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Penguins take 3 out of a possible 6 points out of the Midwest trip through Grand Rapids, Rockford and Milwaukee to kick off their meat grinder month of March that put them on the road all over the place. They still have to visit Charlotte later this month and have just played 3 of 16 games in this month.

A 3-2 shootout loss to the Milwaukee Admirals, who sweep the weekend. But that’s in the Western Conference and those points given away to the IceHogs and Admirals of the world are Iowa and Chicago’s problem.

Penguins comeback in Grand Rapids and win. They do the same late in the third period, late in the final minute with the goalie pulled to force overtime on a Sunday, to get these three points. Another step towards locking up a playoff spot but with Lehigh Valley on the tear that the Phantoms are on, Wilkes-Barre may be playing for second place.

Who knows. After getting points in 16 straight games, Utica has lost the last six in regulation. It’s a weird league. It’s not over till it’s over.

Anthony Peters opposed Anders Lindback.

Lines were…

Adam Johnson – J-S Dea – Christian Thomas
Garrett Wilson – Gage Quinney – Tom Kostopoulos
Jarrett Burton – Josh Jooris – Joseph Cramarossa
Thomas Di Pauli – Teddy Blueger – Daniel Sprong

Chris Summers – Ethan Prow
Kevin Schulze – Kevin Czuczman
Jeff Taylor – Jarred Tinordi

Anthony Peters – Etienne Marcoux

Lineup Notes: Jarrett Burton for Tom Sestito was the only change.

First Period: Penguins would outshoot the Admirals 20-5 in the period, but Milwaukee would strike first shorthanded after a bonehead pass by Daniel Sprong across his own blue line that created a turnover that saw Freddy Gaudreay score to give the Admirals a 1-0 lead.

But eventually with the amount of rubber Lindback was facing, one had to get in, right?

Ethan Prow made sure.

Nice setup here. Prow received a pass off the near wall, waited, waited and waited and sniped home a goal that pulled the Penguins even.

Second Period: Milwaukee outshoots the Penguins by a 2-to-1 margin this period despite the Penguins with a ton of offensive zone time. An Anthony Richard shot from the slot deflects off of Thomas DiPauli and into the top corner of the net that gives the Admirals the lead heading into the….

Third Period: Pens had an early power play. Kevin Czuczman missed an empty net wide. Milwaukee turned the tables on the Penguins. After getting outshot 20-5 in the first period, the Admirals were outshooting the Penguins 15-9.

Time dwindled, and this time with the net vacated, the Penguins were able to find the equalizer. This time Josh Jooris scored his first with the Penguins with this fine display of hand / eye coordination.

This came in the final minute.

Overtime: Peters made a big save second into overtime, then Wilkes-Barre came at Lindberg in waves.

A nice setup for Daniel Sprong, missed.

Josh Jooris with the same hack and whack that tied the game for his side, nope.

Shootout: Justin Kirkland and Christian Thomas scored in round one, no one scored in rounds two and three, and then Anthony Richard scored here to give the Admirals the extra point before Garrett Wilson couldn’t score to extend the round…

Three Stars: Frederick Gaudreau (goal, +1) 2) Anthony Richard (goal, shootout winning goal, assist, +2) and 1) Anders Lindback (38 saves on 40 shots)

Around the Division: Springfield shuts out Providence 2-0…Lehigh Valley beats Hershey in a shootout 3-2…Charlotte beats Hartford 4-3. Bridgeport was off.

Standings: Lehigh Valley (.692 percentage points) — Penguins (.643) — Providence (.629) — Charlotte (.575) — Bridgeport (.552) — Hartford (.492) — Springfield (.492) — Hershey (.475)

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

Pens are leaving Milwaukee tonight. I don’t know if they are flying back tonight or tomorrow. Next game is Friday in Binghamton.

Power Rankings Monday at 4. Check them out then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I owe Tyler a soda for this blog headline.

Check the timestamp on that one. If Tyler doesn’t make it in the newspaper business, he would make a hell of a soothsayer.

Don’t really know what to make of this one, a 3-0 Penguins shutout loss to the hands of the Rockford IceHogs and goaltender Colin Delia, a 34 save shutout. Rockford has speed, but you can match that if you are good enough. Wilkes-Barre got jumped early in the first when Teddy Blueger took a shot that knocked the wind out of him and again win the third, just ten seconds in when the IceHogs doubled what was going to end up being an insurmountable lead.

Scoreboard around the AHL’s Atlantic Division is of no help tonight as well, but we can get to that in a minute.

Etienne Marcoux opposed the aforementioned Colin Delia.

Lines were…

Adam Johnson – J-S Dea – Christian Thomas
Garrett Wilson – Gage Quinney – Tom Kostopoulos
Tom Sestito – Josh Jooris – Joseph Cramarossa
Thomas Di Pauli – Teddy Blueger – Daniel Sprong

Chris Summers – Ethan Prow
Kevin Schulze – Kevin Czuczman
Jeff Taylor – Jarred Tinordi

Etienne Marcoux – Anthony Peters

Lineup Notes: Only change was Marcoux for Peters, so out goes my theory that Micheal Leighton is anywhere close to returning to the lineup this weekend.

First Period: Anthony Louis redirected a pass of the wall about midway through to give the IceHogs a 1-0 lead…\

Pens had a double minor power play to play with that was snuffed out when Garrett Wilson took a penalty on the back end of the double minor.

Second Period: Colin Delia was dialed in and the story of the game through two periods was his play and Wilkes-Barre’s inability to score on Rockford’s league worst penalty kill.

Third Period: 10 seconds in, and Andreas Martinsen just powers through Kevin Czuczman and flips a one hand shot at Marcoux that finds its way in.

J-S Dea tried to spark his side with a fight with 6’9 behemoth Viktor Svedberg…

…but the Penguins couldn’t find anything that clicked, taking penalty after penalty. Garrett Wilson, Tom Sestito took three minors, Joseph Cramarossa took two. There were twelve total penalties assessed tonight by referees Shaun Davis and Jesse Gour. Six a side.

With Marcoux pulled for an extra attacker for Wilkes-Barre, Martinsen found the empty net for a 3-0 Rockford lead.

Three Stars: 3) Anthony Louis (goal, +1) 2) Andreas Martinsen (two goals, +2) 1) Colin Delia (34 save shutout)

Around the Division: Like I said at the top, a bad night for the Penguins on the scoreboard and elsewhere. Providence beats Hartford 6-2…Bridgeport beats Belleville 4-2…Hershey shuts out Utica 3-0…Lehigh Valley shuts out Binghamton 4-0…Charlotte clips Springfield 3-2 in overtime.

Standings: Lehigh Valley (.686 percentage points) — Penguins (.645) — Providence (.640) — Charlotte (.568) — Bridgeport (.552) — Hartford (.500) — Springfield (.483) — Hershey (.475)

Wheeling Update: Nailers lost in Worcester again tonight, but this time in a shootout, 3-2. Freddie Tiffels had a goal.

Video Highlights: 

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Pens will bus up to Milwaukee for a 6 pm Wilkes-Barre start Sunday. Gameday setup hits the blog here Sunday at 2.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Garrett Wilson scored a power play goal to tie the game in the third period in a close, hotly contested affair against the Grand Rapids Griffins in Michigan Friday night. He later added an empty net goal to ice the game away as the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins defeat the defending Calder Cup Champion Grand Rapids Griffins by a 4-2 score.

Great game to watch. Penguins trailed for the most part in the first and second but kept it close and pulled away in the third period and pick up an impressive win against the Griffins and get the weekend trips through the Central Division started off on the right foot.

Anthony Peters opposed Thomas McCollum.

Lines were…

Thomas Di Pauli – J-S Dea – Christian Thomas
Garrett Wilson – Gage Quinney – Tom Kostopoulos
Tom Sestito – Josh Jooris – Joseph Cramarossa
Adam Johnson – Teddy Blueger – Daniel Sprong

Chris Summers – Ethan Prow
Kevin Schulze – Kevin Czuczman
Jeff Taylor – Jarred Tinordi

Anthony Peters – Etienne Marcoux

Lineup Notes: Penguins signed Etienne Marcoux to a PTO for the trip. He’s from the Indy Fuel. Wheeling had injury problems and the Penguins don’t have another eligible contracted goaltender available, so Marcoux was it. Other lineup included Josh Jooris making his debut, Olympian Christian Thomas returning from the games in South Korea and Chris Summers returning to there lineup after missing five games with injury.

First Period: Griffins got on the board early when ex-Penguin Ben Street found Matt Puempel in the slot that put the defending Calder Cup Champions up 1-0. Penguins were getting run around a bit, saw what would have been another Grand Rapids goal get waved off on account of Eric Tangradi interfering with Peters in the crease.

Wilkes-Barre had one power play in the period and it looked improved with Thomas and Kostopolous out there on it.

Shots after one were 11-7 Penguins but Griffins carried large amounts of play during the period.

Second Period: Take of two halves really. Penguins came out with aplomb to open the period, scored here when they caught Grand Rapids with their pants down on a bad line change. Adam Johnson wheeled around the net and scored here to tie the game at one…

Four goals in five games for Johnson.

Period turned in favor of the Griffins when Wilkes-Barre had a power play, didn’t score then gave away a power play to Grand Rapids. To this point, the Griffins power play looked good.

They cashed. Eric Tangradi tipped in a Matt Puempel shot and it was 2-1 Griffins. Way too easy. Tangradi has carved out a niche in this league setting up in front of the goaltender and tipping pucks. No one was near him and he did what he had to do.

Shots were 17-12 Penguins after two periods. Penguins to this point did a terrific job of bottling up the Griffins but their top line of Puempel, Tangradi and Street were carrying the mail.

Third Period: Penguins had a power play to open the period, but failed to cash then the Griffins took a puck over glass delay of game penalty and the Penguins were headed right back to the power play. Angle on the story here was easy, if they Penguins don’t score and lose, you point back to this sequence here as to be of the reasons why.

We didn’t have to go there.

Kevin Czuczman puts it on net, Garrett Wilson gets the tip in. Power play goal, Wilkes-Barre.

Griffins didn’t counter this time, instead it was a big defensive gaffe that cost them.

Teddy Blueger takes advantage.

Follow your shot.

Time started to become the enemy of the Griffin, and with McCollum pulled, the Penguins defense held the Tangradi’s and Street’s at bay and then Gage Quinney connected with Garrett Wilson on the empty net to put a bow on this one.

Three Stars: 3) Matt Puempel (goal, assist, even) 2) Eric Tangradi (goal, assist, even) and 1) Teddy Blueger (goal, assist, +2)

Around the Division: Nutso results. Hershey was up 5-1 then lost 7-6 in Allentown. That, is not good…Providence beats Charlotte 6-3…Springfield clips Hartford 5-4 in overtime and Bridgeport beats Laval 4-2.

Standings: Lehigh  Valley (.681 percentage points) — Penguins (.651) — Providence (.627) — Charlotte (.570) — Bridgeport (.530) — Hartford (.509) — Springfield (.473) — Hershey (.466)

Wheeling Update: Nailers were shutout 5-0 up in Worcester.

If the Griffins put up video highlights I can find I will run them in this spot. I think the fact they didn’t GIF any goals means that probably won’t happen.

Pens are bussing four hours to the Central time zone to Rockford, Illinois for a 7 pm Wilkes-Barre time start with the IceHogs. Gameday setup hits the blog Saturday at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!