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WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are halfway through a six-game homestand and still searching for their first win in that stretch.The Springfield Thunderbirds scored goals 1:12 apart late in the second period, then strung together three more in 2:24 during the third period for a 6-3 American Hockey League victory Saturday night.The second-period combination erased a Penguins lead and put the Thunderbirds in front.The three-goal outburst in the third period broke the last tie and sent the Penguins into the late stages of a game against a division rival in a big hole for the second straight night.It also left the Penguins frustrated.Casey DeSmith broke his goalie stick, slamming it off the post after the last Springfield goal of the night with 5:44 remaining.The Penguins have just one point in the first three games of the homestand. That point came from getting through regulation tied with Springfield on New Year&#8217;s Eve before losing, 5-4, in a shootout.Springfield had passed the Penguins (17-14-3-2) for fourth place in the Atlantic Division standings Friday night, then moved three points in front of them by improving to 19-17-2-0.&#8220;You don&#8217;t want to lose two in a row,&#8221; Penguins coach Mike Vellucci said. &#8220;We need to get going here.&#8220; &#8230; We&#8217;re in for a battle. We&#8217;re in for a playoff fight, and if you don&#8217;t survive some of these stretches, you can be in trouble.&#8221;Extended homestands present the opportunity to thrive rather than just looking to survive.There are three more left to at least try to turn things back in the right direction.The Penguins play three more in four nights, with Charlotte coming in Wednesday. Hershey returns and Hartford follows next weekend.Cole Cassels was signed to a professional tryout agreement during the day Saturday and the 24-year-old veteran of 227 AHL games was placed right into the lineup at night.&#8220;He&#8217;s a veteran in the league,&#8221; Vellucci said. &#8220;That gives us some depth in the middle that I don&#8217;t think we had before.&#8221;The Penguins announced that they have signed Cassels for the remainder of the season.Cassels began the season in the ECHL where he had 10 points in eight games with the Utah Grizzlies, earning a shot with the AHL&#8217;s Belleville Senators where he had three goals and five assists in 24 games. The Hartford, Conn. native was a third-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013 National Hockey League Draft.Sam Miletic&#8217;s goal midway through the period gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead after one period. Miletic, who joined Adam Johnson in producing a goal and an assist for the Penguins, was selected as the game&#8217;s third star, but Vellucci said he missed assignments in the defensive zone on two of the Springfield goals.Johnson put the Penguins ahead 2-1 in the second.Jordy Bellerive tied the game for the time 3:24 into third when his shot went off the crossbar and hit Springfield players in front of the net. A check by Cassels appeared to aid in having one of the Thunderbirds knock the puck into the goal.NOTES: The game drew a crowd of 6,182 to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. &#8230; Owen Tippett was first star with a goal and three assists while Dryden Hunt was second star with two goals and an assist. Each scored during the last 7:34 of the game. &#8230; DeSmith was slated to join parent club Pittsburgh to serve as a backup for a game in Montreal Saturday night but was unable to make the trip because of a lost passport, the Penguins announced. Pittsburgh instead recalled Emil Larmi from ECHL Wheeling for the game.Springfield 6, Penguins 3Springfield`0`3`3 &#8212; 6Penguins`1`1`1 &#8212; 3First PerioB &#8212; 1, Penguins, Miletic 8 (Erkamps, Johnson), 10:57. Penalties &#8212; None.Second Period &#8212; 2, Springfield, Schemitsch 3 (Saarela, Tippett), 1:21; 3, Penguins, Johnson 4 (Miletic, Kim), 11:03; 4, Springfield, Hunt 5 (Thompson, Saarela), 18:19 (PP); 5, Springfield, Massie 2 (Tippett, Borgstrom) 19:31. Penalties &#8212; Berger, Penguins (slashing), 0:20; Heponiemi, Springfield (hooking), 0:52; Palve, Penguins (slashing), 5:52; Hunt, Springfield (roughing), 11:56; Angello, Penguins (slashing), 17:23.Third Period &#8212; 6, Penguins, Bellerive 3 (unassisted), 3:24; 7, Springfield, Tippett 14 (Hunt, Cross), 12:26; 8, Springfield, Abols 1 (Keeper, Lowry), 14:16; 9, Springfield, Hunt 6 (Keeper, Tippett), 14:50. Penalty &#8212; Palve, Penguins (interference), 8:54.Shots on Goal &#8212; Providence 6-17-7&#8212;30. Penguins 11-10-12&#8212;33.Power-play opportunities &#8212; Providence 1 of 4; Penguins 0 of 2.Goalies &#8212; Providence, Desrosiers 12-4-1 (33 shots-30 saves). Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, DeSmith 10-10-2 (30 shots-24 saves).A &#8212; 6,182.Referees &#8212; Furman South, Jesse Gour. Linesmen &#8212; Jud Ritter, Patrick Dapuzzo.<style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Tom RobinsonFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div>

WBS Penguins frustrated in 6-3 home loss to Springfield