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It is rare that I ever reference my real job here on the blog or anywhere in social media.

I’ll remember the following exchange with one of my supervisors for the rest of my life.

After losing last Wednesday, 2-1 in overtime and facing a potential sweep by the regular season champion Providence Bruins on Friday, he pokes his head into my office. Here’s how it went:

Him: “So how did the (Wilkes-Barre / Scranton)** Penguins do last night?”
Me: “Lost 2-1 in overtime, are down 0-3 in the series”
Him: “Don’t worry, it’ll just make coming back from down three games all the more sweeter.”

At first I laughed off his prophecy.

There’s a reason he has a corner office and I, a simple row one.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have made history tonight.

Never before in AHL history, with a team down 0-3 in a series, has a club rattled off four straight wins with the fourth and final one coming on the road.

It happened tonight.

The Penguins win this game 5-0 and are off to play the Syracuse Crunch for the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the Calder Cup Final.

While a tremendously historic feat, one that may not be accomplished for another 70+ years of AHL history, I am even keel as I sit and write this postgame blog recap.

Calder Cup or get out of my face. If the Penguins get dismissed by the Crunch next round or in the Cup Finals, the fact that the Penguins did what they did tonight will be nothing but a footnote to whoever it is that wins the Calder Cup this year.

Tom Grace had a quote on Brad Thiessen I shared on Twitter. It went like this:

Tom Grace on the play of Brad Thiessen: “He is not in the head of the Bruins, he is performing brain surgery.”

— Jason Iacona (@nafsnep) May 23, 2013

Thiessen’s numbers? .986 save percentage, 0.70 goals against. Two shutouts, 177 saves on 181 shots.

After falling behind three games to none, Wilkes-Barre outscored the Bruins 14-2 the rest of the way.

Something magical is brewing, pardon the obvious pun.

The Penguins did their damage in the second period of this game.

With the score tied 0-0 at the end of twenty minutes and the Penguins being outshot 11-5 by the Bruins, the Penguins opened the second period and quickly found themselves on a power play.

Chad Kolarik takes three shots at goaltender Niklas Svedberg. His initial offering is blocked, he side steps a defender, shoots, collects his own rebound and puts it past a fallen Svedberg for a 1-0 lead.

Later, the Penguins would score on three consecutive shots. The first being a Joey Mormina point shot through a crowd that Warren Peters gets a stick on for a 2-0 lead. Then Adam Payerl snaps a drop pass home for a 3-0 Penguins lead. Prior to this, a Chris Collins centering bid by Brian Gibbons almost made it 3-0 but the Penguins were on the come regardless. Then Dominik Uher, in for Dylan Reese and making his series debut, chips a puck out of the defensive zone and up ice. He dumps it deep, centers to Payerl who drops to Zach Sill who makes it 4-0 Penguins.

At this point the rout was on.

Providence would come out in the third with Michael Hutchinson in goal but it would not matter. The Pens would drop back into full on prevent defense. To the Bruins credit, they threw everything they had at Thiessen, but could not get one past him. Trevor Smith scores late on a drop pass by Chad Kolarik to make it 5-0 to ice it.

Mentioned on radio that Head Coach John Hynes broke down every single shift (emphasis added) from Game 6. Adjustments were made and there is the result.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals open Saturday in Syracuse.

Content wise, the preview for that series will be up Friday at noon.

The schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals looks like this:

Eastern Conference Finals – Series “M” (best-of-7)
3-Syracuse Crunch vs. 5-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Game 1 – Sat., May 25 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 2 – Sun., May 26 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 29 – Syracuse at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Game 4 – Fri., May 31 – Syracuse at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sat., June 1 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 6 – Mon., June 3 – Syracuse at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 7 – Wed., June 5 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00

*if necessary… All times Eastern

I wanted Norfolk last year. That did not happen obviously with the defeat in Game 7 last year to the St. John’s IceCaps, who were swept by the Admirals and went on to win the Calder Cup. That Admirals team reincarnated into this years Syracuse Crunch team who won the East Division and have not lost in the postseason yet this year. I finally have what I wished for last year standing right in front of me, eye to eye.

We have a few days to break it all down. Celebrate the history tonight. We have more games to win.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

** – he used that word I detest.

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The best play in this game came from someone on the ice that was not a player.

With 5:23 left in the third period of what was a 3-0 Penguins lead, Providence forward Graham Mink decides it is time to tackle and start punching goaltender Brad Thiessen. Naturally, a line brawl ensues. Mink continues his assault on a defenseless Thiessen, when referee Trevor Hanson jumps in and tackles Mink to diffuse the situation any higher than it already had.

The end result for Mink, and ultimately the Providence Bruins, was a 4-0 shutout by the hands of Brad Thiessen and the now resurgent Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

Game 6 is Monday night in Providence.

Brad Thiessen vs. Niklas Svedberg. No lineup changes for the Penguins this night.

First Period: Can best be summed up by saying that it looked like Providence wanted to send this to a Game 6 more than the Penguins did. Brian Dumoulin cashed on a rebound of a Brian Gibbons shot to make it 1-0. Then the Pens nearly score again on another rush by Warren Peters. Christian Hanson and Joey Mormina have been going at it all series. Mormina wanted Hanson to fight in Game 5, Hanson wanted no part. Hanson wanted Mormina to fight in Game 6 and gave Joey no choice as Hanson dropped his gloves and started punching Mormina. What became of this for  the Bruins was a Pens 5×3 power play. Trevor Smith scores in the slot after a P-Bruin lost his stick to make it 2-0 Pens. Wheels officially off the bus at that point for Providence, who took four straight penalties to open the game.

Second Period: Things tightened up for the P-Bruins. Not before Bobby Robins gets assessed a 5:00 boarding major. Two big penalty kills late by the Pens to preserve the 2-0 lead heading into the….

Third Period: Adam Payerl scores a goal on a slapshot that plum beat Svedberg. I thought at the time it was a big goal because you almost could feel a Providence goal coming. Thiessen was on his head making saves in scrambles. Pens with another big kill a Peter Merth delay of game call.

Then the gong show happened. Graham Mink falls on Thiessen after a crash play. It takes him a long time, or longer than usual time to get off of Thiessen and back on his feet. This incites the Penguins, Alex Grant  especially. The ensuing faceoff, Thiessen makes another save and all hell breaks loose with Mink on top of Thiessen punching him. Referee Trevor Hanson jumps in, and stops it and things separate. This is what was left of the carnage:

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Thiessen would be fine. Later, the Pens find themselves on a 5-on-3. They score on a Paul Thompson shot. Goalie Nik Svedberg takes exception and two hand slashes Thompson. The same thing nearly breaks out without any punches thrown at Svedberg though. Thiessen makes a pad stop with just about ten seconds left to preserve the shutout and the game ended.

Three Stars: 3) Riley Holzapfel (two assists, +2) 2) Brian Dumoulin (game winning goal, two assists, +1) and 1) Brad Thiessen (30 save shutout)

From the League’s PR, Thiessen has stopped 97 or 100 for a 0.82 GAA and a .970 SV%.

Here are the full highlights of the game from the Pens YouTube page:

So the series will see a sixth game. The Penguins will need to play like the P-Bruins are on the brink of elimination I think in order to get this to seven on Wednesday.

If anything breaks Sunday as far as suspensions go, I will have an update first on Twitter. Then here on the blog.

If not, see you Monday.

Let’s Go Pens! All In!!!