Chirps from Center Ice

Pens get a 3-1 win tonight in the preseason finale. Brad Thiessen was sharp again in net tonight getting beat by a laser beam of a shot late by Olivier Lauredsen with the Phantoms were shorthanded.

Brad Thiessen vs. Jason Bacashihua.

Ryan Craig, Eric Tangradi, Joey Mormina and Colin McDonald were in for the Pens. The line of Tangradi-Craig-McDonald ran the first power play unit and were successful on two power plays tonight.

First Period: Lots of good saves by Jason Bacashihua by robbing Chris Barton on a cross crease pass to Barton. Later in the period he was standing on his head making some ten-bell saves. Really this period was all Penguins, outshooting the visitors 10-5 on the shot sheet.

Second Period: Little bit more of a tightening up by the boys as Cody Chupp toasted a Phantoms defensemen to put the Pens up 1-0. Nice backhand of a goal by Chupp. I really hop Chupp makes the team. Later, the Pens would cash in on a full 2:00 5-on-3 that referee Jon McIsaac handed them when Kevin Marshall slashed a Penguin and Benn Holmstrom was caught roughing post whistle via Paul Thompson to put the Pens up 2-0. Really solid effort by the penalty kill unit tonight and it never hurts having Brad Thiessen back there. He gloved a Cullen Eddy point shot thru traffic.

Third Period: Lots of good chances by both teams about 6:12 in. Then, Alex Grant and Benn Holmstrom fought when Holmstrom was whistled by McIsaac for a head check. About :30 later, Kevin Marshall would get a cross-checking penalty and that would put the Pens back on the 5-on-3 again. This time with the McDonald-Craig-Tangradi unit on, Eric Tangradi slammed home a goal to put the Pens up 3-0. Penguins never let off as Bacashihua made save after save. Olivier Lauredsen scored to ruin the shutout on a laser beam of a goal that went in and out as quick as it went in. It would end up being too little, too late as the Pens would hang on and win 3-1 to improve to 3-1 in preseason.

Three Stars: Colin McDonald, Cody Chupp and Brad Thiessen.

You can now throw all of this away, as when we wake up tomorrow there will be 6 days to the real hockey season.

Can’t go without acknowledging and welcoming Wilkes-Barre’s new Public Relations Director Mike O’Brien to Twitter. You can follow Mike on Twitter @MikeOBrienWBS and it looks like he will be live-tweeting all of or parts of the games. Welcome Mike!

Housekeeping: AHL Previews start again tomorrow. West Division rolls out tomorrow at noon Wilkes-Barre time. In fact, they all roll out each day at noon all the way up to Friday.

Let’s Go Pens!