Chirps from Center Ice

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

Category Archives: WBS

Cool like Kolarik – Pens WIN 3-2 (OT) (WBS leads 1-0)

Comments Off on Cool like Kolarik – Pens WIN 3-2 (OT) (WBS leads 1-0) Posted by on April 27, 2013

WBS          @          button_bng200

3                                                   2

–

Other teams hate him. Says he’s too flashy. Celebrates too much.

He scores goals. He plays for the Penguins. Go ahead, try and stop him.

I am talking about Chad Kolarik, who scored two goals tonight for the Penguins including the overtime game winner, as the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins go on to beat the Binghamton Senators 3-2 in overtime in this best of five series.

Game 2 is tomorrow afternoon at 5:05. The second game in a five game series is the most important one in the series. The series comes back to Wilkes-Barre with the Pens up two games to none or split with new life for the B-Sens.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Nathan Lawson – Cody Wild took warmups but he and Chris Collins were among the regulars scratched.

First Period: The Penguins jumped out of the gate and controlled every aspect of the game. B-Sens would get the puck in, a defender is there to take it off him and it’s back out. Puck possession. Puck possession. Puck possession. Brian Dumoulin passes to Brian Gibbons who taps it past Lawson to make it 1-0 Pens. Gibbons was everywhere early. B-Sens don’t register a shot on goal until 5:54 remaining in the period. Then, the Pens force a turnover behind Lawson’s net, find Kolarik who cuts to the slot and snipes it home for a 2-0 lead. B-Sens late and on a power play score when Penguin killer Shane Prince backhands a shot past Zatkoff to bring things to 2-1.

Second Period: Pens looked to have all the momentum when they find themselves on a 5×3 with 1:28 but three seconds later it gores to 4×3 when Derek Nesbitt high sticks a B-Sen off the ensuing faceoff. No dice with the penalties. Penguins continued puck possession.

Taking this to a second paragraph. The puck possession I talked about earlier? Gone. Shifted completely over to the Binghamton side like the teams were on a see saw. They had every bit of the chances and it was a matter of time before they scored and sure enough Mark Stone forechecks Philip Samuelsson backwards and takes the puck from him and scores to tie it. Absolutely back breaking goal at the time.

Third Period: Pens bend but don’t break. Both club gets a chance on the power play. The Brian Gibbons Breakaway of the Game™ was seen but Lawson made the save. On to…..

Overtime: Zatkoff with some unreal saves. Kolarik ends it from the top of the slot.

Three Stars: 3) Nathan Lawson (30 saves on 33 shots) 2) Jeff Zatkoff (34 saves on 36 shots) and 1) Chad Kolarik (2 goals, +2)

Have worried that the goal scorers that we have would ball up and fade away like last season but Trevor Smith had two assists, Riley Holzapfel had an assist and Kolarik two goals. Derek Nesbitt chipped in with an assist too. One game does not a playoffs make.

Game 2 is at 5:05 tomorrow. Gameday for that is up at 1 p.m.

One final note before I go, Beau Bennett was scratched in Pittsburgh’s final regular season game. Will he be sent back to get playoff action? Time will tell.

Get ready for Binghamton’s best tomorrow.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 1: Binghamton Senators

1 Comment Posted by on April 27, 2013

@ 2012_BNG

–

–

Eastern Conference Quarterfinal – Game 1

AHL Game: D1

Who: Binghamton Senators

Where: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena

When: 7:05 p.m.

Series: Tied 0-0 (best of five)

Media Kit

Season Series: Oct 13: WBS 1 @ BNG 2 — Nov 7: BNG 0 @ WBS 1 (SO) — Dec 14: BNG 3 @ WBS 1 — Dec 19: WBS 3 @ BNG 4 — Jan 4: WBS 1 @ BNG 3 — Jan 9: BNG 3 @ WBS 1 — Feb 12: BNG 5 @ WBS 1 — Feb 16: WBS 5 @ BNG 2 — Mar 27: BNG 2 @ WBS 4 — Mar 30: WBS 3 @ BNG 2 (SO)

Top four scorers for the Penguins vs. the Senators: 1. Trevor Smith (10 GP, 6-3-9, +1) 2. Chad Kolarik (4 GP, 3-5-8, even) 3. Riley Holzapfel (10 GP, 0-5-5, -3) 4. Brian Gibbons (9 GP, 2-2-4, -3)

Top four scorers for the Senators vs. the Penguins: 1. Hugh Jessiman (10 GP, 4-2-6, +5) 2. Shane Prince (9 GP, 4-1-5, +3) 3. Stephane Da Costa (6 GP, 1-4-5, even) 4. Corey Cowick (10 GP, 1-3-4, -4)

What to Watch For: Special teams. The B-Sens led the AHL in shorthanded goals for. For the Penguins, success on the power play is key.

Referees: Darcy Burchell / Keith Kaval

Linesmen: Jim Harper / Jud Ritter

Twitter: @wbspenguins / @BSens_Hockey

Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // /binghamtonsenators

Beat Writers: @CVBombulie / @PSBSens

Broadcasters: WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / BNG: Grady Whittenburg @BSensRadio and Bob Howard @PPPShow

Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep

Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For Binghamton: Big 107.5

Television: AHL Live

When is Game 2?: Tomorrow night, April 28, at 5:05 from Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

Gameday

Penguins / B-Sens Series Preview

Comments Off on Penguins / B-Sens Series Preview Posted by on April 26, 2013

Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 6.16.54 PM

—

The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most frustrating time of the year.

For the eleventh straight season, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs. With the amount of roster turnover that goes on year to year, team to team, making playoffs eleven consecutive times as a minor league hockey franchise is a remarkable achievement.

For these Penguins, its been ten years in and ten years out with no Calder Cup. Meanwhile Hershey, Norfolk and the opponent in our way in Binghamton have all lifted the championship trophy in recent years. The Penguins started off the season with a strong lineup and fine-tuned as the season wore on with the additions of Chad Kolarik and Derek Nesbitt. The journey begins tomorrow night in Binghamton and hopefully ends in June with a party.

But before we let visions of grandeur enter into our psyche too vividly, there is a series to breakdown.

The Penguins open the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs Saturday night on the Southern Tier of New York vs. a Binghamton Senators team which defied expectations all season long. The B-Sens have used the term “pesky” to describe themselves and played their way to a 4 seed and nearly snuck up on the East Division Champion Syracuse Crunch.

The Penguins went 4-6 vs. their closest rival this season but some of that is obscured by the NHL lockout that ended in January. Goaltender Robin Lehner was called up to Ottawa shortly after the labor strife ended peacefully and then the Penguins started having success. Lehner is not available for Binghamton this go around.

And now it’s time for the breakdown:

Forwards:

The B-Sens have three rookies in Mark Stone, Shane Prince and Cole Schneider who are among the top five in scoring for the team. Their best players are first year guys who are going to be experiencing Calder Cup playoffs for the very first time.

Wilkes-Barre has Chad Kolarik, Trevor Smith, Riley Holzapfel and Derek Nesbitt which pace the team in points. Nesbitt was a late add and only has a game with the team. Smith, who won a Calder Cup last year with the Norfolk Admirals centers Kolarik and Holzapfel.

The Penguins are the lowest scoring team in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Penguins look like a one line team on paper. Shutdown one or two of the top line if you are Binghamton and you have a good chance of winning.

Advantage: Binghamton

Defense:

Both teams play stingy defense and were both in the top five in goals allowed. Wilkes-Barre has allowed the fewest goals in all the AHL and that defense has flat out won games for the Penguins this season.

Advantage: Push

Goaltending:

The Penguins have Brad Thiessen and Jeff Zatkoff, winners of the Hap Holmes award for fewest goals allowed. Yes, the defense for the Penguins has been the best all year long in the League but the duo of Zatkoff and Thiessen have been better.

Binghamton has Nathan Lawson and Marc Chevrie. Pens fans may remember Lawson from the Bridgeport series a few years ago. Lawson has been dealing with an injury this week and has not practiced. The backup to Chevrie is Scott Greenham, who has played 11:00 of AHL hockey in mop up duty Sunday.

Advantage: Penguins

Intangibles:

John Hynes is the winningest coach in Penguins history. Luke Richardson some say is the primary reason why the B-Sens are where they are. Coaching advantage goes to Hynes slightly, only because the Pens have been to and have had success in the Calder Cup Playoffs with him at the helm in the past. The B-Sens and Penguins won’t be putting on any clinics on how to score on the power play, both teams were in the bottom third in the League in this category. To make up for this, the Penguins have been at the top of the penalty kill all season long and the B-Sens are top ten. Special teams may be a push, but could slide to either side as the series goes on.

Social Media Coverage:

For the Penguins…

Twitter: @WBSPenguins
Radio: @MikeOBrienWBS // @TGracePens
Beat: @CVBombulie
Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins
Fan Blogger: @nafsnep

For the B-Sens…

Twitter: @BSens_Hockey
Radio: @BSensRadio // @PPPShow
Beat: @PSBSens
Facebook: /binghamtonsenators
Front Office: @KateKrenzer

Prediction: Penguins in four. The Penguins have to get the advantage in the series early because the longer that the “pesky” B-Sens stick around the more dangerous they become. I don’t think anyone in Wilkes-Barre wants to see this series go the distance.

Gameday setup for Game 1 drops tomorrow at 3 p.m.

The AHL, WBS

Fourth Quarter Grades

1 Comment Posted by on April 22, 2013

The Penguins concluded the 2012-2013 regular season with a 3-1 loss to the Manchester Monarchs at home on Saturday night. They have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs for an eleventh straight season. They are the five seed and will face off against the Binghamton Senators.

But before we look ahead to the future, it’s time to pass out grades for the final time this season.

The Penguins finished 12-6-1 in the fourth and final quarter, which included a seven game win streak and undoubtedly sealed the Penguins fate for the playoff push.

Here is a look at each player who participated in the 19 games:

Forwards

Chris Collins — (15 GP, 1-3-4, -2) — With the acquisition of Derek Nesbitt at the trade deadline, may be odd man out for the playoff run. In the fifteen games he appeared in, didn’t set the world afire, but held his own. Grade: C

Bobby Farnham — (19 GP, 1-4-5, even) — Plays with an edge. Sometimes goes over the top. Will get under your skin both on and off the ice. He needs to continue to walk that razor thin line in order for the Penguins to succeed. Grade: C+

Brian Gibbons — (19 GP, 1-8-9, -4) — When I sat down and started working out these numbers, was disappointed in what I saw from Gibbons for the quarter. I expected more. However, you do notice him game to game and normally not for bad things, so there’s that. Grade: B-

Riley Holzapfel — (19 GP, 5-11-16, +1) — Top line player was a huge part in the surge to get into the playoffs. Obviously you hope that the trend continues all the way till June. Grade: A

Chad Kolarik — (18 GP, 11-10-21, +2) — Teams best player for the entire season, even though he didn’t start the season in Wilkes-Barre. (traded by Connecticut for Benn Ferriero) Got close to the AHL scoring lead, but fell short. Grade: A+

Jayson Megna — (18 GP, 2-2-4, -5) — Gives me headaches watching him play. Yet night after night he is there in the lineup. Has the worst +/- on the team for the quarter. Grade: C-

Adam Payerl — (19 GP, 1-2-3, even) — Has become a third / fourth line staple. Not a liability. Although, some nights he’s barely noticed. Good thing? Grade: C+

Warren Peters — (19 GP, 2-3-5, +3) — Numbers aren’t anything to write home about, but if the AHL kept faceoff statistics would probably be tops in the League. Grade: B

Zach Sill — (19 GP, 2-2-4, -1) — Is the heart of the team. If he returns next season, is a front runner for the “C” if Mormina doesn’t return. Grade: B

Trevor Smith — (18 GP, 6-10-16, +6) — Found a home on the top line centering Holzapfel and Kolarik. A line which will be relied on heavily to score in the postseason. He knows what it takes to win a Calder Cup. Let’s hope he hasn’t forgotten. Grade: A

Paul Thompson — (19 GP, 5-1-6, even) — Back from injury from early in the season. Team missed Thompson when he was out. Has heated up of late. You want him to get hot and stay hot. Grade: B+

Dominik Uher — (14 GP, 3-0-3, even) — I love this kid. Plays sound hockey. Surprised everyone scoring all of his points in Newfoundland. If he can chip in offensively here and there in the postseason, we all will be happy. Grade: B

Defensemen

Brian Dumoulin — (19 GP, 2-6-8, +2) — Has improved significantly from the beginning of the season. Played a great fourth quarter for the most part. Grade: B

Alex Grant — (19 GP, 2-10-12, -4) — May be playing for a job next season. Flourishes on the power play. Has maybe been the lone bright spot on the struggling power play this season. Grade: B-

Joey Mormina — (19 GP, 1-5-5, -3) — The Captain. Numbers don’t reflect how much of an important piece he is to the defensive corps and the overall success of the team. Grade: B+

Joe Morrow — (8 GP, 1-2-3, -4) — Morrow was moved at the trade deadline to the Dallas organization where he is now with the Texas Stars. He was a pawn in the trade for Brenden Morrow, a result of Pittsburgh having many defensemen. Grade: Withdrawn

Dylan Reese — (19 GP, 4-5-9, +3) — Best all around defenseman for the Penguins. Has played consistently like this all season long. Grade: A

Philip Samuelsson (19 GP, 0-1-1, even) — Won most improved player at Team Awards Night. I will go ahead and endorse that. Hasn’t been a liability, that’s all you really can ask for. Grade: B-

Cody Wild — (6 GP, 0-2-2, +2) — Because Joe Morrow got traded away, Wild gets to play. Hardly a liability. Has been here before, skating with the Penguins last season. Grade: C+

Goaltenders

Brad Thiessen — Appeared in seven games, posting a 4-2-1 record with a 3.10 GAA and a 0.890 save percentage. Will probably back up Zatkoff in playoffs and may be looking for a new employer next season. Not knocking Thiessen, just saying that he has not played like the #3 goaltender in the Pittsburgh organization for two seasons now. Grade: B

Jeff Zatkoff — Appeared in thirteen games, posting an 8-4 record with a 2.01 GAA and a 0.920 save percentage. Saddle up, we are riding Zatkoff to the promised land. Grade: A

The “five or under” Club

Not grading here, simply acknowledging the players who appeared in five or less games in the quarter.

Beau Bennett — (4 GP, 0-3-3, -3) — Depending on health of the Pittsburgh forward corps, Bennett may be gone totally. Is currently playing in Pittsburgh like he never wants to get sent back to Wilkes-Barre.

Robert Bortuzzo — (3 GP, 0-1-1, +2) — A bit troubling that Bortuzzo’s, +/- is higher in three games than it is for four Penguins defensemen who played the whole quarter. But that may be why Bortuzzo has graduated to the NHL.

Steve MacIntyre — (3 GP, 0-0-0, even) — Baddest man in hockey. Only question is whether he returns next season, retires or goes elsewhere.

Reid McNeill — (2 GP, 0-0-0, +2) — Has shown himself well, that he belongs at this level. Will probably be a full time staple on the WBS blue line come the Fall.

Christiaan Minella — (4 GP, 0-0-0, -2) — Will probably walk the ECHL – AHL tightrope again next season.

Derek Nesbitt — (1 GP, 0-0-0, -1) — Bombulie called him the biggest AHL trade deadline day acquisition in Penguins history. If he can fit in and contribute in the postseason, the Penguins will be an extremely tough out.

So there you have it for another season of grades. If you disagree with my grades, please say so why in comments.

Quarterly Grades

Now, the Real Fun Starts!

Comments Off on Now, the Real Fun Starts! Posted by on April 21, 2013

The Penguins woke up this morning not knowing who they would be playing in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

They will go to bed knowing that their closest neighbors await their challenge Saturday night on the Southern Tier of New York.

Let’s all party like it’s 2005! It’s the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins and the Binghamton Senators in the best of five Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Games 1 and 2 will be Saturday and Sunday in Binghamton. But first, let’s see how the final seedings were decided today:

POR     1

BRI     4

Recap: The Bridgeport Sound Tigers do the Penguins a favor and defeat the Portland Pirates by a score of 4-1. The Sound Tigers jumped out to a 3-1 lead after twenty minutes and held the Pirates at bay for the final 40 minutes. The Portland loss locks the Penguins at the five seed and the Pirates at the six. The Pirates face off against the Syracuse Crunch in Round 1.

BNG     5

SYR     1

Recap: Syracuse’s hopes of jumping up to the two seed fell short, losing to the Binghamton Senators 5-1 today, but the East Division Champion Crunch will settle for the three seed. Bingo scored five goals, from five different goal scorers, and no player that dressed was a minus.

NOR     3

PRO     4

Recap: The Norfolk Admirals were tied with the Providence Bruins 3-3 when Ryan Spooner scored a hat trick with :21 left pushing the P-Bruins to a 4-3 win. This effectively ended the Admirals season. A backbreaking, heartbreaking way to lose. There will be a new champion crowned in June.

MCH     2

HER     4

Recap: Locked into the seven seed and playing with house money, the Manchester Monarchs rolled out rookie Ty Rimmer in goal. He let in his first shot faced at :16 and the Hershey Bears never looked back and rolled to a 4-2 win and the final berth in the Eastern Conference.

—

The Penguins and B-Sens announced the first round playoff schedule. Home teams in CAPS.

Game 1 – Saturday, Apr. 27, W-B/Scranton at BINGHAMTON, 7:05 PM
Game 2 – Sunday, Apr. 28, W-B/Scranton at BINGHAMTON, 5:05 PM
Game 3 – Thursday, May 2, W-B/SCRANTON vs. Binghamton, 7:05 PM
*Game 4 – Saturday, May 4,  W-B/SCRANTON vs. Binghamton, 7:05 PM
*Game 5 – Monday, May 6,  W-B/Scranton at BINGHAMTON, 7:05 PM

* – if necessary

—

Finally, a bit of news today regarding the Penguins. Brad Thiessen and Jeff Zatkoff were named recipients of the Harry “Hap” Holmes Award this afternoon. The award is presented to the goaltender(s) with at least 25 games played on the team which allows the fewest goals in the regular season. The Penguins allowed a league low 178 goals in 2012-2013.

—

Here’s the schedule of content at Chirps from Center Ice this week…

Monday: Fourth Quarter Grades
Tuesday: Nothing planned. Follow me on Twitter for news, if any, and check the blog anyway.
Wednesday: Calder Cup Playoff Preview — Western Conference
Thursday: Calder Cup Playoff Preview — Eastern Conference
Friday: Penguins vs. B-Sens Series Preview
Saturday: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 1 Gameday setup with postgame recap after the game.
Sunday: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 2 Gameday setup with postgame recap after the game.

All blog content publishes at noon each day, with exception of the Gameday setups, which will publish at 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Let’s Go Pens! All In!

The AHL, WBS

Monarchs Overrule Penguins – Pens LOSE 3-1

Comments Off on Monarchs Overrule Penguins – Pens LOSE 3-1 Posted by on April 20, 2013

   button_mch200       vs.       WBS

  3                                              1

–

Hey, it was an off night for me too in the catchy headline writing department.

Pens lose this game to Manchester 3-1. It was by all accounts one of the more duller games of recent that the Pens played. They didn’t look sloppy or disinterested more so than they looked careless. Manchester scores early in the third period when Bobby Farnham has a puck skip on him to David Kolomatis who scores. Then Andy Andreoff scored on the power play about half way through the period. Paul Thompson scored a power play goal on a hack and whack job late then the Monarchs score on an empty net when Tanner Pearson scores from center ice that sealed it.

That’s pretty much it there. There’s no way I can dress up this game more for you.

The Pens end the 2012-2013 regular season with a 42-30-2-2 record good for 88 points and third in the division. They start the “second season” on the road.

The fate of seeding is still in the air however, here’s what the scenario looks like:

– The Penguins are the five seed and Portland is the six as of Saturday night.

– Portland plays Bridgeport tomorrow. A win by the Pirates and they leapfrog the Pens for fifth. A loss by the Pirates, and it’s a Round 1 playoff matchup with the Binghamton Senators next Saturday night.

– Syracuse is the East Division Champion. But they could still get to the second seed with a regulation or overtime win of their own tomorrow vs. the B-Sens. They would then be seeded second, dropping Springfield back to the three seed. Again, this matters only if the Pirates win tomorrow and drop the Pens to sixth.

Manchester clinched a playoff berth tonight. Meanwhile, there are three teams for the eight seed. They are Hershey, Norfolk and Connecticut. Here’s how each qualify:

Hershey: Win Sunday vs. Manchester.

Norfolk: Finish with a point more than Hershey. The Admirals play the Providence Bruins tomorrow.

Connecticut: Idle tomorrow, could still get in if Hershey and Norfolk both lose in regulation.

There you have it. I will have it all tomorrow for you on the blog Sunday afternoon along with who we play Round 1. If you don’t want to wait for me to type it all up, follow me on Twitter, @nafsnep.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

GAMEDAY: vs. Manchester 4/20

Comments Off on GAMEDAY: vs. Manchester 4/20 Posted by on April 20, 2013

vs. 

–

–

Home Game: 38

AHL Game: 1130

Who: Manchester Monarchs

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

When: 7:05 p.m.

Media Kit

Last Game: Yesterday at home with Worcester, the Pens lost 4-2. Adam Payerl and Riley Holzapfel scored for the Penguins in the loss. For Manchester, they were in Binghamton and won 2-1. Linden Vey scored a goal and assisted in the other and was named first star of the game.

Last Meeting: March 10 in Manchester, the Pens rallied from down 3-0 to win in a shootout 5-4. Chad Kolarik had a goal and an assist in the win.

Record: For WBS: 42-29-2-2 (88 pts., 3rd place East Division) For MCH: 36-31-3-4 (79 pts., 3rd place Atlantic Division)

Why you should care: Manchester is battling for its playoff life. The Penguins don’t want to have a losing streak going into playoffs next weekend. These two worlds collide tonight.

Referee(s): Jean Hebert / Ryan Fraser

Linesmen: Kiel Murchison / Jud Ritter

Twitter: @wbspenguins / @MonarchsHockey

Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // /MonarchsHockey

Beat Writers: @CVBombulie 

Broadcasters: WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / MCH: Ken Cail

Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep 

Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For MCH: Monarchs Webcast

Television: AHL Live / WQMY MyNetwork TV local in Wilkes-Barre.

Promotion(s): Fan Appreciation Night – Player Awards Night – Jerseys Off The Back

Other Game to Watch: Hershey is in Binghamton. A B-Sens loss will seal the East Division title for the Syracuse Crunch. Bears need a win with help to clinch their own berth.

Gameday

← Older posts

Newer posts →