Chirps from Center Ice
A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins
Category Archives: WBS
Tuesday Buffer
On the eve of game seven tomorrow night in Providence, here are a couple of stories for you to check out:
First, check out Jonathan Bombulie’s post game blog recap from last night. He used the adjective “unbelievable” regarding the performance of Brad Thiessen and meant it.
Mark Divver from The Providence Journal sets up tomorrow’s series finale between these two clubs.
edit: Literally as soon as I hit “publish” on this post, Jonathan did the same for his look ahead at tomorrow. Here it is.
Peeking ahead, here is the potential schedule for the Eastern Conference Final. And that’s all I have to say about that.
The Gameday setup for tomorrow’s Game 7 will be up here on the blog Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Let’s Go Pens!
Stretching it to Seven – Pens WIN 2-1 (OT) (series tied 3-3)
vs. 
1 2
-
The odds were against us.
Providence is the regular season champion.
They won 50 games this season. Fifty. They only play 76.
They lost 9 games at home this season. Nine. Some teams lose nine in a month, they lost nine all season.
The shot disparity tonight was 47-18 Providence tonight. Since the five minute mark of the second period, 37-8 Providence.
I said in the Gameday setup that the Penguins needed to treat this game like Providence was on the brink of elimination. Sometimes the blind squirrel that I am finds a nut every now and again. The Penguins, led by none other than Brad Thiessen, shut the door on the P-Bruins advancing tonight and have done something only four teams in AHL history have ever accomplished and win tonight 2-1 in overtime.
Game 7 is Wednesday.
Brad Thiessen vs. Nik Svedberg. Dylan Reese was back for the Pens on the blueline as the seventh defenseman. Wilkes-Barre dressed the dreaded 11 forwards, 7 defenseman lineup tonight. Scratches were Cody Wild, Dom Uher, Steve MacIntre and Bobby Farnham who was injured in Game 6 with an upper body injury and was not on the trip.
First Period: Great opening jump by the Pens. Then Providence made their push. Jamie Tardif had a wraparound attempt that was labeled for the back of the net but somehow Thiessen got his pad over and denied the shot. Pens would continue to turnover the puck and have difficulty exiting the zone. Somehow, the period broke with no goal scored. Pens were sharp in the opening half, Providence sharper and Thiessen sharpest in the period.
Second Period: Pens would have to kill off a carryover penalty from the first. They do, but on a line change forget about the P-Bruins on the ice with the puck. It would set up to be a three on none on Thiessen and Craig Cunningham would finish it off to put the P-Bruins on the board first. Pens would get a power play, not score. It looked really bad. Pens find themselves all of a sudden in a 5-on-3 situation and Brian Dumoulin would pick a corner and tie the game.
Providence would tighten up and really start to roll the Pens. Wilkes-Barre would be badly, badly, outplayed. Thiessen made miraculous save after miraculous save.
Third Period: Providence throws everything but the kitchen sink at Thiessen. But he literally kept the season alive for the Penguins. He had a huge save on another wraparound bid. Shots this period were 20-2 Providence.
Overtime: Shots were 3-0 Pens in overtime. Then Trevor Smith did this:
-
Three Stars: 3) Craig Cunningham (goal, +1) 2) Trevor Smith (game winning overtime goal, assist, +1) and 1) Brad Thiessen (46 saves on 47 shots)
Anything goes in Game 7, Wednesday.
Will the Penguins close out the Bruins? The Bruins threw everything they had at the Pens tonight and could not knock Brad Thiessen or Wilkes-Barre down. It all comes down to Wednesday. Will the Pens shake the second round and out curse they have going?
No matter what happens, we all ride together.
Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Cardiac Penguins FOREVER.
Let’s Go Pens!!! All In!!!
Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 6: Providence Bruins (PRO leads 3-2)
@ 
-
-
Eastern Conference Semifinal — Game 6
AHL Game: I6
Who: Providence Bruins
Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center
When: 7:05 p.m.
Series: PRO leads 3-2 (best of seven)
Last Game: Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, Brad Thiessen stopped all 30 shots faced, and the Penguins won 4-0.
Referee(s): Graham Skilliter / Mark Lemelin
Linesmen: Bob Bernard / Alex Stagnone
What to Watch For: After the bad blood that boiled up from Game 5, a more measured aggression by both teams. The Pens need to treat the game like Providence is being eliminated with a loss I think, if they want to advance this to a seventh game. Also keep in mind the P-Bruins were the best at home in regular season.
Twitter: @WBSPenguins / @AHLBruins
Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // /providencebruins
Beat Writers: @CVBombulie / @MarkDivver
Broadcasters: WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / PRO: Nick Gagalis @NickGagalis
Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep
Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For Providence: WNRI 1380 AM
Television: AHL Live
When is Game 7?: A Pens loss and there is no Game 7. A Pens win and Game 7 is this Wednesday.
Saturday to Six – Pens WIN 4-0 (PRO leads 3-2)
vs.
0 4
-
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:
-
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!!!
Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 5: Providence Bruins (PRO leads 3-1)
vs.
-
-
Eastern Conference Semifinal — Game 5
AHL Game: I5
Who: Providence Bruins
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
When: 7:05 p.m.
Series: PRO leads 3-1 (best of seven)
Last Game: Yesterday in Wilkes-Barre, the Penguins won 3-1. Joey Mormina had three assists in the game.
Referee(s): Trevor Hanson / Jean Hebert
Linesmen: Tom Geore / Scott Pomento
What to Watch For: If the Penguins play, “their game” they will win tonight. (again) Any deviation off of this and we don’t come back tomorrow.
Twitter: @WBSPenguins / @AHLBruins
Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // /providencebruins
Beat Writers: @CVBombulie / @MarkDivver
Broadcasters: WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / PRO: Nick Gagalis @NickGagalis
Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep
Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For Providence: WNRI 1380 AM
Television: AHL Live
When is Game 6?: A Bruins win wraps the series. A Penguins win and Game 6 is Monday night in Providence.
Forcing Five – Pens WIN 3-1 (PRO leads 3-1)
vs.
1 3
-
I tell you, I had this headline cooked up in my brain right after the Game 3 loss.
I have one if this series gets to six.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins stave off elimination in a 3-1 thriller that has to go down as the best game played for the Pens in the series.
The last two period in Game 2 were great hockey by the Pens, but the deficit was already 4-1 after one period.
In Game 3, the effort was much better, a defensive zone turnover in overtime cost the Pens the game.
Is an 0-3 deficit too big of a hole to climb out of?
Tonight isn’t the night to answer that question.
Brad Thiessen vs. Niklas Svedberg — two lineup changes for the Pens, Bobby Farnham for Christiaan Minella and Peter Merth for Cody Wild.
First Period: Providence opened and possessed the puck like madmen. They score on an Alex Grant turnover. Guess who? Carter Camper banks it off of Thiessen from behind the net to make it 1-0 Bruins. This period would be all about the Bruins manufacturing shots from all areas and the Penguins taking shots that Svedberg could make easy saves on.
Second Period: Pens can’t score on two attempts on a wide open net on the power play. Adam Payerl shuffles a puck to Warren Peters who scores to tie the game at one. Bruins get a power play and almost score. A tired Penguins group of penalty killers are left out after the power play expires and ice the puck.
Here’ where I think the game met its turning point. John Hynes used his timeout to rest the tired bodies on the ice. Before this, Providence was going to score, it was just a matter of when. The timeout worked perfectly because soon after, Merth stretches a pass to Mormina on the far wall who wires a cross ice pass to Holzapfel who one times it in from the low right circle for a 2-1 Wilkes-Barre lead. Providence would take a penalty, and Joey Mormina would slap one home that Chad Kolarik gets a stick on in front to make it 3-1 Pens.
Third Period: Providence opened and rode aggressive puck possession and forecheck pretty much all period. The Penguins did not bend. They shut down two Providence power play attempts in the process as well.
There would be no sweep, instead, Game 5 is tomorrow in Wilkes-Barre.
Huge game by captain Joey Mormina, three assists on the night.
Three Stars: 3) Joey Mormina (three assists, +1) 2) Brad Thiessen (31 saves on 32 shots) and 1) Riley Holzapfel (game winning goal, +2)
Quickly, elsewhere, Syracuse finished off a sweep of the Springfield Falcons winning 5-2 tonight. The Crunch are 7-0 in postseason. Mark French will not be back next season behind the bench for the Hershey Bears. When you are expected to win a Calder Cup every season and do not, a move has to be made.
Anyway, back to this series. Gameday for Game 5 will be up at 3 p.m. Puck drop at 7:05 tomorrow in Wilkes-Barre.
Let’s Go Pens! All In!
Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 4: Providence Bruins (PRO leads 3-0)
vs.
-
-
Eastern Conference Semifinal — Game 4
AHL Game: I4
Who: Providence Bruins
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
When: 7:05 p.m.
Series: PRO leads 3-0 (best of seven)
Last Game: Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre, the Penguins played arguably the best game of the series yet were still defeated in overtime by a score of 2-1. Carter Camper scored :31 into overtime to put the Penguins on the brink of elimination.
Referee(s): Chris Ciamaga / Terry Koharski
Linesmen: Jud Ritter / Bob Goodman
What to Watch For: If the Penguins play, “their game” they will win tonight. Any deviation off of this and we don’t come back tomorrow.
Twitter: @WBSPenguins / @AHLBruins
Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // /providencebruins
Beat Writers: @CVBombulie / @MarkDivver
Broadcasters: WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / PRO: Nick Gagalis @NickGagalis
Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep
Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For Providence: WNRI 1380 AM
Television: AHL Live
When is Game 5?: A Bruins win wraps the series. A Penguins win and Game 5 is Saturday night in Wilkes-Barre.
