Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Monthly Archives: February 2011

Deadline Day Dramatics

3 Comments Posted by on February 28, 2011

Before you read this, please read my Third Quarter Grades which published Monday at noon.

Now, onto the Trade Deadline. For Pittsburgh, nothing happened. Some nuggets from today which directly or indirectly affect the team in Wilkes-Barre Township:

  1. Dustin Jeffrey was called up again and this time “for good” per Ray Shero.
  2. Eric Tangradi was never in any discussion for trade talks.
  3. Brent Johnson did not practice today due to a “lower body injury.” If a call-up is needed, it will probably happen tomorrow as Pittsburgh plays Wednesday and it will be Brad Thiessen.

$64,000 question is what about Eric Tangradi and Nick Johnson? Both are on injured reserve with Pittsburgh and you can’t send hurt guys down. But, you had to be on the AHL roster today in order to be on next Monday’s AHL clear day roster. No one seems to know for sure. I tweeted Leone and he doesn’t know. Bombulie is going to e-mail the Pens. My initial thought is there is probably a loophole someplace which would allow for it. Once I get confirmation, as in read Bombulie or someone else, I will let you all know.*

As for the rest of the East Division, the following happened:

  1. Hershey needs a goaltender. No way Doug Yingst and the rest of the Hershey brass fly with Todd Ford / Jared DeMichiel from here on out and wait for Braden Holtby’s knee to decide when it wants to heal. Look for the Bears to go after Providence’s Nolan Schaefer. From CapGeek.com, Schaefer is an affordable $75,000 AHL.
  2. More from The Champs: Jay Beagle was not on reassigned to Titletown, so he cannot be on the Clear Day roster. Same with Tyler Sloan. However, Mathieu Perreault is still in Hershey and will be on the clear day roster for the Bears in all likelihood. For more discussion on this, read Tim Leone’s story on the matter here.
  3. Brett Carson was claimed by Calgary on waivers from Carolina. Carson was a stud on D for the Checkers. That hurts.
  4. The Binghamton Senators opened eyes today when parent Ottawa acquired Ryan Potulny from Chicago / Rockford. Also, Ottawa claimed goaltender Curtis McElhinney from Tampa Bay, which means the B-Sens will have the stout goaltending duo of Barry Brust and Robin Lehner standing on guard for thee in net going forward. Also, Bobby Butler and Erik Condra were briefly assigned to Bingo today, meaning they will be eligible for clear day rosters too.
  5. For these stories and more, the AHL put together an all encompassing “what’s it mean to my team” article together you can check out here.

Suffice to say, it’s looking more and more like a team on I-81 is taking home a Calder Cup this year. That is, as long as no other team jumps up and steals it, right? **

Bombulie had some Q&A with John Hynes after the deadline on his blog.

Chatted briefly with Nick Petersen in the autograph line. He told me he is about 10 days from returning. Which means 25, the way the training staff wants to make absolutely sure you are 100%.

That’s about it. AHL teams can still make AHL trades and loans between now and next Monday’s clear day. Tomorrow brings my East Division Third Quarter Grades. Be on the watch for that.

* – Michael Fornabaio, who covers the Sound Tigers beat in Bridgeport and is an encyclopedia of information mentioned on his blog that emergencny recall players do not have to be in the AHL at the 3 p.m. cutoff to be eligible to be returned to the minor league affiliate. So that would at least give us all our answer on Tangradi and Johnson. All that’s left is them getting healthy.

** – See Monarchs, Manchester. ManchVegas quietly goes about it’s work as the second best team overall in the AHL. Shhhhh…..

Pittsburgh, The AHL, WBS

Third Quarter Grades

1 Comment Posted by on February 28, 2011

Sixty games down after yesterdays 5-4 win against the Springfield Falcons. Pens keep on keeping on, eyeing the prize at the end of the season, its first ever Calder Cup Championship.

The Pens doubled their loss total in the third quarter due to call-ups and a few minor injuries to role players, but the guys called up from Wheeling filled the roles nicely. One could argue that they truly are an extension of a fifth, sixth and seventh line.

Keeping with our Second Quarter and First Quarter grades which precedes the following, read nothing into these grades other than what some guy with an iPhone, a Twitter feed and a blog has to think about the players.

All stats are from the American Hockey League’s Daily Report from February 28.

Brett Sterling: Played in 14 games only due to recall to Pittsburgh where there he didn’t look out of place at all. Pittsburgh is healthy now and Sterling was brought in to help win a Calder Cup for Wilkes-Barre, not a Stanley Cup for Pittsburgh. 20-21-41 is second on the team in scoring. This is the time of year The Ticket gets hot, and with Pittsburgh finally getting healthy at forward look for Sterling to stick in Wilkes-Barre through the playoffs. Always is and will be the go to guy to get that big goal. Grade: A

Tim Wallace: Wallace did time in Pittsburgh too, and only played a dozen games for Wilkes-Barre in the third quarter. When he is out of the lineup, other players step in and fill his role nicely. Wally’s 16-17-33 puts him fourth on the team in scoring among those present. Does everything asked here and in Pittsburgh. What more can you ask? Grade: A

Chris Collins: Has not scored a goal since February 8 against the Manitoba Moose. Doesn’t need to, he’s more of a setup guy and his 10-16-26 tells that story. Is also a +18 which is best amongst the forwards. Role player is what he is. Grade: B+

Ryan Craig: The Captain even did time in Pittsburgh with all the injuries. Is sometimes on the ice when bad goals are scored, and his +6 reflects that, the game in Connecticut against the Whale he was a -5. Leader on the ice, teacher in the locker room, we have said it all along he is everything you want your Captain to be. 14-21-35 ain’t to shabby either. Grade: B

Robert Bortuzzo: Plays like a man possessed sometimes. Got named replacement for the AHL All-Star Classic and scored two goals. Is 4-19-23 and a +21. Can single-handedly shut down the other teams top offensive threats. If Wilkes-Barre does win a league championship this year, Bortuzzo will likely be fast tracked to Pittsburgh next year. Grade: A

Jesse Boulerice: Pointless thru these 20 games, but isn’t asked to score. Keeps the peace when the goons from the other team take liberties with the scorers. Does his job. Grade: C+

Steve Wagner: Still a defensive liability during spots of games but nothing to the point where it is vomit inducing. 5-21-26 and a +16. The +/- really defies all logic. Grade: B-

Brian Strait: Was in Pittsburgh due to the Brooks Orpik injury and is a left handed shot more than “he is better than Bortuzzo.” Is back in Wilkes-Barre and will go right back on the defensive line with Robert Bortuzzo. Strait is a rock at defense. Not a goal scorer, but when it goes in, man is it pretty. 2-6-8 in 55 appearances for Wilkes-Barre. The +16 tells the story though that he is on the ice when the goal is scored. Grade: A

Geoff Walker: Had to step up when half of Wilkes-Barre’s offense was in Pittsburgh. 5-11-16 and a +8. Definition of role player, but will always stick up for a teammate and will fight. Grade: B

Zach Sill: Has played in every game. Bombulie had a feature on him in yesterday’s Sunday paper about how he went from fourth line knucklehead to second line playmaker with all of the recalls to Pittsburgh. Despite the “oh he’s a fourth line goon” stereotype, is an extremely smart player and plays within his limits. 6-11-17 and a +9 thru 60 games played. Won’t score a ton of goals but will keep you honest if you take a run at the goaltender or one of the more polished players. Grade: B+

Keven Veilleux: Finally appears to be healthy. Looks like he is finding his game. I think everyone wants to see Keven blossom into a legit NHL sniper someday. Sometimes his head doesn’t know what his feet are doing and vice versa. Once he gets that fixed, he will be unstoppable. 8-12-20, +9 so far. Grade: B

Carl Sneep: Victim of a scratch which keeps him honest. A true rookie. Budding rock on defense with 4-10-14 and a +18. Going to be fun watch develop. Grade: B+

Bryan Lerg: 9-9-18. Scores big goals. Plays on a checking line and is +10. More recently has played top and second line with the rash of call-ups. Grade B

Corey Potter: His +26 is tops in the league in +/-. Yes, I said tops in the league. Yet somehow, is not who I want on the ice when the game is on the line. 2-25-27 is a good mix of shut down defenseman and set up man. Grade: A-

Joey Mormina: Never a liability on the ice. +15 is a solid number. 1-7-8 is more luck than it is anything else. Key asset to the defensive corps. Grade: B

Ben Street: The second coming of Dustin Jeffrey minus the penalty killing prowess. Will be a fan favorite real soon. 9-3-12 and a +5 in an extremely limited role. I do not see Street returning to the Wheelhouse, rather he will get the spot and a guy like Geoff Walker may get the scratch. Grade: A

Andrew Hutchinson: Back from a knee injury. 4-17-21 and one of the rare Penguins in the minus at -3. Brought in to be a rock defensively. From what I have seen of recent appears to be invisible at times. I don’t know. I don’t think he is still hurt. Grade: B

Joey Haddad: Another call-up from Wheeling. Is 1-3-4 and a -1. I think he is behind in his development. Haddad knows this too. Joey tries and at this stage is all that can be asked of him. Will take a dumb penalty and may turn the puck over at inopportune times. Needs to watch Veilleux and learn from mistakes already made by Keven to fix them quick. Has the potential to be huge at the AHL level. Grade: C+

Dustin Jeffrey: Was returned to the Penguins yesterday afternoon from recall. Played only 4 games this quarter and still leads the team with 17-28-45 and +13. We are grading the players third quarter performance. Jeffrey was in Pittsburgh making a name for himself and did not look out of place while up there. Good on him. For the purposes of this exercise though, we give him, Grade: Incomplete, but well deserved.

Joe Vitale: Was returned to Wilkes-Barre yesterday also. He may stick around, while Jeffrey may go up again. Vitale finally showcasing his skills to all of Pittsburgh that he never gives up on the play, ever. 8-19-22 and +12. Wilkes-Barre can use his faceoff dot prowess. Played 12 games in Wilkes-Barre this quarter, but we’ll still give him a, Grade: B-

Nick Johnson: Nick is on Pittsburgh’s injured reserve with a concussion. Played 12 games for Wilkes-Barre in the third quarter. Is 20-19-39. I hope he gets better quick and gets back here to help us for the stretch / playoff run. Grade: B-

Eric Tangradi: Another one hurt with a concussion, his second. Played 8 games in the third quarter. Is 18-15-33. You hope Eric gets better and gets back here and back to his scoring ways. Grade: Incomplete.

Jason DeSantis, Andrew Orpik, Ryan Schnell, David Marshall, Tyler Murovich, Nick Petersen: Combined games for this half dozen in the third quarter are a sum total of 26 games, 2 goals, 5 assists and a combined +4. With the call-ups and the madness going on in Pittsburgh, the development of these players is fast tracked a bit. Out of the six, Nick Petersen shows the most potential to really be good. I am grading all 6 together as a group. Grade: C+

Brad Thiessen: Will be the horse come playoff time. Is the best goaltender in the American Hockey League. Leads wins, shutouts, and GAA. All-Star goaltender. Stats are a 1.90 GAA and a .0924 SV%. Has caught and passed John Curry on the depth chart. Wilkes-Barre will likely ride Thiessen all the way to a Calder Cup. Grade: A+

John Curry: No longer Pittburgh’s goaltender of the future but remains a legit AHL goaltender and you have to think that he’d fit on some NHL team somewhere. When his WBS career is over, will probably own every record there is to own. His stats are 2.50 GAA and a 0.903 SV%. May see a start or two between now and playoffs, but Thiessen is the man at this point in Wilkes-Barre. Grade: B

So that’s all for the Third Quarter! Comments are open, or you can always e-mail me your thoughts. Have at it!

Let’s Go Pens!

WBS

Falcons Clipped and Ticketed – Pens WIN 5-4

Comments Off on Falcons Clipped and Ticketed – Pens WIN 5-4 Posted by on February 27, 2011

Brett Sterling returns from recall from Pittsburgh and scores two goals in the third period to sink the Springfield Falcons this afternoon. The Falcons are a gritty, in your face team that ran with the Penguins to the very end this afternoon. They would not be fun to play against in the playoffs.

Brad Thiessen vs. Gustav Wesslau.

First Period: Zach Sill :37 in and the Pens were off and running. Springfield held the fort though and later Nick Holden tied the game while Thiessen was screened. Later, Ryan Craig would score on a hack and whack on Wesslau to make the score 2-1. What a pass from Keven Veilleux to pass it to the goal mouth area on his stomach. Shots this period were 18-5 in favor of the Penguins. I thought Springfield really withheld the onslaught brought by the more rested Penguins.

Second Period: Best news in forever was the announcement that Dustin Jeffrey, Joe Vitale and Brian Strait were all reassigned to Wilkes-Barre / Scranton. This I am told is to free up cap space for tomorrows trade deadline. Chris Kunitz is practicing with Pittsburgh and should be back any day now. I don’t know if Jeffrey gets called back up. We will have to see. Meanwhile, Springfiled had it’s own version of hack and whack, this time Falcons Captain Ben Guite did the honors. Then, the Pens were shorthanded and Tim Wallace fired a shorthanded answer goal to put the Pens back ahead. Later the Falcons would score when Brett Regner deflected a puck past Thiessen. The shots thus far were 25-13 in favor of WBS.

Third Period: The Ticket would score a beauty of a breakaway goal. A deft stickhandle move which was absolutely sickening. I am sure the Wilkes-Blog will have highlights later. Then the Pens sat on the lead until Nick Holden scored again to bring the score even again. It appeared to be headed to overtime but then Brett Sterling turned and fired the puck at Wesslau and it went in. The Falcons would take their time out but in the flurry to tie the game Ben Guite would get called for interference and that would be it.

Three Stars: Tim Wallace (goal, two assists), Nick Holden (two goals), Brett Sterling (two goals, one a game winner)

Every time we scored, they scored until time ran out eventually.

Around the Division: Hershey held off Bridgeport 3-2. Binghamton lost to Adirondack 5-2. Norfolk beat Albany in Atlantic City 4-3. Rochester beat Syracuse 2-1 in overtime.

Standings: WBS 88, HER 80, CHA 76, NOR 71, BNG 71, ADK 49, ALB 48, SYR 47.

This week: Third Quarter Grades are due. They will be posted here on the blog at noon tomorrow. Games wise, the Pens are off until Friday. Albany plays  Binghamton in Binghamton Tuesday. Hershey and Norfolk square off in Norfolk Wednesday. I will have Friday’s games posted as ones I am watching later this week on the blog.

Tomorrow is the Meet and Greet at 5 p.m. at the Arena. Time for autographs!

Go Pens!

Postgamer

GAMEDAY: vs. Springfield 2/27

Comments Off on GAMEDAY: vs. Springfield 2/27 Posted by on February 27, 2011

vs.

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Home Game 31

AHL Game: 906

Who: Springfield Falcons

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

When: 3:05 p.m. EST

Media Kit

Last Game: For WBS: Last night at home vs. Norfolk, the Pens won in a shootout 3-2. Joey Haddad had the game winning goal in the 11th round of the shootout and was named the games first star. For Springy: Last night at home vs. the Portland Pirates, the Falcons won 4-1. Blue Jackets prospect Nikita Filatov had a goal and an assist and was named the games first star.

Record: For WBS, 43-16-0-0 (86 pts., 1st place East Division) — For SPR, 30-26-1-3 (64 pts., 3rd place Atlantic Division)

Last Meeting: Back on November 28 in Springfield, the Pens won 4-2. Late game heroics by Nick Johnson, Dustin Jeffrey and Bryan Lerg in the form of goals secured the victory for the Pens.

Why you should care: Coming off of a huge comeback win last night, the Pens are just looking to finish off another weekend in the AHL with a sweep and continue their winning ways. Springfield is on the rise in the Atlantic, they have to win this game to stay ahead of fourth place in the division, because it looks like a team from the East is crossing over this Spring.

Referee(s): T. J. Luxmore

Linesmen: Bob Fyrer / Jameel Chaudry

Twitter: @wbspenguins / @DMarkiewicz / @nafsnep

Beat writers: @CVBombulie

Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain. For Springfield: WHYN NEwsTalk 560

Television: AHL Live

Promotion(s): None

Next Five Games: @ TOR 3/4, @ HER 3/6, CT 3/8, @ ABB 3/11, @ ABB 3/12

Gameday

A lesson in why you never leave early – Pens WIN in shootut 3-2 over the Admirals

Comments Off on A lesson in why you never leave early – Pens WIN in shootut 3-2 over the Admirals Posted by on February 26, 2011

You never leave a game early. There is no such thing as tickets that let you watch 7 innings of a 9 inning baseball game or three quarters of a football game. You just never leave early.

Fans that did about 10 minutes left to go in the third period of tonight’s game are kicking themselves at this hour or have no idea that the Penguins won in a shootout 3-2. None.

John Curry vs. Dustin Tokarski tonight. Brett Sterling was sent down to WBS this morning. Of note, Mark Letestu played tonight in Toronto for Pittsburgh, might we see Joe Vitale tomorrow afternoon vs. Springfield?

First Period: Jesse Boulerice turned the puck over in the Pens zone and Levi Nelson converted to make it 1-0 about halfway through. To here, the Pens were flatter than week old soda left out. Sold out house and the Pens were just awful. Somehow, the shots through 1 were 10-7 WBS.

Second Period: Pens still playing horrible. Blair Jones makes it 2-0 at 6:29. John Hynes went for a goaltender change, pulling Curry in favor of Thiessen. I think this was more to wake up the team and shake things up then it was a knock on John Curry, who I thought played well enough to that point to remain in the game. A forgettable period in my opinion, as Norfolk out shot the Penguins 14-6. At one point it was 11-2. Really bad.

Second intermission: I tweeted this:

http://twitter.com/#!/nafsnep/status/41674394061377536

Eerie how I know my team so well and have my finger right on the pulse of what is going on, I am an insurance adjuster by trade, have no formal journalism schooling and am not a beat writer, but what happened in the third really made me look like I know what I am talking about. (Which I never claim to know what I am talking about)

First ten minutes of the third: Wilkes-Barre had two shots on goal by my rough math. Second ten minutes, the comeback began. By rights, it really was the last 5 minutes that the comeback started. 4:27 to be exact, as with Blair Jones sitting for slashing, Robert Bortuzzo would fire a puck on net and cut the deficit to 2-1. About a minute and a half later, Ben Street would fire a puck at Tokarski which found what the back of the net. In soccer they call them “postage stamp” goals because the puck went in the extreme upper right hand corner. Celebrate good times. I went nuts. High fiving people all over the place. I cheered so hard my right shoulder hurt.

Overtime: Nothing to see here. Pens came out and were all over the Admirals.

Shootout: It went 11 rounds. Every time we scored, Norfolk scored. If we missed, they missed. Until…..

(credit: @gonzotherooster)

Joey Haddad saves the day. To here, Haddad was on a one way ticket back to the Wheelhouse. Sayonara Stephanie as he was taking dumb penalties and was a turnover machine. Rectified.

Robert Bortuzzo played like a man possessed the last ten minutes. Brett Sterling played big minutes. Final shots on goal were 32-27 Penguins with the Pens outshooting the Admirals 11-5 the final period.

Three Stars: Robert Bortuzzo (goal, -1), Ben Street (goal, assist, +1), Joey Haddad (game winning shootout goal)

Around the Division: Hershey wins 4-3. Keith Aucoin had assists on all the goals. Charotte shuts out Connecticut, 1-0. Mike Murphy the shutout in that one. Rochester beat Binghamton in a shootout 3-2. Hamilton beat Syracuse 3-2 and Adirondack beat Worcester 2-1 in a shootout.

Standings: Wilkes-Barre preserves an eight point lead over Hershey, 86 to 78. Charlotte draws within two of the Bears with 76 points in third. Binghamton is in fourth with 71 points. That is not an opening round playoff matchup I want right now. Norfolk is in fifth with 69 points. Albany is a distant sixth with 48 points, Adirondack close with 47 in seventh and Syracuse is last overall in the league with 46 points.

Tomorrow: Hershey is in Bridgeport. Bingo is in Adirondack. Norfolk travels to Albany. WBS still has a game in hand over Hershey.

Maybe we stole one tonight, maybe we didn’t. I will leave you with this money quote. Go Pens.

“We actually refuse to lose” – Joey Mormina, Penguins Defenseman

Postgamer

GAMEDAY: vs. Norfolk 2/26

Comments Off on GAMEDAY: vs. Norfolk 2/26 Posted by on February 26, 2011

vs.

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Home Game 30

AHL Game: 897

Who: Norfolk Admirals

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

When: 7:05 p.m. EST

Media Kit

Last Game: This past Wednesday in Binghamton the Pens lost 4-1. Despite putting 48 shots on net, only Bryan Lerg was able to score. For NOR: Last night home vs. the Charlotte Checkers, the Admirals won in a shootout 4-3. Ex-Pen Marc-Antoine Pouliot had two goals and a goal in the shootout and was the first star of the game.

Last Meeting: Last Saturday in Norfolk, the Pens won in a shootout 2-1. It was a gritty defensive battle, with Ben Street scoring late in the third. A last second turnover by David Marshall would force overtime, but Brad Thiessen denied all Norfolk shooters in the shootout to seal the victory.

Record: For WBS, 42-16-0-0 (84 pts., 1st place East Division) — For NOR, 28-17-8-4 (68 pts., 5th place East Division)

Why you should care: Pens had a bad game this past Wednesday and they knew it. Help from Pittsburgh has arrived in the form of Brett Sterling, Tim Wallace and Ryan Craig. Norfolk is slipping at a critical time of the season. They have to come into a sold out Mohegan Sun Arena tonight after bussing in from Norfolk late last night and take on the leagues best team coming off a poor performance in Binghamton. I love these types of games because both teams need to win for their psyche.

Referee(s): Chris Brown

Linesmen: Judson Ritter / Jameel Chaudry

Twitter: @wbspenguins / @NorfolkAdmirals / @nafsnep

Beat writers: @CVBombulie

Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain. For Norfolk: 102.1 FM The Game

Television: AHL Live / My Network TV (WQMY) in WBS.

Promotion(s): Tons. Evgeni Malkin Bobblehead (first 5,000 fans) – Millitary Appreciation Night & Jersey Auction. In addition, Camoflauge autographed pucks will be on sale and there will be a care package collection for the troops.

Next Five Games: SPR 2/27, @ TOR 3/4, @ HER 3/6, CT 3/8, @ ABB 3/11

Gameday

Thursday Notes 2/24

Comments Off on Thursday Notes 2/24 Posted by on February 24, 2011

News out of Pittsburgh today revealed that Brooks Orpik will be sidelined with a broken finger for 4-6 weeks. The Pens also traded for Alexei Kovalev. As a result, Tim Wallace was sent back to Wilkes-Barre today. In reaction to the Orpik news, Brian Strait will be called back up to Pittsburgh. Paul Martin is expected to return soon, the Pens just don’t know if it will be this weekend or next week.

Mike Comrie, Mark Letestu and Dustin Jeffrey are getting healthier by the day, so expect Joe Vitale and Brett Sterling to be sent down to Wilkes-Barre soon also. I would look for them sometime either late this coming weekend or early part of next week.

News from around the AHL today revealed that Braden Holtby tweaked something in the shootout win vs. the Toronto Marlies and is now “week to week” per John Walton. As a result, Jared DiMichiel was recalled from South Carolina of the ECHL.

Hershey plays Lake Erie tonight at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Ohio. It’s on Direct TV 660 and Dish 425 if you have a satellite with a sports package.

Go Pens.

Pittsburgh, The AHL, WBS

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