West rolls to win in senior girls volleyball match

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Alt-rockers Down to Six to release new EP at The Other Side in Wilkes-Barre

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Put the biscuit in the basket. It&#8217;s a slang phrase known to hockey players and fans that means putting the puck in the net.</p><p>This Thanksgiving season however, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights are taking that statement literally.</p><p>For the last two weeks, the North American Hockey League team, currently in its first season, has been helping to hand out meals at the temporary location of the Weinberg Regional Food Bank, which is run by the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO), inside the East End Center in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>It&#8217;s no secret that building a great team, whether it&#8217;s on the field, in the office or, in this case, on the ice, requires chemistry, time and going through experiences together. Knights&#8217; forward Matt Beranek believes helping the community is a great way to accomplish that goal.</p><p>&#8220;We all got here early,&#8221; Beranek said. &#8220;It gets us up out of bed and it&#8217;s a different environment than the rink. You get used to always being at the rink with the team, but it&#8217;s good to get out and help the community. Any kind of heart-warming experience like helping families that need it, especially around a special holiday like Thanksgiving, will definitely help the team.&#8221;</p><p>The officials at the food bank wasted little time putting the team to work. They&#8217;ve done everything from packing up food bags earlier in the week to helping people take their carts, filled with Thanksgiving favorites, to their cars.</p><p>Another Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward, Aiden Beck said the team is not out for recognition.</p><p>&#8220;We are just helping other people that need help,&#8221; Beck said. &#8220;The guys are all together right now and it just brings us closer together by doing a great thing for other people.&#8221;</p><p>The Weinberg Regional Food Bank has seen a lot of volunteers over the last week or so, and given the heavy workload for the nearly two-week operation, the larger the group the better.</p><p>&#8220;This is an activity that helps build teamwork,&#8221; said Executive Director of the Commission on Economic Opportunity, Gene Brady. &#8220;I think what these young people see are families in need, many times less fortunate, and as they get older, they will continue to volunteer and be involved in the community in positive ways.</p><p>&#8220;There is really tons of food that is given out because of the number of people that need it. There will be close to 7,000 people that will come through here in four days. It&#8217;s an effort that takes a lot of volunteers. &#8230; It&#8217;s really great that you see people from a variety of walks of life, but in particular, it&#8217;s great to see these young athletes are willing to give to the community. This is something that shows that the team is interested more in the whole community, than just sports.&#8221;</p><p>Although this is the franchise&#8217;s first year in the NAHL, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is not new to the idea of giving back.</p><p>The players have also worked with the Ronald McDonald House, helped clean up litter in the city of Scranton and are also taking part in the &#8220;Movember&#8221; program to help raise funds and awareness for men&#8217;s health.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a big deal to us,&#8221; Beranek said. &#8220;All the boys are on board and we love giving back to the community.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights players volunteered to help hand out Thanksgiving meals at the temporary distribution location of the Weinberg Region Food Bank over the last two weeks. Pictured in the photo (from left to right): defenseman Jake Rosenbaum, forward Zed Dietrich, forward Blake Busch, forward Carson Knop, defenseman Dmitry Zaitsev, forward Aiden Beck, forward Jimmy Elsner and forward Matt Beranek. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Wbs-Knights.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights players volunteered to help hand out Thanksgiving meals at the temporary distribution location of the Weinberg Region Food Bank over the last two weeks. Pictured in the photo (from left to right): defenseman Jake Rosenbaum, forward Zed Dietrich, forward Blake Busch, forward Carson Knop, defenseman Dmitry Zaitsev, forward Aiden Beck, forward Jimmy Elsner and forward Matt Beranek. </caption0><photoCredit0>Russ Hryvnak| Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Food-Bags.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Thousands of bags like these, along with a number of other food items, were handed out over the last two weeks at the temporary location of the Weinberg Regional Food Bank inside the East End Center in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Food-Bags.jpg</photo1><caption1>Thousands of bags like these, along with a number of other food items, were handed out over the last two weeks at the temporary location of the Weinberg Regional Food Bank inside the East End Center in Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Russ Hryvnak| Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_CEO-Food-Bank.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Like a well-oiled machine, the volunteers at the Weinberg Regional Food Bank Distribution Center filled up carts with Thanksgiving favorites which were then given out to those in need. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_CEO-Food-Bank.jpg</photo2><caption2>Like a well-oiled machine, the volunteers at the Weinberg Regional Food Bank Distribution Center filled up carts with Thanksgiving favorites which were then given out to those in need. </caption2><photoCredit2>Russ Hryvnak| Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_CEO-Food-Bank-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hundreds of bags of food were lined up and ready to go to families in need thanks to the Commission on Economic Opportunity. The meals were distributed from a temporary location in the East End Center in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_CEO-Food-Bank-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Hundreds of bags of food were lined up and ready to go to families in need thanks to the Commission on Economic Opportunity. The meals were distributed from a temporary location in the East End Center in Wilkes-Barre. </caption3><photoCredit3>Russ Hryvnak| Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Russell Hryvnak</p><p>rhryvnak@civitasmedia.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Russell Hryvnak at 570-991-6401 or on Twitter @TLRussHryvnak</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights score goal for charity