HERSHEY — Defenseman Cameron Schilling has been around goaltender and teammate Braden Holtby for a few short months, but playing in front of him gives him the best perspective.

"Braden's just consistent game in and game out," Schilling said. "Even if he gives up a couple of goals, they're not usually easy goals. They are goals he can't control. He's been so consistent that he gives us a chance every night."

Holtby made 33 saves in posting his fourth shutout of the season and third in the last four games Wednesday night to lead the Bears to a 2-0 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Giant Center.

Holtby has given up just five goals in his last six games and has helped the Bears to a 5-1 record against the Penguins by picking up three of the wins.

Hershey got a goal off a Penguins turnover just 3:36 into the game and held that one-goal edge until Jeff Taffe scored into an empty Penguins net in the final minute of regulation.

The Bears thwarted all six Wilkes-Barre power plays with Holtby getting a big assist from his defensemen, who rarely allowed the Penguins a second shot after he made the initial save.

"That was huge," Holtby said. "That's been a big part of our success lately. We're battling in front of the net and guys seem to be in the right position, which isn't easy to do."

The victory pushed the Bears into sole possession of third place in the AHL's East Division, two points ahead of the Penguins. Hershey has won six of its last nine games.

The Bears won despite managing only eight shots over the final two periods. That makes protecting a one-goal lead even more difficult.

"It wasn't our best effort," Hershey coach Mark French said. "But we got a good goaltending effort."

The Bears took a 1-0 lead early in the first. On a passive forecheck by Garrett Mitchell and Ryan Potulny, Mitchell got his stick on an outlet pass from Penguins defenseman Brian Strait. The deflected puck ricocheted to Potulny but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goalie Jeff Zatkoff (18 saves) slid out to make the save on Potulny's point-blank shot.

Zatkoff, however, couldn't control the rebound and Mitchell whacked the puck into the net.

Holtby and the Bears killed off a pair of Penguins power plays in the period. While Wilkes-Barre/Scranton failed to register a shot on the first man-advantage, Holtby had to make three saves on the second power play. He turned aside 13 Penguins shots in the first.

Hershey continued its pattern of slow starts to begin the second period, but only on the offensive end. Defensively, the Bears held the Penguins at bay thanks in large part to Holtby's play.

The goaltender flashed out his left leg pad early in the second to thwart Robert Bortuzzo's rebound shot and held his ground when Brian Dumoulin cut to the net from the right wing a few minutes later.

Hershey, however, was putting little pressure on Zatkoff in the second. In fact, the Bears failed to register a shot on goal until 3:12 remained in the period, with that shot coming on the power play. Hershey had just three shots in the period.

The Bears had a power play negated late in the second when Boyd Kane objected too vociferously to the officials' misreading of a puck that went over the glass, which would have resulted in a Hershey 5-on-3 power play. The puck was deflected, preventing a penalty from being assessed.

The teams played 4-on-4 as a result but neither team produced a scoring chance.

Hershey continued to hang on to the one-goal lead through most of the third period, Holtby preserving the narrow lead with saves on Brian Gibbons and Trevor Smith.

The Penguins came closest to scoring in the game's final two minutes. Smith got a stretch pass at the Hershey blue line and curled around the back of the net for a wraparound shot. Just as he got to the post, Potulny got there, too, deflecting his shot.

"I figured (Smith) was going to try and stuff it," Potulny said. "I just tried to help Holtsy out the best I could. But I think (Holtby) had his leg there anyway."

The Penguins pulled Zatkoff in the final minute to get an extra skater on the ice, but Taffe intercepted a pass from Pens defenseman Alex Grant and slapped the puck into the empty net with 48 seconds to play in the period.

Finally, Holtby had a little breathing room.
Notes: The Bears and Penguins are right back at it tonight, this time in Wilkes-Barre. Opening faceoff is at 7 p.m. ... Taffe's goal, his seventh of the season, gave him a team-leading 30 points for the season.