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St. Jude’s Science Fair winners are announced

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Sinkhole partially swallows car outside Florida McDonald’s

<p>Things were looking up for Barry Goers last summer.</p><p>He had just finished his first full season in the AHL, notching 51 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and earned an invite to Pittsburgh&#8217;s training camp in September.</p><p>But a hip injury sidelined Goers before the season began, and surgery in November meant he would play his first game of the 2015-16 season until March 4.</p><p>&#8220;The whole world came crashing down for me when I had the surgery,&#8221; Goers said. &#8220;I need to make up for lost time.&#8221;</p><p>Goers,30, will get that chance after he signed a one-year AHL deal with the Penguins on Friday.</p><p>After being limited to 16 regular season games last season, Goers appeared in 10 playoff games, notching five assists. He knew he needed a good showing in the postseason in order to return to the Penguins for a fourth season.</p><p>&#8220;I felt I had a really good playoff run and I was hopeful that would help my cause,&#8221; Goers said.</p><p>Just as last summer was full of optimism for Goers, the same case could be made for this year. Goers is returning to the team where he&#8217;s spent most of his pro career, he&#8217;s happy to call Wilkes-Barre home and he&#8217;s getting married on July 31.</p><p>Having the security of a contract couldn&#8217;t have come at a better time for Goers.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a good feeling knowing we&#8217;re going back to Wilkes-Barre. My fiance and I love it there, and so does our dog,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The fans in Wilkes-Barre have always been really supportive of me and that means a lot to myself and my family.&#8221;</p><p>This year Goers will have plenty of competition on the blueline. Pittsburgh signed four defensemen to two-way contracts this summer and also re-signed veteran blueliner Steve Oleksy.</p><p>Goers, who was teammates with one of the new defensemen - Cameran Gaunce in Lake Erie, said he expected to have plenty of competition for playing time.</p><p>&#8220;Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup. They&#8217;re going to pull a lot of the top players in the league,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Anywhere you look there&#8217;s competition.&#8221;</p><p>During the last three seasons Goers has established himself as a reliable, speedy defenseman able to play against other teams&#8217; top lines.</p><p>He intends on showcasing that element again, but adding more to his game as well.</p><p>&#8220;I have some offensive upside that I&#8217;d like to show more of,&#8221; Goers said. &#8220;I know my base is strong defense, but I want to be more well-rounded with other aspects as well.&#8221;</p><p>Before training camp begins in September, Goers will spend the rest of his summer in Colorado making wedding plans and training with other players in the Denver area.</p><p>He&#8217;ll also squeeze in some time to re-charge mentally before hockey takes over.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important to reset mentally and my escape has been the mountains, which we have plenty of in Colorado,&#8221; Goers said. &#8220;But things are certainly a lot easier knowing I&#8217;m coming back to Wilkes-Barre.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre/Scranton re-signed defenseman Barry Goers to a one-year AHL deal on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Goers-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton re-signed defenseman Barry Goers to a one-year AHL deal on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Goers ready to make up for lost time