Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Sunday Scaries – Pens WIN 5-1

Leave a comment Posted by on January 26, 2025

Quick one today because of you have followed along for any amount of time you realize that I detest with the fire of a thousand suns Sunday games. I can tolerate road games easier then I can home games (not having to negotiate crowds, etc) but still detest the concept. I’d make a terrible Hershey Bears fan, they love their 5 o’clock starts on Sundays. They are crazy. 

Anyway, Emil Bemstrom’s hat trick and the Penguins three power play goals are enough to sail past the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Sunday afternoon. Penguins inch closer and use a game in hand on Hershey to pick up two points on the Bears after a 5-1 win.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Owen Pickering, assigned Friday because he was the only waiver exempt non-goaltender on the roster, went down and Boko Imama went up. He replaced Colton Poolman from Saturday. Up front, Jesse Puljujarvi was out for Marc Johnstone. I’ve been generally underwhelmed by Puljujarvi, so that was a wash. 

First Period: Wilkes-Barre blitzkrieged the Phantoms to the tune of three goals, while Tristan Jarry only had to face five Phantoms shots and didn’t let the first one he saw go in. Progress.

Emil Bemstrom slammed home a Boris Katchouk pass on the near side to give the Pens an early 1-0 lead at 11:36. 

Under two minutes later, Avery Hayes comes flying down the near side, cuts to the net and digs Alexei Kolosov out, dekes him and roofs it to make it 2-0. 

Hayes is a fellow you want to get going. You accomplish that, this team is unbeatable. 

Late, Ethan Samson cross checks Corey Andonovski right in front of referee Jake Kamrass. Penguins power play. Mac Hollowell squeaks in a goal with two seconds left on the clock to give the Penguins a 3-0 lead. 

Here’s all the goals. Writing this on the fly, hope they all go through. 

Second Period: Avery Hayes was awarded an early penalty shot when a Phantoms covered the puck in the crease in an early scramble. He made a good move but Alexei Kolosov got a pad on it. That would be a theme of the period.

Ville Koivunen would get run over (legally) by Hunter McDonald and Boris Katchouk stepped up and fought McDonald. Katchouk would pick up 2-5-10 and the Phantoms got a long power play.

That thing I said about Kolosov’s pad? He stopped a Marc Johnstone setup and pass to Jonathan Gruden with the pad. Just a straight up robbery and then in the immediate rush up ice the other way, Cooper Marody scored to put the Phantoms on the board.

Hard to believe that was Marody’s first of the season, but Sunday was just his third game of the season and he’s been dealing with injury.

Third Period: It’s good when you have a power play that’s effective.

With the Phantoms still hanging around down two, Wilkes-Barre goes on a power play with seven minutes remaining. Thought here is that if the Penguins get one here, it’s over.

Emil Bemstrom is inevitable.

Phantoms take a late delay of game penalty and you think that the Penguins would send a bunch of guys out there to get power play work who aren’t regulars.

Wrong.

Bemstrom again, for the hat trick, scores to ice it away as if the game wasn’t already sealed.

Three Stars: 3) Avery Hayes (goal) 2) Ville Koivunen (four assists) 1) Emil Bemstrom (three goals, assist)

The Good: Power play went 3/4 (they had a brief :03 one if you want to count that) and that’s what got them the win. You do that and you win more than you lose.

The Bad: Would have been nice to see Jarry get the shutout, but it’s nitpicking.

Turning Point: The second goal Bemstrom goal gets it here. It’s 4-1 and there’s no way you come back from that unless you collapse.

Around the Division: Hey the AHL has a functioning website again! Hooray! Springfield hosted Hartford and Providence hosted Laval. The Rocket beat the Bruins in overtime 3-2 and Springfield beats Hartford 4-2.

Standings: Hershey 57 – Providence 51 – Charlotte 49 – Penguins 48 – Phantoms 46 – Springfield 42 – Hartford 39 – Bridgeport 24.

Wheeling Update: Nailers in their third contest of the weekend with the Kansas City Mavericks. That one started a little later then the Penguins game. Here’s the box.

Video Highlights:

Bad enough I had a Sunday game to go to but I have a busy Monday so the AHL Power Rankings will likely be delayed to late Monday, possibly Tuesday. Check them out then.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

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