Chirps from Center Ice

 vs.

4                                   5

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They are going to drag this out to the bitter end.

Or maybe it’s just the luck of the Irish on this St. Patrick’s Day.

After going down 3-0 in the first period, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins pull themselves up from their bootstraps and comeback to win 5-4 in a shootout over visiting Rochester.

Full credit to them. They could have packed it in and said the hell with it. But a Jonathan Gruden goal off a deflection of a Mitch Reinke shot got them on the board late in the first period. After playing better in the second period they use the power play to get to within one on a Drake Caggiula slam dunk then ride a :19 span where Peter DiLiberatore and Justin Addamo score to tie and then take the lead, respectively.

But then Jeremy Davies scores a couple minutes later to re-tie the game to force overtime, which solves nothing. In the shootout, Ty Glover scores in the top of the second and starting goaltender Dustin Tokarski turns away all three Rochester shooters to win the game for the Penguins.

Character win if there ever was one. Bridgeport beat Saturday’s opponent Syracuse to maintain their seven point lead over the Penguins for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic, however, but a loss tonight would essentially end all hopes of playoffs. Seven is a lot of ground to make up, but is still (hypothetically) doable.

Let’s run through the lineup, the goals then get out of here.

Rochester didn’t post lines. I don’t know what’s up with Mark Friedman. Pittsburgh is carrying like 100 defensemen, so if it’s a recall we won’t find out till Saturday.

Pens came out flying in the first but it’s Jiri Kulich who sneaks behind the defense and scores on Rochester’s fourth shot of the game.

Mitch Reinke coasting there.

Then Mason Jobst scores one he receives a cross ice pass to make it 2-0.

That’s Reinke again and his defense partner Josh Maniscalco pretending it’s Halloween and dressing up like traffic cones as the competition just races past them.

I don’t know what Taylor Fedun is doing here. He leaves his spot to help out, which opens up space in transition which sets up Malone for the goal.

Pens on the board.

Mitch Reinke had a mercurial game, that’s for sure.

Second period. Here, I’ll let my tweets set it up.

:13 later, Drake Caggiula, with stick in hand, scores.

Now, late in the third period with Wilkes-Barre still pressuring Peter DiLiberatore, who actually has been a bit of a bright spot for the Penguins since the trade, scores to tie the game at three each.

:19 later, Justin Addamo.

I mean you can’t give a guy that big a path to the net that easy.

But then Jeremy Davies scores to re-tie the game because we just can’t win the game in regulation.

Nothing doing in overtime so it’s off to the shootout.

Just noticed something…

They didn’t skate on green ice tonight but from the color from this picture it would look like they did.

Justin Addamo (goal), Drake Caggiula (goal, assist) and Ty Glover (game winning shootout goal) were your three stars in that order.

Bridgeport beats Syracuse 5-2 in really the only game that matters for the Penguins at this point in the season. Wilkes-Barre is in Syracuse Saturday night. More then. Highlights will be edited in later if I get back around to a computer any time soon.

Let’s Go Pens!