Chirps from Center Ice

First time for everything tonight as the Pens lost their first shootout of the year, 5-4.

This is a point I will take because with under two minutes left to play, the Pens are down 4-2 and looking like they are going to lose this one.

Brad Thiessen vs. J-P Lamoureux – WBS went with the same lineup as last night.

First Period: Heat head coach Jim Playfair sent his team home last night with no morning skate in the morning. Radio said that he was really disappointed in the teams effort from last night and the Heat received the message coming out flying on Wilkes-Barre to start the game. 3:30 in, Ryan MacMurchy scores to put the Heat up 1-0. Late in the first though, you could see WBS coming. No way that Abbotsford would be able to hold the Pens back all game like this.

Second Period: Andrew Hutchinson worked some time in the video room this afternoon with Head Coach John Hynes going over things on the power play and it worked as a bomb from the point by him was collected in the slot via rebound by hometown boy Ryan Craig to tie the score at 1. Penguins would hit two posts this period then John Armstrong would score. Zach Sill fought John Negrin as that happened and I thought that Sill had probably one of his best games as a Penguin. As I was getting my Media Kit out to see what the Pens record was when trailing after two periods, Joe Vitale scored to tie the score at 2-2.

Third Period: Josh Myers would score even strength then Greg Nemisz would fire a shot at the net from the blueline which Quintin Laing would deflect in on the power play to put the Heat up 4-2. Then with under two minutes left to play in the hockey game Hynes calls his time out, pulls Thiessen and Brett Sterling scores from an odd angle. Empty net again, Andrew Hutchinson would score to even the game.

Wow. Did not think the Pens could get two goals that quick like that.

Overtime: Pens had a great chance when Ben Street forechecked a Heat player so hard Brett Sterling stole a puck from him but couldn’t find anyone to pass it to who would shoot and Abbotsford had it’s best chance when Ben Street turned the puck over at center ice where the Heat would come in on a two on one but not score.

Shootout: Ales Kotalik, down from parent Calgary and veteran of a lot on NHL games was the only one to score in the shootout for the Heat and that was your ball game.

Three Stars: Ryan Stone (-1, 5 SOG), Andrew Hutchinson (goal, 2 assists, +2) and Greg Nemisz (2 assists, -1)

Around the Division: Hershey beat Adirondack 3-2 in overtime. Albany beat Springfield 2-1. Binghamton beat Charlotte 3-1 and Syracuse beat Rochester 3-2.

Elsewhere: Manchester creamed Bridgeport 7-0 and Portland beat Providence 5-4.

Standings: Huge point by WBS taken tonight. 93-87 and a six point lead up on the Bears. Hershey keeps chipping, and chipping and chipping away at the lead. Charlotte has 80 points in third. Norfolk has 79 in fourth. Bingo 75 in fifth and Albany, Syracuse and Adirondack are playing out the string trying to figure out who finishes last with 58, 55 and 52 points between the three respectively.

Tomorrow: Norfolk is in Hershey. Bad blood between these teams from the last time they played when Aucoin was injured. Manchester travels to Portland. I will have a blog about it all tomorrow evening.

Let’s Go Pens!