NORFOLK, VA - Kurtis McLean figured in on all three Penguins goals, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton posted a 3-1 win against the Norfolk Admirals on Friday night.
The win upped the Penguins record to 24-13-0-2 (50 points, second place in the East Division), while Norfolk fell to 11-27-1-3 (26 points, seventh place in the East Division).
McLean kept up his torrid scoring pace by netting two goals and adding an assist in the win. The third-year center now has nine points (4+5) in six games since the start of the calendar year.
The Penguins controlled the opening frame, outshooting the Admirals 10-4, but neither team could find the back of the net until McLean slipped his 12th of the season behind Marc Denis at 2:44 of the second period.
Tim Brent extended the lead to 2-0 nearly 10 minutes later, slamming home a rebound off a McLean shot for his team-leading 35th point of the campaign.
Radek Smolenak notched his first of the season with 3:44 left in the game, snuffing out David Brown's shutout streak in the process. But Norfolk would come no closer, as McLean netted a power play goal with 1:28 to play to ice the win.
The victory was the Penguins third in the past four games, and gave the club seven points in that stretch. It also allowed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to pick up a point on the East Division leading Philadelphia Phantoms, who dropped a 2-1 shootout decision to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday.
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