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Boys cross country: Dallas’ Rome made an impact in WVC and beyond

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Weinberg NE Regional Food Bank helping federal employees hurt by shutdown

<p>An early start on Wednesday suited Teddy Blueger just fine.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton&#8217;s leading scorer picked up two goals to hit 20 on the season and even meshed right away with a new linemate in the Penguins&#8217; 5-2 win at Bridgeport.</p><p>A 10:30 a.m. puck drop on the road could have been reason for a sloppy showing for the Penguins, who are fighting at the edge of the playoff race in the Atlantic Division.</p><p>Blueger did his part, finishing with three points to give the team a second straight win after an important 2-1 overtime victory over Lehigh Valley earlier in the week. Both Bridgeport and Lehigh Valley are ahead of the Penguins in the standings, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (21-18-4-1) is in a logjam with the Phantoms, Providence and Springfield, who are all within two points of each other.</p><p>And it was a decisive showing on Wednesday, as the Penguins burst out to a 5-0 lead midway through the second period before settling things down for a scoreless third.</p><p>Blueger was the catalyst. He had a new face on his wing, as Joseph Blandisi made his debut with the squad after last week&#8217;s trade that brought him over from the Anaheim Ducks organization.</p><p>It didn&#8217;t take long for the line, with Anthony Angello on the other wing, to click.</p><p>Just 3:38 into the game, Blandisi corralled a Blueger rebound in the slot and whipped it past Sound Tigers goalie Christopher Gibson. It was just Blandisi&#8217;s second shift with his new squad after playing one game with Pittsburgh and the rest of the season in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls.</p><p>Blueger got in on the action himself later in the frame, beating Gibson far side off the rush for an unassisted marker.</p><p>Ryan Haggerty scored two goals himself in the matinee, including one early in the second period that got Gibson the quick hook at 3-0.</p><p>But backup Jeremy Smith didn&#8217;t fare much better to start, as Blueger picked up his second of the day a few minutes later on the power play.</p><p>Haggerty then scored just 11 seconds later on Smith to give the Penguins a 5-0 edge that would be more than enough for the win.</p><p>After Haggerty&#8217;s second tally, the Penguins had more goals than the Sound Tigers had shots (four).</p><p>That changed quickly, however, as Bridgeport gained a pulse in the following shifts.</p><p>Chris Casto and Tanner Fritz scored two quick goals before the midway point of the second period.</p><p>But the Penguins and Tristan Jarry shut the door from there, and the Sound Tigers hurt their own momentum by putting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on the power play seven times.</p><p>Jarry finished with 25 saves on 27 shots and also denied Jeff Kubiak on a first-period penalty shot when the lead was just 1-0.</p><p>Eight different skaters recorded a point for the Penguins, led by Blueger&#8217;s three and Haggerty&#8217;s two.</p><p>Ryan Scarfo, playing in his second month with the organization since coming over in a trade, recorded his first two assists in a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton uniform, picking up helpers on both of Haggerty&#8217;s goals.</p><p>The Penguins will look to make it a streak on Saturday when they go for their third straight win on a road trip to Binghamton. Puck drop will be at 7:05 p.m. for the Penguins&#8217; lone game of the weekend.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won&#8217;t have a home game until next month when Cleveland and Bridgeport come to Mohegan Sun Arena on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, respectively.</p><style>
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Blueger’s three-point showing powers Penguins past Bridgeport