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H.S. Football: Adrian Otero, Hazleton Area run wild in rout of Pittston Area

HS Football: Mountaineers take out undefeated Millionaires, 28-14

<p>With a lineup full of players likely to hit the ice for the Oct. 9 season opener, Friday&#8217;s preseason game against the Albany Devils gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan a firsthand look at what he has to work with.</p><p>And he had a lot to look at.</p><p>Sullivan got to see how young goaltender Tristan Jarry responded to pressure anchoring the penalty kill, saw the chemistry that developed with the top line of Conor Sheary-Scott Wilson-Kael Mouillierat and he got his first look at the new overtime format.</p><p>For the most part, Sullivan liked what he saw during the Penguins 2-1 overtime victory to improve to 2-0 on the preseason. Still, Sullivan also saw room for improvement.</p><p>&#8220;I thought it was a solid game from our standpoint. We did everything but score,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The power play struggled a bit, but we hadn&#8217;t had an opportunity to practice it either. We had one morning skate with these guys and that&#8217;s it, so under the circumstances I thought we played hard.&#8221;</p><p>The Sheary-Wilson-Mouillierat line was a strong point. They combined for a goal and 12 shots, and Sullivan said it seemed like they had the puck all night.</p><p>&#8220;I would&#8217;ve liked to have seen them get inside the dots a little bit more, but we&#8217;ll work on that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They&#8217;re obviously a talented group.&#8221;</p><p>Coming off a strong camp in Pittsburgh, Sheary got right back into the flow when he ripped a wrister past Albany goaltender Scott Wedgewood for a 1-0 lead in the second period.</p><p>The lead stood until the Penguins came up empty on a lengthy power play and Albany&#8217;s Joseph Blandisi used a screen to sneak a shot under Jarry&#8217;s arm midway through the third period to make it 1-1.</p><p>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t score and it tend to be a downer for the team,&#8221; Sullivan said. &#8220;It always gives the opponent a boost.&#8221;</p><p>After the Penguins killed off a Albany power play that carried over into overtime from the third period, Sheary and Mouillierat took advantage of the new three-on-three format.</p><p>After a turnover in the neutral zone. Mouillierat picked up the puck and raced in with Sheary on a two-on-one. Mouillierat looked like he was going to pass across to Sheary, but instead ripped a shot to the far corner to win it.</p><p>The new free agent acquisition said he liked his first taste of game action with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and his new linemates as well.</p><p>&#8220;We just all like to move with the puck and we seemed to know where each other is,&#8221; Mouillierat said. &#8220;They&#8217;re easy guys to play with, quick with high hockey sense.&#8221;</p><p>NOTEBOOK</p><p>- The Penguins continue their preseason three-in-three with a trip to Hershey on Saturday. Sullivan said Matt Murray will start in net.</p><p>- Sullivan got his first look at the new overtime format, aside from testing it out during the rookie tournament in London, and liked what he saw. &#8220;That&#8217;s going to be an exciting overtime. We did a little bit of it at the rookie tournament with the three-on-three, and I think it&#8217;s going to be great entertainment for the fans,&#8221; he said.</p><p>- Jarry stopped 19 of 20 shots on the night and while he saw few shots early on, Sullivan liked the way the young netminder responded when he was tested. Jarry said it was just nice to play a full game after appearing in a period-and-a-half with Pittsburgh.</p><p>- Tom Sestito, who was signed to a PTO before the game, skated a regular shift. Sullivan said the physical Sestito will play more this weekend and he has a plan for the veteran tough guy. &#8220;He&#8217;s at a little bit of a different stage of his career than some of the guys. Guys look up to him and he&#8217;s got an opportunity to influence the group in a positive way,&#8221; Sullivan said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to push him to work hard, help him get in the best shape of his life and give him an opportunity to get to the next level.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins left wing, Kael Mouillierat (21) breaks away from Albany Devils, Blake Coleman (50) at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL100315Pensgame2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins left wing, Kael Mouillierat (21) breaks away from Albany Devils, Blake Coleman (50) at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL100315Pensgame1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Albany Devils defenseman Matt Lorito (73) tries to break up a pass to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins left wing, Sahir Gill (17) at Mohegan Sun Arena Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL100315Pensgame1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Albany Devils defenseman Matt Lorito (73) tries to break up a pass to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins left wing, Sahir Gill (17) at Mohegan Sun Arena Friday night. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@civitasmedia.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Penguins keep rolling in preseason with 2-1 OT win over Albany Devils