LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Eighty regular season games later, and the Calder Cup Playoffs start off the same way the 2007-08 campaign did - with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins taking on the Hershey Bears. It only seems fitting.

The Penguins enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the AHL, having won 15 of their final 21 regular season games.

The Pens and Bears were pretty evenly matched during the regular season, with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton posting a 5-5-0-0 record in 10 meetings. Chris Minard (5+4=9) and Connor James (1+5=6) led the scoring attack for the Penguins, while Chris Bourque (5+10=15) and Boyd Gordon (4+5=9) paced the Bears on the scoresheet.

Of course, the Penguins will be looking for a little bit of revenge after the Bears knocked them out of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. In fact, the Penguins have not won a playoff game in Hershey since May 12, 2001, when they wrapped up the Western Conferene Finals with a four game sweep.

To get you ready for all the excitement, we've posted some historical facts and figures on line for you. Be sure to download the Penguins' Playoff Record Book, the team's All-Time Playoff Scoring stats, and the AHL's Divisional Playoff Previews.