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Eric Hartzell is a name that Penguins fans will learn to know and learn to love in the future. The rookie goaltender making his first AHL start proved it tonight.

Bolstered by yet another strong third period, one that saw the Penguins score five goals and a 29 save performance by Hartzell.

The Penguins played an impotent 40 minutes of hockey and then come out gangbusters in the the third and absolutely steamrolled the St. John’s IceCaps and won 5-2 tonight in stunning fashion.

Eddie Pasquale vs. the aforementioned Eric Hartzell.

Zach Sill, Bobby Farnham and Nick D’Agostino were all back for the Penguins tonight so Denver Manderson, Cody Sylvester and Dustin Stevenson were scratched.

First Period: Not really much to write home about for the two teams. The most memorable thing that happened this period was something that didn’t happen for more than fifteen minutes. That was a shot by the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins. The first came with 4:35 left in the period. Hartzell kept the Pens in it. He had a goal waved off on him when it was ruled that it was deflected in by a kick from a St. John’s skate and not the stick.

Second Period: More Hartzell bailing out the Pens, this time on a 4:00 power play for the IceCaps, who took it to the Penguins early and often in the first two periods. Finally, Eric O’Dell would score his first of two on a rebound from a blast from the point that put the IceCaps ahead 1-0.

With the way the game had gone to this point, it looked like that was all the IceCaps needed to put away the Penguins.

Hold on though, we still have another period to play.

Third Period: Tom Kostopoulos got it started on the power play on a hack and whack job that tied the game. :29 later, Bobby Farnham does a falling down roof job that puts the Penguins ahead 2-1. Then J.C. Lipon gets a 5:00 major match penalty for a check to the head to Tom Kuhnhackl, who would be fine, but the Penguins were not able to convert.

The Pens left way too much time on the board though, as with just under 7 minutes to play the IceCaps would go to the power play and cash to tie the game at two. Eric O’Dell again.

But hold on. More time on the clock, game wasn’t over.

You like :29 apart for two goals? How about :17 apart for two goals! One by Andrew Ebbett on the power play and another on a shot off the wall from Zach Sill over the pad of Pasquale and in. After the game that Pasquale had played from Friday and into two periods Saturday, a terrible goal to give up by him.

Jayson Megna would cash in on an empty netter when Bobby Farnham does all the work but does everything but score and that was your ballgame.

Three Stars: 3) Tom Kostopoulos (goal, assist, even) 2) Bobby Farnham (goal, assist, +3) and 1) Eric Hartzell (29 saves on 31 shots)

The thing about Hartzell that I liked was that every time the Pens scored, he would skate up to the tunnel and glove tap the guys on the ice that scored. Here, like this…

Credit: Siena Slusser

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Around the Division: Hershey stops the Binghamton Senators seven game winning streak dropping them 5-2 in Hershey. The two teams rematch tomorrow. Syracuse is shutout 3-0 by the Hamilton Bulldogs up in Syracuse for their fourth loss in a row (0-3-0-1) and the Norfolk Admirals lose a lead late and lose in a shootout to the Portland Pirates 4-3 at Scope.

Standings: Penguins 26 — Binghamton 24 — Norfolk 22 — Syracuse 20 — Hershey 16

Conference: 1) MCH (29) 2) WBS (26) 3) SPR (25) 4) BNG (24) 5) ALB (23) 6) NOR (22) 7) SYR (20) 8) PRO (19)

Wheeling Update: Wheeling downs Fort Wayne in overtime, 5-4. Mike Ratchuk had two goals and two assists for the Nailers including the game winner. Anton Zlobin had a goal and an assist as well.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here. Worth checking out.

Edit: You can link to the SendToNews Package, or you can just watch below:

Pens off until a Thanksgiving Eve game in Glens Falls against the Phantoms. Blog wise, short of anything breaking Sunday will have the Week 8 AHL Power Rankings here Monday. Also, we are a game away from the quarter pole so that means First Quarter Grades are due. Look for those on Thanksgiving after the Adirondack game.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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St. John’s IceCaps goaltender Eddie Pasquale has been a thorn in the side of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins for some time now.

Dating back to 2012, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals agains these same IceCaps, Pasquale’s heroics in that series propelled the St. John’s IceCaps to a Eastern Conference Finals berth.

Tonight, it was the same magic.

Pasquale stops 31 of 32 and his St. John’s IceCaps squeak by the Penguins tonight 2-1. Rematch tomorrow.

Jeff Deslauriers vs. the aforementioned Eddie Pasquale

Lineup was pretty much the same from Wednesday. Bobby Farnham was eligible to return but did not. Zach Sill was sent down by Pittsburgh at around 5 and was snot in time for the game.

First Period: Pens came out and flew all around the ice and threw shots on net that Pasquale saved. Finally, Jayson Megna set up Harry Zolnierczyk on a pass that Zolnierczyk buried past Pasquale for the Pens only goal of the game. Later, after a successful penalty kill, Travis Ehrhardt zipped one past Deslauriers for a tie game.

Second Period: This period was where Pasquale shone brightly. The score could have been and should have been 5-1 Penguins if not for stellar, and I mean stellar saves by the IceCaps net minder. Especially shorthanded. It appeared that there was some kind of forcefield around the net that Pasquale guarded. I remember a sequence in particular where he stoned Jayson Megna and Harry Zolnierczyk on sure goals on the same shift.

Later, Patrice Cormier gets around Brian Dumoulin and puts one past Deslauriers to put the IceCaps out front for good.

Third Period: Tom Kostopoulous thinks he scores. I do too. Only problem is, he didn’t. Puck hits the top of the crossbar, straight down and not in. Referee Trent Knorr reviewed it on replay and confirmed what I just described.

More Pasquale saves. It was his night. Nothing was getting by him. Even with some power play time late and even a 5-on-3, the Pens were not able to get one by Pasquale.

Three Stars: 3) Travis Ehrhardt (goal, +1) 2) Patrice Cormier (goal, +1) and 1) Eddie Pasquale (31 saves on 32 shots)

Around the Division: Binghamton obliterates Adirondack 6-2 in my game to watch tonight. Norfolk fights back and wins in overtime 3-2 over the Portland Pirates down in Virginia and the Syracuse Crunch lose in Montreal to Hamilton 4-1. Hershey was off.

Standings: Binghamton 24 — Penguins 24 — Norfolk 21 — Syracuse 20 — Hershey 14

Conference: 1) MCH (27) 2) BNG (24) 3) SPR 23 4) WBS (24) 5) ALB (21) 6) NOR (21) 7) SYR (20) 8) PRO (19)

Wheeling Update: Nothing to say here, the Nailers were off.

SendToNews Highlights: For you Eddie Pasquale fans, I offer the following…

These two teams rematch tomorrow. Gameday for this will be up at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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Cody Sylvester has followed the track of Jayson Megna and Brian Gibbons in Pittsburgh.

That is, he scored in his “league up” debut. His goal turned out to be the game winner and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins hold off the Rochester Americans 3-1 and are in sole possession of first place in the East Division and have quietly won three in a row.

Jeff Deslauriers vs. Matt Hackett

Nick Drazenovic (injury) Peter Merth (injury) Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (injury) Nick D’Agostino (healthy scratch) and Bobby Farnham (suspension) were the Penguins out of the lineup. The aforementioned Cody Sylvester, along with Denver Manderson and Dustin Stevenson made their Penguins debuts.

First Period: Wilkes-Barre came out gangbusters to open the game and just smothered Rochester. There was one sequence where the Amerks attempted to clear out of their zone on three different occasions and were unable to due to the high Penguins pressure they encountered. Finally, after dominating much of the period, Tom Kostopoulos deflected a Scott Harrington point shot from the blue line home with under five seconds remaining.

Second Period: Wilkes-Barre would keep the pressure on the Americans early in the second. Jamie Tardif would turn a puck over and Cody Sylvester would score his first goal of the season for the Pens and first AHL goal with a nice wrist shot. Rochester would answer with a goal of its own with a goal by Kevin Porter on a power play. Then the Penguins started playing loose in their own end and started giving the Americans multiple chances at attempting to even the game but Jeff Deslauriers was up to the task.

Third Period: In a word, a snoozer. Pens dropped back and played defense and were wholly content with taking just three shots on goal while allowing Rochester seven. The most exciting thing to happen was this Jayson Megna empty netter, where he fends off two Rochester defenders.

Three Stars: 3) Cody Sylvester (game winning goal, +1) 2) Kevin Porter (goal, -2) and 1) Jeff Deslauriers (23 saves on 24 shots)

Around the Division: They all watched us.

Standings: Penguins 24 — Binghamton 22 — Syracuse 20 — Norfolk 19 — Hershey 14

Conference: 1) MCH (25) 2) WBS (24) 3) SPR 21 4) BNG 22 5) ALB (21) 6) SYR (20) 7) NOR (19) 8) HFD (18)

Wheeling Update: Nailers fall in a shootout in Reading 3-2. Zack Torquato had a goal and an assist in the game.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

But for breaking news Thursday, next blog update comes Friday at 3 p.m. for the St. John’s setup.

Let’s Go Pens!