Chirps from Center Ice

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The Penguins are going to the postseason.

The Worcester Sharks are not.

You couldn’t tell by watching the game tonight.

The Penguins got complacent tonight and let a nothing-to-play-for Worcester Sharks team hang around and desperation paid off for the visitors as they skated away with a 4-2 win tonight in Wilkes-Barre, snapping the Penguins eight game win streak.

By all accounts, this game had the feel of a playoff game. Intensity, hitting, drama. All the things that had the fans in it from the drop of the puck.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Alex Stalock. Derek Nesbitt made his WBS debut.

First Period: Adam Payerl scores a rebound of his own shot to put the Penguins out ahead 1-0. To this point, it was all Penguins. After the Payerl goal, they stopped skating. Worcester had the look and feel of a hockey team that was going to score a goal and sure enough they did on a Rylan Schwartz rebound goal.

A resilient Worcester team with nothing left to play for was hanging with one of the best teams in the AHL? Say it ain’t so!

Second Period: Sharks have had two shorthanded goals all season. They had two quality chances in one kill early in the period. That was pretty much all that really happened in this period. I felt that a good majority was spent in the Worcester end in the period. Trevor Smith hit a crossbar with five seconds left in the period. It was onto the….

Third Period: Had the intensity of a playoff game. Started when Brian Gibbons ran over Alex Stalock for a textbook interference on the goaltender call. I really don’t know why the Wilkes-Barre faithful were angry with referee Jean Hebert for calling that. Adam Comrie scored a power play goal to push the Sharks ahead 2-1. Then Warren Peters appeared to be cross checked. No call by Hebert. Fans irate at this point.

Then, Bobby Farnham trucks a Worcester player into the boards. He ahd gotten into it with the Sharks beforehand. Two Sharks players jumped Farnham. A line brawl ensued. Alex Grant fought Nick Pietrecki. Taylor Doherty and Jimmy Bonneau were the ones that jumped Farnham. Pandemonium.

Late, Riley Holzapfel scores on a rebound to tie the game at two. The Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza erupted. Then, with under three minutes left to play, the Penguins were headed to a power play. They were unable to gain entry into the offensive zone. Freddie Hamilton has two shorthanded rushes. He doesn’t score the first time but does the second time two on one and the Sharks would go up 3-2. With Zatkoff pulled, Hamilton would score again to make it 4-2.

Remember what I said about the Sharks and the shorthanded goals? Two in one kill? After having four all season? Surely, you can’t be serious.

Oh, I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.

Tom Grace said on radio that Coach John Hynes was planning on playing newer guys tomorrow. We will see if that plan changes with the five seed not decided yet with Portland clinching tonight.

Three Stars: 3) Riley Holzapfel (goal, -1) 2) Adam Comrie (goal, two assists, +3) and 1) Freddie Hamilton (two goals, +1)

Around the Division: Binghamton lost to Manchester 2-1. Possible collateral damage in that one as starting goaltender Nathan Lawson left the game with an apparent injury and was relieved by Marc Chevrie. Syracuse drop kicked Norfolk 6-1. Newly crowned AHL MVP Tyler Johnson had a hat trick. Hershey keeps its playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 in in Glens Falls.

Standings: Syracuse 95 — Binghamton 93 — Penguins 88 — Hershey 79 — Norfolk 79

Conference: 1) PRO (101) 2) SPR (97) 3) SYR (95) 4) BNG (92) 5) WBS (88) 6) POR (85) 7) MCH (79) 8) HER (79)

Manchester, Hershey, Norfolk and Connecticut all have 79 points. Oh, the drama!

I may throw a SendToNews highlight link up in the morning. I am past deadline as you read this, heh.

Gameday for tomorrows tilt with a desperate Manchester team will be up tomorrow at 3. We will have Bears and Admirals fans cheering for us tomorrow.

Let’s Go Pens!