups so far this season. Springfield is 3-0-0-0 against the Penguins inside the confines of the MassMutual Center. The Thunderbirds scored a 2-1 overtime victory on Oct. 29 thanks to a breakaway goal by Chase Balisy. 

Springfield followed that up with another closely contested 2-1 win on Feb. 18, thanks to Reto Berra's 34 saves. Jared McCann and Juho Lammikko provided the goals for the Thunderbirds. David Warsofsky picked up Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's lone goal on a third period power play.

The Penguins enter Friday's action with a magic number of five to reach the playoffs. They sit atop the AHL standings with 46 wins and 95 points on the season. The newest weapon in the Penguins' attack is Hobey Baker Award finalist Zach Aston-Reese, who signed with the Penguins after completing his NCAA career at Northeastern. He has recorded two goals and four assists over his first four AHL games.

Tristan Jarry has anchored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from the back end. The goaltender has won 27 games, good for a tie for second in the AHL in that category. His 2.19 goals against average is sixth-best in the league in 2016-17. Jarry holds a 2-1-1 record against the Thunderbirds this season, allowing just eight goals in those four games.

The Thunderbirds have another new tandem manning their net, as Colin Stevens received his first AHL call-up from the Manchester Monarchs. The former national champion at Union will join Sam Brittain as Springfield netminders heading into action this weekend, following the call-up of Adam Wilcox to the Florida Panthers.

Tonight's game marks the first-ever Pucks N' Paws night at the MassMutual Center, presented by Braman Termite and Pest Elimination & Dave's Soda and Pet City. Fans interested in bringing their dogs out are advised to check www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com for information regarding guidelines for dog owners and dogs. 

The Thunderbirds are back on MassMutual Center for Boomer's Bash/Bobblehead Night on Saturday, April 1. Limited quantities of Boomer Bobbleheads are available, compliments of Stop & Shop. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. ET. 

Interested in being part of the next era of AHL hockey in Springfield? Springfield Thunderbirds 2017-18 Ticket Memberships start as low as $12 per game and feature the most exclusive benefits, including a commemorative jersey and brand new Collectors Mug. For more information, fans may call the Thunderbirds ticket office at (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.