It’s been a frustrating season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany.

A lower body injury during the NHL preseason delayed the start of his season, with St. Ivany rehabbing the injury on a conditioning loan in Wilkes-Barre that lasted from Nov.  26 to Dec. 6.

Upon returning to Pittsburgh, St. Ivany was getting into a rhythm at the NHL level with seven assists in 17 games before sustaining a broken hand in Vancouver on Jan. 25 – an injury that required surgery and an eight-week recovery timetable.

“You have to control what you can control. I mean, you can’t control injuries, but you can control your attitude and off the ice (work for) getting back,” St. Ivany said. “I feel like this time around, the first week or so is tough mentally, but I was ready to attack rehab, and I’m excited to get back to play.”

Being injured means being away from the team and staying home when they are on the road.

Ice time usually consists of skating first thing in the morning before the team’s practice, and while it can be challenging mentally to be disconnected from the team, St. Ivany credits his teammates and the organization’s staff for making him feel engrained throughout his time on the team’s injured list.

“Even though you may not be out there with them, everyone makes sure that you feel part of the team,” St. Ivany said, explaining he was still sitting in on team meetings and doing anything he could to keep himself mentally sharp and in tune with what the team is going through. “Yeah, it’s no fun just skating by yourself. But thankfully we have, development coaches there, a skating coach, a skills coach, there wasn’t a shortage of any sort of resources there for me to get better.”

St. Ivany is back with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on another AHL conditioning loan, aiming to repeat what he’s already done earlier this season in returning to form and getting back to the NHL.

Last time, St. Ivany made the most of his AHL conditioning loan. He recorded a point in all five games (one goal, four assists) he played, standing out in a positive way in all three zones of the ice.

All five of those games were played against a combination of Hershey and Lehigh Valley, which oddly enough sets the stage for St. Ivany’s return for this weekend’s three games against their in-state rivals.

“Last time I was here, played five games against Lehigh and Hershey in all five. So I’m definitely familiar with the teams and over the last however many years, I think I’ve played them 30 times each.” St. Ivany said. “We don’t like those teams in here, and they don’t like us. It’s just that rivalry, and it’s the best hockey you can play. I mean that’s kind of why you play the game for high intensity games like this.”

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Kirk MacDonald acknowledged the difficult season St. Ivany has had with injuries, but knows the player is as determined as one can be to return to game action and get back on track.

“These aren’t injuries for not being in good enough shape or what have you, like, he just plays so freaking hard,” MacDonald said. “He’s willing to eat pucks, and it just happens.”

St. Ivany’s arrival comes at a good time as defenseman Alex Alexeyev was called up to Pittsburgh Thursday and joined the NHL club in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, Matt Dumba has been away from the team with his availability to play in the immediate future uncertain. Dumba returned home to be with his wife as they entered the weekend soon awaiting the arrival of their first child.

“He’s been here all week practicing. He’s done a great job as he always does, with his habits and how he practices,” MacDonald said of St. Ivany. “He just fits right into the group. We’re looking forward to helping him get back up and running.”

Hershey 4, Penguins 2: The Bears scored three goals in a 5:37 span of the second period, and then held on to win Friday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (36-15-5-2) nearly staged an electrifying rally in the third period, but came up short. After pulling within striking distance, a handful of close scoring chances didn’t fall for the Penguins, leading to their fourth-straight loss.

Andrew Cristall, Sonny Milano and Ryan Chesley scored in the second-period outburst for the Bears.

Aidan McDonough’s shot to the short-side top corner two-and-a-half minutes into the third period cut the deficit to 3-1.

Then, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard scored on a power play at 8:43 of the third and the Bears lead was 3-2.

The Penguins proceeded to outshoot the Bears, 14-4, in the third period, but a tying goal never materialized.

An empty-netter by Bogdan Trineyev sealed the win.