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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were back to work Monday morning after a successful weekend with wins over Providence and the rival Hershey Bears.

Head coach Mike Sullivan’s club are in first place in the Eastern Division with a 16-2-0-0 record.

A key component of the Penguins’ hot start has been reigning AHL Goalie of the Year Matt Murray. Murray is third in the league in wins (10-2) and save percentage (0.937) and tied for second in shutouts (3).

As great as Murray has been this season, the Penguins have gotten another big boost in goal from 20-year-old backup Tristan Jarry.

Jarry, a second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013, is the only rookie goaltender in the AHL who hasn’t suffered a loss this season.

In last Saturday’s 3-2 home victory over Hershey, Jarry stop 25 of the 27 shots he faced and has 6-0-0-0 record on the year. He has 1.94 goals against average to go along with his .928 save percentage.

“I think the biggest thing for me is every time I go in net, I want to give the team a chance to win,” he said. “That’s my mind set going into every game, that’s my goal.”

Seeing a player like Murray operate on a daily basis has been beneficial for Jarry. There’s a healthy competition of course, but there’s also a mutual respect sparked by past interactions.

“Honestly we have a great relationship, we knew each other before coming here, so it’s good that way and easy to jump in together and be partners. We like to push each other in practice,” Jarry said. “One of the biggest things I’ve learned here is that you have to earn your spot and playing time. So in practice we like to battle and I think that helps us.”

Getting playing time is a challenge with someone like Murray on the roster, but Jarry said preparation is key no matter the circumstance.

“Honestly I’m going to prepare the same way I do if I’m playing or not playing,” he said. “I think that helps me throughout the season, that even if I’m not playing, I’m practicing and preparing for games like I’m playing in them. I think that helps me stay in game shape.”

A crucial part in Jarry’s early success in the Penguins organization could be traced back to late last season when the club decided to call him up for the team’s AHL playoff run.

“That was huge to me and it was a great pleasure to be a part of,” he said. “You get to be a part of the great playoff run they had last year and (being) there every day and (getting) to see the great work ethic they had in everything they do. So coming into this year you kind of know what to expect and what’s to come, so I think that really helped me.”

Sullivan praised Jarry’s resiliency after giving up a late game goal in the win over Hershey last week.

“He’s been solid, he’s made some timely saves for us, as has Murray, and we have a confidence level no matter which goalie is in net that we have a chance to win and that goalie is going to give us a chance to win,” Sullivan said. “The thing that impressed me most about Tristan was his last game against Hershey, I think that was his biggest challenge. That second goal was probably one he would admittedly would like to have had back. …

“The most important thing is how do you respond in that type of circumstance and I was really encouraged with his response. He didn’t get rattled, he just went back to playing the position the way he knows how to do. He stayed focused and he made a couple of big saves for us on our penalty kill when they pulled the goalie down the stretch that allowed us to get the win. I think that’s an indication of his maturity level as a young goalie and also his mental resolve and toughness.”

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By Ross Turetsky

For Times Leader

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