Chirps from Center Ice

          vs.          

0                                             4

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Where were you on February 26, 2011?

Why is that date significant? It’s because it is the last time that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins defeated the Norfolk Admirals at home. A 3-2 shootout win.

Tonight, changed that. Resoundingly.

Four goals by the Penguins and a twelve, yes, twelve save shutout by Peter Mannino and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins crush the Norfolk Admirals by a score of 4-0.

I’d say, the Penguins are back. Back from their funk when they couldn’t do anything right, back from having a big question mark in goal for them with Mannino’s stellar play and back at the top of the East Division.

The aforementioned Mannino opposed John Gibson. Here were Gibson’s numbers coming into this contest tonight against Wilkes-Barre: 4-0 in 4 games played, a 1.00 GAA and a .960 SV%.

Some regression to the mean was had tonight.

Spencer Machacek was back in tonight for the Pens. He was on the top line with Andrew Ebbett and Chuck Kobasew. Brendan Mikkelson was the veteran scratch and Mike Carman was the extra forward scratched for the Pens. Barry Goers went in for Mikkelson.

First Period: Two great chances on early power plays by the Penguins but Gibson closed the door. Finally, Harry Zolnierczyk scored on a wraparound to put the Pens ahead 1-0. Later, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond scored on a nice, close cross ice dish from Adam Payerl to put the Penguins ahead 2-0.

The one save Mannino made that stuck out to me was on Devante Smith-Pelly, who dangled through everyone and got a shot on that was stopped by the Penguins net minder right after Wilkes-Barre had scored the first goal.

Second Period: Brian Dumoulin scored on while the Penguins were on a 5-on-3 to put the Pens ahead 3-0. Then lots of penalties. I tweeted a picture at one point of the madness. Andrew Ebbett had a long breakaway which was stopped by Gibson. You got the sense at this moment that the wheels were off for the Admirals. Later, Bobby Farnham feeds Andrew Ebbett who scores his second goal in as many nights and the Penguins were ahead 4-0.

Third Period: Norfolk starts Brad Thiessen in goal to begin the period. The Penguins put 14 shots on the ex-Penguins net minder, many coming when they had a full 2:00 of 5-on-3 to work with but the Game 6 hero vs. Providence last year stopped them all. I don’t know what I would have done had the Penguins actually gotten a goal on Thiessen. Laughed, cried, clapped or just sat there. I know you always hear and see me say that I cheer for the front of the jersey and not the back, but Thiessen’s time and heroics here in Wilkes-Barre cannot and should not ever be overlooked.

Norfolk only managed 2 shots on goal for the period and were outshot badly 40-12 in the game, an all time franchise low for the club.

Three Stars: 3) Peter Mannino (12 save shutout) 2) Bobby Farnham (two assists, +2) and 1) Harry Zolnierczyk game winning goal, +1)

Of note, Zolnierczyk did not come out for his first star mention. He took a hit on the boards in the third and did not return.

Around the Division: Hershey beats Adirondack at home 4-1 in front of their largest crowd of the season, 10,995. Syracuse loses in a shootout to Hamilton 2-1 and Binghamton defeats Rochester at home 2-1.

Standings: Penguins 76 — Binghamton 75 — Norfolk 72 — Hershey 70 — Syracuse 58

Wheeling Update: The Nailers shutout the Cincinnati Cyclones at home 2-0. Christiaan Minella and Cody Sylvester scored the goals for the Nailers.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Alright, so the Binghamton Senators have two games in hand on the Penguins. They will burn one of those tomorrow when they face-off with the Rochester Americans again up in Rochester in the make up game from this week when that game was cancelled because of snow. A B-Sens win puts them ahead of the Pens by one point. A loss obviously keeps the Penguins as the division leaders. It all may not matter, the Pens and B-Sens play each other three more times, all at the critical time they call the month of April.

I’ll have a tweet of the final score of that game tomorrow on Twitter. The Week 24 AHL Power Rankings will be up Monday at 4 p.m. Until then…

Let’s Go Pens!!!