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Say what you want, the Pens were tired.

Syracuse has played only its second game in the past nine days. The Penguins have played four games in the last seven games with two of those seven being elimination games.

If I tell you, Sunday night at 11 p.m. that the series would be tied heading back to Wilkes-Barre, do you hug me or punch me?

Actually, don’t answer that.

The Penguins lose Game 2 tonight 3-2 and continue their futility in the second game on the road, now 3-13 in Game 2s on opponents ice.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre.

Brad Thiessen vs. Cedrick Desjardins — no lineup changes either way for either team.

First Period: Blitzkrieg period by the Crunch, who outshot the Penguins 15-1 and went up 1-0 on the scoreboard on a Dan Sexton power play goal.

Second Period: More pressure by the Crunch. Matt Taormina scores a goal in a pile to make it 2-0 Crunch. I think shots were 22-2 Crunch at this point. Then, Philip Samuelsson was hooked and the Pens were on the power play. Joey Mormina wastes no time. 2-1 Crunch. Riley Holzapfel nearly tied the game but fanned on an open net. 

For some reason, the Syracuse Crunch became very frustrated with the Penguins, as they would take silly penalty after silly penalty. The Pens would get a power play again.

Hold your horses. The Crunch have the most shorthanded goals this postseason. Dimitry Korobov lights the lamp to make it 3-1 Crunch. Truly a backbreaking gaol for the Penguins and likely the turning point in the game. 

More frustration though by the Crunch, as Tyler Johnson butt ends Joey Mormina and gets an automatic 4:00 double minor. However, at the end of the second, Brian Gibbons would take a penalty.

Third Period: Tyler Johnson and Chad Kolarik go knee on knee. Kolarik returns. Johnson does not. Possible game changer in the series, especially if Johnson’s injury is serious as he is an important part of what the Crunch are about.

Riley Holzapfel scores a goal late. That would be all the offense the Penguins would muster. 

Three Stars: 3) Dan Sexton (goal, even) 2) Dmitry Korobov (goal, even) and 1) Ondrej Palat (assist, +2)

Syracuse looked frustrated despite dominating the Penguins. Desjardins has been pedestrian thus far. The Pens looked worn down. Again, I am running to Wednesday with a series split. What is the status with Tyler Johnson’s knee? Expect a dogfight Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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If I am a Crunch fan, this is a bad loss.

I’m not a Crunch fan, I am a Penguin fan and this win was a necessity.

You are not winning this series if you are Wilkes-Barre down 0-2.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins hand the Syracuse Crunch their first loss of the post season, and first loss for a Tampa Bay affiliate in playoffs since May 7, 2012 with a 4-2 win and now have home ice advantage in the series.

Two goals by Alex Grant, a goal from Trevor Smith and an unlikely goal for Christiaan Minella proved to be too much for the Crunch, who beat goaltender Brad Thiessen twice only on goals when he was screened.

The aforementioned Brad Thiessen vs. Cedrick Desjardins.

Lineup Notes: Christiaan Minella was in for Jayson Megna who, per radio, will be unlikely to play Game 2 and is questionable at best to play in the series. Bobby Farnham is off of the injured list but is is probably not going to play tomorrow. Dylan Reese did not play.

First Period: Penguins could not clear the D zone. Really dangerous moments for the Penguins in this regard. Suddenly, Alex Grant scores a goal to put the Pens up 1-0. This was the first shot on goal for the Penguins and the first time the Crunch trailed in any game in the playoffs since Game 3 of Round One in the Portland series. More dangerous D zone non-clears by the Pens. The fourth line for the Pens was huge this period and for the game overall. Then, Brendan Mikkelson scored through a screen to even the score at one.

The next shift, Radko Gudas boards a Penguin. Wilkes-Barre would set up, go tic tac toe, and Trevor Smith would push the Pens back to the lead 2-1. An answer goal to answer all answer goals.

Second Period: Joey Mormina takes a delay of game penalty. MVP Tyler Johnson picks a spot and it’s a tie game again. Warren Peters, I guess mad at the initial call on Mormina or mad that the Crunch scored, took a slashing call and the Crunch were back on the power play as soon as they dropped the puck to resume play after the Johnson goal. Pens kill it.

Remember that fourth line I was talking about earlier? They came up huge again. Dominik Uher chases a puck down into the Pens zone on a Crunch player. Christiaan Minella slaps down a clearing bid, finds himself alone with Desjardins and scores to make it 3-2 Pens. Backbreaking goal to give up for Syracuse. They’ve hemmed the Pens in their zone all night, battle back to even the score at two and let the Wilkes-Barre fourth line outwork them and score a goal.

Pens felt it, too. They were honing in on another goal. After some power play exchanges, Alex Grant steps into his second goal of the night to put the Pens up 4-2 heading into the…

Third Period: Pens played a solid defensive period. Knowing they were up two goals on an offensively dangerous Syracuse Crunch team, Wilkes-Barre took no chances defensively and rode that to a 1-0 lead in the series.

Three Stars: 3) Brendan Mikkelson (goal, +1) 2) Trevor Smith (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Alex Grant (two goals, +1)

Game 2 is right back here Sunday night in Syracuse.

Gameday for that proceeding will be up Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!

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It is rare that I ever reference my real job here on the blog or anywhere in social media.

I’ll remember the following exchange with one of my supervisors for the rest of my life.

After losing last Wednesday, 2-1 in overtime and facing a potential sweep by the regular season champion Providence Bruins on Friday, he pokes his head into my office. Here’s how it went:

Him: “So how did the (Wilkes-Barre / Scranton)** Penguins do last night?”
Me: “Lost 2-1 in overtime, are down 0-3 in the series”
Him: “Don’t worry, it’ll just make coming back from down three games all the more sweeter.”

At first I laughed off his prophecy.

There’s a reason he has a corner office and I, a simple row one.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have made history tonight.

Never before in AHL history, with a team down 0-3 in a series, has a club rattled off four straight wins with the fourth and final one coming on the road.

It happened tonight.

The Penguins win this game 5-0 and are off to play the Syracuse Crunch for the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the Calder Cup Final.

While a tremendously historic feat, one that may not be accomplished for another 70+ years of AHL history, I am even keel as I sit and write this postgame blog recap.

Calder Cup or get out of my face. If the Penguins get dismissed by the Crunch next round or in the Cup Finals, the fact that the Penguins did what they did tonight will be nothing but a footnote to whoever it is that wins the Calder Cup this year.

Tom Grace had a quote on Brad Thiessen I shared on Twitter. It went like this:

Tom Grace on the play of Brad Thiessen: “He is not in the head of the Bruins, he is performing brain surgery.”

— Jason Iacona (@nafsnep) May 23, 2013

Thiessen’s numbers? .986 save percentage, 0.70 goals against. Two shutouts, 177 saves on 181 shots.

After falling behind three games to none, Wilkes-Barre outscored the Bruins 14-2 the rest of the way.

Something magical is brewing, pardon the obvious pun.

The Penguins did their damage in the second period of this game.

With the score tied 0-0 at the end of twenty minutes and the Penguins being outshot 11-5 by the Bruins, the Penguins opened the second period and quickly found themselves on a power play.

Chad Kolarik takes three shots at goaltender Niklas Svedberg. His initial offering is blocked, he side steps a defender, shoots, collects his own rebound and puts it past a fallen Svedberg for a 1-0 lead.

Later, the Penguins would score on three consecutive shots. The first being a Joey Mormina point shot through a crowd that Warren Peters gets a stick on for a 2-0 lead. Then Adam Payerl snaps a drop pass home for a 3-0 Penguins lead. Prior to this, a Chris Collins centering bid by Brian Gibbons almost made it 3-0 but the Penguins were on the come regardless. Then Dominik Uher, in for Dylan Reese and making his series debut, chips a puck out of the defensive zone and up ice. He dumps it deep, centers to Payerl who drops to Zach Sill who makes it 4-0 Penguins.

At this point the rout was on.

Providence would come out in the third with Michael Hutchinson in goal but it would not matter. The Pens would drop back into full on prevent defense. To the Bruins credit, they threw everything they had at Thiessen, but could not get one past him. Trevor Smith scores late on a drop pass by Chad Kolarik to make it 5-0 to ice it.

Mentioned on radio that Head Coach John Hynes broke down every single shift (emphasis added) from Game 6. Adjustments were made and there is the result.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals open Saturday in Syracuse.

Content wise, the preview for that series will be up Friday at noon.

The schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals looks like this:

Eastern Conference Finals – Series “M” (best-of-7)
3-Syracuse Crunch vs. 5-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Game 1 – Sat., May 25 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 2 – Sun., May 26 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 29 – Syracuse at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Game 4 – Fri., May 31 – Syracuse at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sat., June 1 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 6 – Mon., June 3 – Syracuse at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 7 – Wed., June 5 – W-B/Scranton at Syracuse, 7:00

*if necessary… All times Eastern

I wanted Norfolk last year. That did not happen obviously with the defeat in Game 7 last year to the St. John’s IceCaps, who were swept by the Admirals and went on to win the Calder Cup. That Admirals team reincarnated into this years Syracuse Crunch team who won the East Division and have not lost in the postseason yet this year. I finally have what I wished for last year standing right in front of me, eye to eye.

We have a few days to break it all down. Celebrate the history tonight. We have more games to win.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

** – he used that word I detest.