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Birthday Tea held at Gate of Heaven Church

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Corpus Christi Parish hosting big prize bingo

<p>Three games in three days doesn&#8217;t seem like much compared to how the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins wrap up the month of October.</p><p>Since Oct. 21, when the Penguins played the first game of a three-in-three set that weekend, they will have played six games in 10 days by the end of the month. After Wednesday&#8217;s home win over Albany, the Penguins practiced on Thursday and Friday before they&#8217;ll play in Springfield on Saturday and then return home for a 3 p.m. game on Sunday.</p><p>It&#8217;s a big transition from how the Penguins opened the season, playing just one game over the first six days.</p><p>Head coach Clark Donatelli said his team doesn&#8217;t mind a flurry of games after playing sparingly at the beginning of the season.</p><p>Besides, what better time to have a busy schedule than at the beginning of the season when most of the players are healthy.</p><p>&#8220;I like it,&#8221; defenseman Cameron Gaunce said. &#8220;That first weekend we had one game then a break. I like the fact that we&#8217;re now hitting the ground running. This is the time of year when guys are coming off camp and that&#8217;s when they&#8217;re usually the healthiest. We want to take advantage of that.&#8221;</p><p>The Penguins play their second game on the road on Saturday against a Springfield team that has given them their only loss this season &#8212; a 1-0 defeat on Oct. 21.</p><p>Since then, the Penguins have reeled off three wins and have held opponents to just one goal in four straight games.</p><p>Clearly, the defense and goaltending have quickly evolved as strengths for the Penguins, even after losing blueliner David Warsofsky to Pittsburgh.</p><p>&#8220;We have depth,&#8221; said Gaunce, adding that the defense still has a lot to prove. &#8220;I definitely think we can get better. But every time we hold a team to a goal, it solidifies within ourselves our belief in the system we have here.&#8221;</p><p>After Saturday&#8217;s contest, the Penguins will make a quick turnaround to face Syracuse at home for a 3 p.m. Sunday game.</p><p>Donatelli said his players have to be in the right mindset to not let the quick turnaround be a factor.</p><p>Gaunce said the time or frequency of the games are irrelevant to him.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m fine with it. There are going to be times in the year where your schedule isn&#8217;t the most optimal, but that&#8217;s hockey,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If someone, a fan or scout, comes to watch you play, they&#8217;re not going to care what your excuse is. All that matters is the product you put on the ice.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Veterans Day special</strong></p><p>In recognition of Veterans Day, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are teaming up with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Veterans Multicare Alliance (NEPA VMA) to help raise funds for the local non-profit agency.</p><p>Fans can purchase a special package for the Penguins&#8217; game on Saturday, Nov. 12 against the Providence Bruins through an offer that includes a ticket to the contest, a hot dog, chips and a soda, all starting at just $19.25. Plus, for each package sold, the Penguins will donate $4 back to the NEPA VMA.</p><p>The NEPA VMA is a non-profit all volunteer service organization of veterans dedicated to helping veterans and their families navigate through government and community based provider systems to obtain information, benefits, and services. They assist clients to develop a unique plan to meet individual and family needs, and work in collaboration with other community based service providers to help meet those objectives.</p><p>NEPA VMA provides free consultations to veterans and their family members, which include a comprehensive overview of support, benefits, and assistance in a variety of areas, including health care, education, employment, housing, and day-to-day living.</p><p>For more information, contact the Penguins at 570-208-5415, or e-mail Jon Sarka at jsarka@wbspenguins.com.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Up next&#8230;</strong></p><p>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (4-1-0-0, 8 points, 1st place in the Atlantic Division) at Springfield Thunderbirds (3-1-0-0, 6 points, 2nd place in the Atlantic Division)</p><p>Saturday, 7:05 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA</p><p><strong>Players to watch</strong></p><p><strong>Springfield</strong> &#8212; Rookie Dryden Hunt has three goals in four games.</p><p><strong>Penguins</strong> &#8212; Carter Rowney looks to get on track after recording one goal in his first five games.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins travel to Springfield to avenge loss