Chirps from Center Ice

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Missed most of the visual action tonight as I was coming back from New Jersey but had the first half of the game on radio, and the second half on AHL Live. Hope you all followed @PSBJoyOnTheSens this evening. Going to do my best to recap this game, a 5-2 Binghamton win.

Brad Thiessen v. Barry Brust. No lineup changes for the Pens, Haddad was the extra forward in warmups.

First period: Five shots in the first shift by the Pens. Nick Johnson slash at :59, Jeffrey denied shorthanded. Then, Eric Tangradi scored from The Ticket and Joe Vitale. Later, Tangradi fought Colin Greening. Nick Johnson again for cross checking, this time Binghamton cashed in, Derek Smith. Period would end tied at one and also in shots at eleven.

Second period: Andre Benoit sat for a hook, Ryan Keller soon followed and :16 was all The Ticket needed into the 5 on 3 to give the Pens a 2-1 lead. Brian Strait would sit later for interference, then Erik Condra tied it for the Senators. Shots on goal through the second were 34-23 Wilkes-Barre.

Third period: Pens line change. Just like Chris Collins did last night, Derek Smith stayed out, and danced around a defender and made it 3-2. The Pens D were burned three straight shifts by the Sens to start the third. Later, Geoff Kinrade, who must love playing against us, scored to make the score 4-2. Bobby Butler took a hooking call, then Steve Wagner pretty much signed a :02 contract for the Binghamaton Senators and just gave away a puck which Jim O’Brien gladly cashed in on to put the game out of reach at 5-2.

Wilkes-Barre would bombard 54 shots at Barry Brust, who was on fire again tonight for Binghamton. He is 8-7 now for them. The issue should be what happens when Mike Brodeur comes back from his concussion. Will Brust get tired and fizzle out? We’ll have to see.

Argument can be made that the Pens flat weren’t ready to play tonight. Jonathan Bombulie was at the game tonight, so check out his blog later for analysis.

Three stars were Brust, Condra and Derek Smith.

We were the only game in town tonight. No other AHL team played. We remain in first with 30 points. Bingo leapfrogs Hershey for fourth place with 23 points.

Binghamton / Wilkes-Barre / Scranton is a bonafide rivalry again and I love it. We are 2-2 against this team. Bingo has beaten us twice now. December 3 in Wilkes-Barre should be really, really fun.

Pens get the day off tomorrow. I am going to start working on my first quarter report cards as Game 20 is Saturday vs. Rochester. Barring any huge huge news, it’ll drop on Monday. Probably early in the moring at like 10 a.m.