Zach Sill scores late as Penguins stave off elimination against IceCaps

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Zach Sill scored a tie-breaking goal with 15.8 seconds left in the third period to help the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins stave off elimination with a 4-2 victory over the St. John's Ice Caps in Game 5 of the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference finals Saturday night.

The IceCaps lead the series 3-2. Game 6 will be played Tuesday in St. John's, N.L.

Chuck Kobasew had a pair of goals for the Penguins while Spencer Machacek also scored. Will O'Neill meanwhile had a goal and an assist for the second straight game for the IceCaps, who also got a single from Patrice Cormier.

With the score tied 2-2 in the final minute, Tom Kostopoulos threw a puck into the crease from the right-wing corner. Harry Zolnierczyk kept it alive at the near post and Sill took a shot that banked off the far post, off the skate of goalie Michael Hutchinson and in.

Kobasew added an empty netter with 6.1 seconds left. He also tied the score 2-2 with 7:30 left in regulation, finishing off a cross-ice pass from Andrew Ebbett at the right faceoff dot.

Kobasew, who missed the last two games, and Ebbett, who missed the last 11, were making their return from injury for the Penguins.

O'Neill scored on a 5-on-3 power play to give St. John's a 1-0 lead with 7:33 left in the first period, hitting the top-left corner of the net from the high slot.

The Penguins outshot the IceCaps 8-3 in the first half of the second period and tied the score when Machacek scored on a 3-on-1 break off a scramble in the neutral zone at 3:49.

St. John's retook the lead on their second power-play goal of the game with 5:55 left in the period. Cormier tipped in an O'Neill shot from the blue-line to make it 2-1.