Chirps from Center Ice

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After getting pasted by their blood rival and the reigning back-to-back Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears on Wednesday, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins complete a masterclass of a game on all sides of strategy and win 6-2 in Hartford Saturday night.

They scored a pair of power play goals and two shorthanded goals. Now yeah, one of them was on an empty net, but the fact remains that the special teams was on point, and it feels good to be on the winning side of a game where special teams carries the day.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Hartford didn’t and doesn’t post lines.

Lineup Notes: Raivis Ansons in for Marc Johnstone up front. No changes on defense.

Wheeling Transactions: Justin Lee was sent down to the Nailers and G Jaxon Castor was called up and signed to a PTO. The ECHL has weird roster rules. Castor is here kind of in storage, there’s no injury to any goaltenders, just the Nailers needed to make a move and that was the move.

Don’t ask me to explain ECHL roster rules.

First Period: Penguins had a sluggish start Wednesday at home against the Hershey Bears, but that was not the case at all in the first period in Hartford.

Valtteri Puustinen scored a pair of power play goals and Joona Koppanen scored with. :14 left after a shot from Nikolai Knyzhov was blocked, rebound back to him, shot again and tipped in by Koppanen.

Here’s the goals…

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Tristan Broz is the Penguins best player right now. Go back and watch that second goal and that touch Broz had on the pass to Puustinen for the goal.

Shots were 12-8 for the Penguins heading into the…

Second Period: Hartford would find the back of the net and the teddy bears would fly as it was their Teddy Bear Toss night. Bryce McConnell-Barker would score and the fur flew.

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After the short break to clean up the teddy bears, the Penguins would score their third period play goal of the evening when Vasily Ponomarev would score that made it 4-1.

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Nice hand / eye coordination there.

Then Hartford would find t themselves on 1:50 of two man advantage time and they would connect for a goal when Jake Leschyshyn scored to cut the Penguins lead in half.

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Wolf Pack would outshoot the Penguins 11-5 in the period. The Penguins, despite scoring a power play goal in the period, were a bit on their heels in that frame.

Third Period: Hartford had a golden opportunity to get back into the game when ex-Wolf Packer Mac Hollowell was called for a double minor for roughing. Hartford power play.

Here comes Vasily Ponomarev…

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And off the rush as well. They were dogged on the puck all night, especially on the special teams.

The Penguins had a power play late but couldn’t score.

Hartford had desperation set in and were on the power play late but Ponomarev scored on the empty net left by Louis Domingue and scored his hat trick.

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Seems like a cheap way to get the second shorthanded goal of the night as well as a hat trick, but as I stated at the top, it’s a good feeling being in the winning side of a game like this.

Three Stars: 3) Filip Kral (three assists) 2) Valtteri Puustinen (two goals, assist) 1) Vasily Ponomarev (three goals, assist)

The Good: Just a complete domination on special teams for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Saturday, getting four goals.

The Bad: I didn’t particularly like their second period effort, but the special teams get them across the line Saturday and that’s all that matters.

Turning Point: Ponomarev’s first shorthanded goal in the third period iced this for the. Penguins. If the Wolf Pack score to make it 4-3, it’s a different ballgame and the momentum begins to shift. It didn’t happen thanks to the Penguins aggressiveness on the puck while down a man.

Around the Division: Providence beats Bridgeport 6-3….Springfield beats Rockford 2-1….Rochester shuts out Charlotte 3-0….Hershey and Lehigh Valley went to overtime and a Chase Priskie goal gives the Bears a win with :21 left to play and a 3-2 win for the Bears.

Standings: Hershey 35 – Penguins Thunderbirds and Checkers 25 – Hartford and Lehigh Valley 23 – Providence 22 – Bridgeport 14

Wheeling Update: Nailers score their tenth win in a row with a 3-0 win Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati. Taylor Gauthier stopped 17 shots, Jagger Joshua had a goal as well as Justin Lee, fresh off his reassignment and Matty De St. Phalle. The Nailers return home to host the Reading Royals at 4:10 on Sunday.

Video Highlights: I still don’t see them and if they have to catch a bus to Providence, I doubt they will be up any time soon.

Back at it Sunday at 3 in Providence. More then.

Let’s Go Pens!