PENGUINS TO TAKE ON PORTLAND IN EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

WILKES-BARRE, PA –  The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins secured a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night, by defeating the Philadelphia Phantoms by a score of 3-1at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza.  With the win, the Penguins claimed the East Division playoff crown in five games over their intrastate rivals.

The Penguins will take on the Portland Pirates, who posted a 5-4 win in Providence on Friday night to upset the Bruins in the Atlantic Division Final, four games to two.  Providence posted the top regular season record in the American Hockey League this season, while Portland finished third in the Atlantic Division.

The series, which will follow a 2-3-2 format, will open in Wilkes-Barre with Games One and Two slated for Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15.  The full Eastern Conference Finals schedule is listed below.

The Penguins posted a 1-1-0-0 record against Portland this season, dropping a 2-1 decision at the Cumberland County Civic Center on January 25 and downing the Pirates, 3-0, at home on February 8.

This will be the first time the Penguins have advanced to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs since the 2004 postseason, when the team defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack in seven games to advance to the Calder Cup Finals.

The complete first round schedule is:

Individual tickets for Games G and H are on sale now, and available through all TicketMaster locations, on line at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 693-4100, or through the Wachovia Arena Box Office.