Chirps from Center Ice

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From yesterday’s Bold Prediction that ran in Saturday morning’s Weekend Preview…

Nail biter and win against Laval Saturday and then a blow out win against a tired Lehigh Valley on Sunday. Come Monday there’s a line out the door at Abide for free coffees before the Monday morning workday begins.

A dominating performance by the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins who dispatch of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with a 5-1 win on Sunday afternoon on a goal and three assists from Tanner Howe, who jumped onto the top line with Joona Koppanen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, who also scored goals in a laugher of a hockey game that the Penguins were in control of from the drop.

A 7-1 Phantoms shot disparity to start the game? Didn’t matter.

Five penalties against? Killed them all.

Howe had a goal and two assists by the first intermission as the Penguins were in command 3-0. Joel Blomqvist had his shutout bid broken up with under two minutes to play in the third period when an Adam Ginning shot was tipped in by Zayde Wisdom. Blomqvist would make 30 saves.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: Apparently Avery Hayes was not an injury scratch, so read into that however you may. Zach Gallant replaced him. Scooter Brickey for Finn Harding on defense was the other change.

First Period: Gave some of the action away in the paragraphs above, so let’s roll from there.

Phantoms had the first two power plays of the game killed.

Joona Koppanen opens the scoring with a nice feed from Tanner Howe, then Chase Pietila answers after a gong show performance in goal from Carson Bjarnason, then Howe is rewarded with a goal via tap in and Wilkes-Barre was off to the races…

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Second Period: Aidan McDonough scores his fourth goal in as many games at least, this time on the power play and it’s a 4-0 lead…

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Enjoy that free coffee at Abide tomorrow, tell them Donzo sent you.

Lehigh Valley was getting frustrated with the officiating, trying to rope in the Penguins, but cooler heads prevailed on the side of the home team.

Third Period: Howe would secondarily assist on a Harvey-Pinard tap in goal as he and Joona Koppanen continued to produce and it’s 5-0 Penguins…

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Only question as time dwindled would be would the Phantoms be shutout and Zayde Wisdom ensured that answer would be no.

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The hand / eye coordination to tip a shot zipping at you with your stick in traffic, on ice on skates is something I will always be in awe of.

Three Stars: 3) Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (goal, two assists) 2) Joona Koppanen (goal, two assists) 1) Tanner Howe (goal, three assists)

The Good: Do not, under any circumstances, break up that line if you are Kirk MacDonald. He found money here.

The Bad: Blomqvist was robbed a star of the game because his team let one in on him. It’s nitpicking.

Turning Point: The Howe goal in the first gets it here because maybe you can chip away at a 2-0 lead. The Phantoms were doing all they could to beat Blomqvist, the Penguins would just transition the other way and score. You wish they were all this easy.

Around the Division: Providence loses 4-2 to Springfield….Charlotte needs a shootout to beat Hartford 2-1.

Standings: Providence 99 – Penguins 90 – Charlotte 83 – Hershey 65 – Bridgeport 64 – Springfield 62 – Lehigh Valley 62 – Hartford 56

Wheeling Update: Nailers win again over Worcester and are playoff bound. 4-1 win there.

Video Highlights: 

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Have a great week. I will be back here Friday morning with the Weekend Preview setting up the home and home with these very Phantoms starting Friday in Wilkes-Barre.

Let’s Go Pens!