Chirps from Center Ice

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It was bound to happen.

The Penguins finally are starting to feel the ill affects of having half of their offense in Pittsburgh on recall. That, and the third period magic that flat out wins Wilkes-Barre games wasn’t enough to get by a determined Worcester team who skate into town and skate out of it 4-2 winners tonight.

The Penguins outshoot the Sharks 25-20 tonight, with 17 of those shots coming in the third period alone. Now, I’m not going to go all pessimistic on a team that is essentially a rag tag group of ECHL call-ups at this point held together with some rusty wire, but ask yourself the following question, if this was Hershey tonight is the result / shot total any different? I think it might be. You have to play a full 60 minutes and I don’t think any Penguin tonight who played will tell you that they played a full 60 minute game tonight.

Eric Hartzell vs. Harri Sateri.

No healthy scratches for the Pens tonight. It was all hands on deck.

First Period: Sharks come out and just catch the Penguins flatfooted. Outshooting them 10-3 for the period on the shot chart and 1-0 on the scoreboard on a Freddie Hamilton power play goal.

Second Period: You know its a bad night when Jimmy Bonneau, known more for his fists than his wrists, goes bar down and in on you to make it 2-0 Sharks. Penguins got completely bottled up by the Sharks to this point. The prime area seemed to be the slot, where no Penguin player ever was, as Worcester wouldn’t allow them.

Third Period: Penguins come out the sharpest they’d been to date and force the Sharks into multiple icings. But, Worcester would get the backbreaker as Marek Viedensky would deflect a shot from the point past Hartzell and in for a 3-0 Sharks lead.

Penguins continues the onslaught though, Sateri denies Paul Thompson point blank. Finally, Nick Drazenovic did this:

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Yeah, it was a penalty shot goal. After not scoring two in the span of like, 10 years, the Penguins score two in a month. Weird.

Anyway, it wouldn’t be enough, as Sateri would continue to make great saves and Worcester hit an empty net from center ice to seal it.

Three Stars: 3) Nick Drazenovic (penalty shot goal, +1) 2) Harri Sateri (24 saves on 25 shots) and 1) Marek Viedensky (goal, assist, +2)

Around the Division: Binghamton’s seven game losing streak is over, winners 5-2 in Syracuse. Norfolk loses 5-4 to the Adirondack Phantoms. Hershey was off.

Standings: Penguins 35 — Binghamton 33 — Norfolk 31 — Syracuse 28 — Hershey 27

Conference: 1) MCH (45) 2) SPR (41) 3) WBS (35) 4) ALB (36) 5) BNG (33) 6) PRO (33) 7) STJ (33) 8) NOR (31)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers fared no better tonight being pillaged with call ups of there own here. Wheeling loses 6-3. Chaz Johnson had a goal in the loss.

SendToNews Highlights: Here they are.

Pens stay home and welcome in the Syracuse Crunch tomorrow at 7:05. Gameday hits the blog at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!