Chirps from Center Ice

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When the Hershey Bears went to Charlotte this week, they scored 13 goals, including 8 in one game.

Not tonight.

The Bears go 0-for-7 on the power play, and score just one goal.

For the Penguins, after being down a goal early 1:55 in, they played a much smarter game after that and got goals by Brian Gibbons shorthanded, Nick Drazenovic and Jayson Megna. They go on to win tonight, 3-1.

Jeff Deslauriers vs. David Leggio

Nick D’Agostino took the place of the injured Reid McNeill and Adam Payerl rotated in to the fourth line, replacing Paul Thompson.

First Period: Derek Whitmore took a pass from below the Penguin goal line to put the Bears ahead 1:55 into the game. A sloppy start leads to a quick goal from the Bears. Things settled from there.

Bobby Farnham takes a penalty and the Penguins are shorthanded. Brian Gibbons steals a Dmitry Orlov pass and skates in for the Brian Gibbons Breakaway of the Game™ and scores shorthanded for a tie game. Then a bunch of penalties, including 5-on-3s both ways. Nothing doing tonight for either club on special teams. Finally in the final three minutes, Nick Drazenovic takes a pass from Chris Conner, gets Leggio to go down and scores a goal past the fallen Bears net minder for a 2-1 lead.

Second Period: Goaltenders put on a clinic. More special teams, some bad giveaways. The goalies stopped all of them.

Third Period: Really a wide open period. Good chances both ways. The final shots on goal were 22-21, I honestly think that both teams matched each other shot for shot.

Finally, Jayson Megna throws a knuckled on net at Leggio that somehow eludes him in the final two minutes. Bears pulled Leggio after that for the extra man but they never scored.

Three Stars: 3) Jeff Deslauriers (21 saves on 22 shots) 2) Brian Gibbons (goal, assist, +2) and 1) Nick Drazenovic (game winning goal, +1)

Around the Division: The Binghamton Senators keep rolling, hanging seven on the Rochester Americans and rolling them 7-3. The Syracuse Crunch lose in a shootout at home to the Albany Devils in another goaltender clinic 2-1 and the Norfolk Admirals fall short in Manchester losing tonight 3-2.

Standings: Penguins 22 — Binghamton 22 — Syracuse 20 — Norfolk 19 — Hershey 14

Conference: 1) MCH (25) 2) WBS (22) 3) SPR 21 4) BNG (22) 5) SYR (20) 6) ALB (19) 7) NOR (19) 8) HFD (18)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers won 5-4 over the Elmira Jackals tonight. Five different Nailers with goals.

SendToNews Highlights: YouTube version is right here. I didn’t have time for an embed, sorry.

Pens off until a Wednesday game vs. Rochester. The Week 7 AHL Power Rankings will be up back at their normal time here on the blog at 4 p.m. Monday.

Let’s Go Pens!!!