Chirps from Center Ice

Penguins gut out a 4-3 win on home ice tonight and come from behind 3-0 to start the third and win in grand fashion 4-3.

It was the first win of the season for the Penguins when trailing after two periods.

Huge win, too, as the new look Bears seemed to coast to a 3-0 lead after forty minutes of play, outplaying the Pens at times in the process. New look as in, they traded away Danny Richmond to Lake Erie for Mike Carmen and Matt Ford to Adirondack for Kevin Marshall. Leading scorer Keith Aucoin was called up to Washington.

Brad Thiessen vs. Braden Holtby – Eric Tangradi was a late scratch with back spasms as reported by Jonathan Bombulie. The armchair Twitter GMs were out in force tonight too, thinking Tangradi was traded. While I personally, am not ruling out the fact that Tangradi will get moved at the deadline, he is still a Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguin as you read this.

One more personnel note to mention. Brian Day has retired to pursue a career off ice in business, also reported by Jonathan Bombulie of the Citizens Voice.

First Period: After 14:59 of non-stop action, Garrett Mitchell scored off a wonky play by the Bears fourth line. To this point, both teams looked crisp. Looking off was something I worried about for the Pens and wished on for the Bears but it was not to be. What this became was simply the Bears outgunning the Pens on opportunities and cashing, than anything.

Second Period: Christian Hanson scores a dirty goal when Jacob Micflikier throws a puck on net that Thiessen cannot corral. After the Penguins could not convert on a power play, the Bears scored again when the Pens got too cute in their own end. Thiessen made three 10-bell saves but could not do it all and Penguin killer Tomas Kundratek scored to put the game at 3-0 for the Bears.

At this point the game was on the verge of slipping away. What the score is if Aucoin is in the lineup before this point and after is something that may never be answered.

At this point I tweeted, like I normally do teams records leading after two and trailing:

Third Period: Seventeen seconds into the third period, goaltender Braden Holtby nonchalantly clears a puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. Then, Kevin Marshall boards Bryan Lerg. Ryan Craig fights Marshall. Both get five for fighting. Marshall the extra two for the original board. 5-on-3 for :39. Jason Williams would slap home a shot from the blue line to make it 3-1.

Here’s where I think it comes off of the rails for Hershey, and the Pens then smell blood in the water:

Bears would kill the remaining penalties and then Brandon DeFazio would use Tomas Kundratek as a screen and score to make it 3-2. Hershey would use it’s time out. It proved useless as the next shift Robert Bortuzzo would score from a  bad angle to tie the game at three. That was the end of the night for Braden Holtby, having reared three goals in 4:46.

Things would settle a bit. Carl Sneep would leave the game having been checked into the boards where the Pens enter the ice. He would not return. Then, Paul Thompson would score from a pass from Ben Street behind the net to push the Pens ahead 4-3. Tense moments the way out as the Penguins could not win a face-off, the Bears would get a power play late with Bortuzzo closing his hand on the puck. Thiessen made a huge save on a Cody Eakin chance to keep the game tied at one point.

Three Stars: 3) Ryan Craig (-1) 2) Jason Williams (goal, assist, even) 1) Paul Thompson (game winning goal, even)

Around the Division: Norfolk loses to the Adirondack Phantoms 3-1. Syracuse loses to the Toronto Marlies in Toronto 5-2. Manchester beats Binghamton in OT 3-2.

Great night for the Pens, as the Standings look like this:

Standings: Penguins 60. Bears 57. Admirals 55. Crunch 44. Senators 43.

Conference: 1-StJ (62) 2-WBS (60) 3-BRI (51) 4-HER (57) 5-NOR (55) 6-MCH (54) 7-WOR (49) 8-CT (49)

Albany in town tomorrow for what should be a doozy. Gameday up at 3 p.m. like always.

Let’s Go Pens!