Chirps from Center Ice

           vs.          

4                                 3

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins mounted a third period comeback in the third period and were 12.5 seconds away from getting things right and snapping out of this slump that they are in.

The Hershey Bears had other plans.

Chase Priskie’s goal with 12.5 seconds left ties it, then Hendrix Lapierre’s goal in overtime ended it. Wilkes-Barre loses 4-3 in overtime.

The Penguins will look to get right Sunday afternoon in Allentown.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: Mathias Laferrière made his Penguins debut for Jonathan Gruden (I heard on TV that Nick Hart said Gruden was injured. Gruden was in the locker room for a large part in the second period but finished out the game.) Filip Larsson’s first start in over a month in goal.

First Period: Physical period. Ville Koivunen injured Hendrix Lapierre, Lapierre returned later but they were taking runs at Koivunen all period.

Avery Hayes picked off a pass in the Bears zone and the Penguins were up 1-0.

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Second Period: Penguins stared the period on a power play but don’t connect. Hershey would on theirs when Alex Limoges tipped in a shot from the far wall that tied the game at one.

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I thought it was a better two periods as opposed to what you saw the night before against Lehigh Valley.

Third Period: Hershey would go up 2-1 on a Pierrick Dube deflection in front that put the Bears ahead 2-1.

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But the Penguins showed great resolve, and got a Valtteri Puustinen goal in the slot that tied the game at two.

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Puutstinen had time and space and picked his spot there. What a goal.

1:35 later, Avery Hayes scored his second goal of the night with this highlight reel tally that gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead.

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But then the Penguins found themselves in some penalty trouble when Vasily Ponomarev was assessed a match penalty for fighting giving the Bears a 3:00 major power play. They would not score but this was late and likely wore them down a bit.

With starting goaltender Clay Stevenson pulled, the Bears would indeed find the equalizer and scored to tie the game with 12.5 seconds left. Chase Priskie with the rebound.

Overtime: It wasn’t a possession fest like it was the night prior against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, more even here but Hendrix Lapierre found time and space at the top of the slot and world one past Filip Larsson to give the Bears the extra point.

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Three Stars: 3) Pierrick Dube (goal) 2) Chase Priskie (goal) 1) Hendrix Lapierre

The Good: Hung in there with the back to back defending champs and gritted out a point.

The Bad: Kirk MacDonald has his hands full. They were 12.5 seconds away from a four point deficit on Hershey for the division lead. These points count all the same now and in April.

Turning Point: Another game that chased it to the end, the Lapierre overtime game winner gets it here.

Around the Division: I wasn’t at the game in person tonight because I get these half colds that run through me in the span of like 72 hours. That said, with it being a 6:05 start I am not sticking around for the 7:05 starts. That’s Lehigh Valley hosting Syracuse and Springfield having all the fun out in Rockford. Boxes in the links for the respective games. In the earlier games Charlotte shutout Hartford 4-0 and Providence did the same to Bridgeport 5-0.

Standings: Hershey 65 – Providence 59 – Penguins 58 – Charlotte 57 — the rest are still in action the time this goes up but won’t catch the top four no matter what they do Saturday.

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 3-1 in the low country, or in South Carolina against the Stingrays. Sergei Murashov stopped 35.

Video Highlights: Whistling past the graveyard here again….

Back at it to close out the three in three Sunday afternoon against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday afternoon.

Let’s Go Pens!

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3                                2

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No one else will say it, so I will say it.

I think they are slumping.

You saw it against a bad Bridgeport team that yes, they shutout last Friday and in the first half last Saturday against Cleveland and much more against stiffer competition Tuesday in Hershey.

Mistakes here and there and a lack of execution. They sucked Friday against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms who hung around like an unwanted houseguest and the Penguins lose 3-2 in a shootout.

No slowing down now, Hershey is less than 24 hours away.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: Scooter Brickey for Nikolai Knyzhov was the only change they made on defense.

First Period: You could see signs it was going to be a slog. Sam Poulin tips in a shot in front to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead…

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But the Phantoms hung around and it was only a one goal lead heading into the…

Second Period: Lehigh Valley scores on a sequence where Joel Blomqvist is bowled over.

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No call on the ice by the referee, who huddled with the other officials and then signaled goal.

Look, it isn’t reviewable. Even if it was, no one knows what goaltender interference is anyway.

I think there’s a case both ways. Scooter Brickey checks Massimo Rizzo onto Blomqvist. There’s no whistle and the puck goes in. If there’s no infraction for Rizzo bowling over Blomqvist, then the goal should stand.

Wilkes-Barre responds in kind via a late Tristan Broz power play goal and the Penguins retook the lead.

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Third Period: Penguins had a few opportunities to make it a 3-1 lead and couldn’t.

Exhibit A: Puck hits both posts and stays out. In the ensuing play, Parker Gahagen goes down and needs a minute to regain himself but Wilkes-Barre can’t score as he’s prone on the ice.

Jacob Gaucher deflects a Phantoms power play goal to tie the game at two for the visitors.

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Exhibit B: Penguins get a power play at about halfway of the period and cannot score.

A month or so ago, I think they do.

They somehow manage to get to overtime.

Overtime: Solved nothing. Wilkes-Barre possessed for about three and a half minutes if not longer, couldn’t score. A month ago I think they do.

Shootout: Parker Gahagen stops all three shooters he sees (Ville Koivunen, Emil Bemstrom, Tristan Broz) and Joel Blomqvist stops Olle Lycksell and Samu Tuomaala but not Rodrigo Ābols in the bottom of the third and the Phantoms take the extra point.

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Three Stars: 3) Samu Tuomaala (goal) 2) Jacob Gaucher (goal) 1) Rodrigo Ābols (assist, shootout winning goal)

The Good: Managed a point they probably didn’t deserve.

The Bad: I think they are becoming one dimensional. Like, they are good and the talent is there, but teams get film on you and can counter. It’s doing the same thing over and over and expecting results you had at the start of 2025.

Turning Point: I think the lack of success on the last power play they had late bit them badly.

Around the Division: There’s no meat on the schedule on this Friday despite Lent not starting for a few more weeks. Providence beat Utica 5-1.

Standings: Hershey 63 – Penguins 57 – Providence 57 – Charlotte 55 – Lehigh Valley 52 – Springfield 51 – Hartford 45 – Bridgeport 27

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: Let’s keep whistling past this graveyard tonight.

Back at it Saturday against Hershey.

Let’s Go Pens!

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4                            5

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So Todd Nelson ripped into this Hershey Bears team really badly on Saturday after their 5-0 loss on home ice Saturday. So much so that the Bears took down the video of his post game availability because he was so mad at the way his Hershey Bears lifeless effort against a pedestrian Syracuse team.

They have a lot of guys sick and half the team is up from the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, but Nelson didn’t use that as an excuse.

His team responded in kind and defeated the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins 5-4 on Tuesday night.

Barely.

A would be game tying goal from Boris Katchouk was adjudged to be deflected into the net with a high stick with 2.2 seconds left. It was the right call. Despite the fact that you can’t review the sequence (you should) – replay showed that Katchouk’s stick was almost above his head when the shot by Mac Hollowell deflected off of Katchouk’s stick and in.

Again, the right call, despite the lack of replay to confirm the obvious, in my opinion.

EDIT: Went back and looked and turns out it was, blatantly a high stick.

https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/1889521139904328150

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Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Atley Calvert and Corey Andonovski were out for Emil Bemstrom and Vasily Ponomarev up front and Nikolai Knyzhov was back in on defense for Scooter Brickey.

First Period: A lot happened!

Five goals in the period, three for Herhsey and two for the Penguins. Andrew Perrott scored in his Bears debut off of a face-off win from Garrett Roe to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.

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The Penguins would respond under three minutes later when Emil Bemstrom scored to tie the game at one.

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Hell of a pass by Owen Pickering there.

But then Hershey would rattle off a pair of goals in under two minutes. Hendrix Lapierre raced past Jack St. Ivany to slip one past Joel Blomqvistr to make it 2-1 and then Ethan Bear from the top of the near dot that made it 3-1.

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A melee would ensue which saw Vasily Ponomarev dismissed for a major boarding penalty which started it all, Nikolai Knyzhov and Hershey’s Justin Nachbaur for a secondary altercation and Dalton Smith getting a game misconduct for being an aggressor, jumping Ponomarev.

There were other secondary and tertiary infractions given out of that fracas, but I had no issues with the way refs Liam Maaskant or Patrick Hanhrahan handled things there.

:30 later, the Penguins found themselves on a 4-on-3 power play and Valtteri Puustinen scored to bring the Penguins to within one.

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Whew.

Second Period: The Penguins were flat out being outworked by the Hershey Bears in the period. The Bears tacked on a power play goal to start the period to extend the lead to two.

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That was Mike Vecchione cleaning up the loose change in front.

Hershey outshot the Penguins 7-6 in the period but many of the six shots for the Penguins came in one late desperation shift.

It was 4-2 to end the period and this was familiar territory for the Penguins because this is where they were Saturday against Cleveland, but it felt different.

Third Period: Better effort for the Penguins, who get a goal from Avery Hayes that brings it to within one.

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Hayes is high sticked and doesn’t bat an eyelash and scores. What an effort.

Penguins pull Blomqvist for the extra attacker but Spencer Smallman scored on an empty net that made it 5-3.

But hold up, Mac Hollowell scored his first as a Penguin to bring Wilkes-Barre to within one.

Pens then put the pressure back on the Bears and scored what looked like a tying goal but Katchouk redirected the puck in the net illegally.

No issues with the way that Liam Maaskant or Patrick Hanrahan handled the game, in my opinion.

Three Stars: 3) Ethan Bear (goal, assist) 2) Hendrix Lapierre (goal, assist) 1) Spencer Smallman (goal, assist)

The Good: They showed resolve in the eleventh hour, but ran out of time.

The Bad: Getting back to the headline, who wants it more? The Penguins were loaded by Pittsburgh during the Four Nations break and couldn’t beat a rag tag group of a lineup of half ECHL players? These were two points lost, poorly, by the better team on paper. Games in hand be damned.

Turning Point: I suppose you can give it to Spencer Smallman and his goal that made it 5-3 at the time or you could give it to the referees taking the would be Katchouk tying goal off the board.

Around the Division: I suspect that all of the games that the AHL played on this night (six total) they would have played on Super Bowl Sunday. With that said, none of the other teams in the Atlantic Division played.

Standings: Hershey 63 – Penguins 56 – Charlotte and Providence 55 – Lehigh Valley 50 – Springfield 49 – Hartford 43 – Bridgeport 26

Wheeling Update: Nailers are off until Saturday, when they take on the Bears ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays.

Video Highlights: AHL VideoCenter is your best bet for you sickos.

Back at it Friday. I’ll have the weekend preview up on the blog around lunchtime.

Let’s Go Pens!

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4                                 5

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Well, that was fun.

An epic 5-4 comeback from behind overtime win for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, who still have not lost to the Lake Erie / Cleveland Monsters on home ice.

But it was how they got there that tells the tale.

After a penalty marred first period that saw the Cleveland Monsters score on not one, but two five on three advantages, the Penguins were behind the eight ball and trailing 4-1.

It was like the whole world was against them.

I don’t want to blame the officials but Casey Terreri and Will Kelly weren’t it. Terreri was here Friday and seemed fine, Saturday too. Will Kelly seems overmatched at this level and sees things no one else sees and calls things no one else calls.

But the Penguins won the game, so let’s leave stripes be. Hold onto your butts whenever you see Kelly as the guy officiating your game, you are in for a hell of a ride.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Jesse Puljujarvi quit on the team and is having his contract terminated. Pens gave him a shot to re-establish himself, he did somewhat, then 31 other teams passed on him through waivers. That’s why I cheer for the front of the jersey and never the back. If he doesn’t want to be here anymore, get lost.

Vasily Ponomarev went up to Pittsburgh this afternoon.

On the ice, Corey Andonovski and Atley Calvert drew in for Ponomaraev and that quitter Puljujarvi. Thank god this is the last time I have to spell Puljujarvi.

First Period: At the expiration of a Dan Renouf penalty, Joseph LaBate got Cleveland on the board first.

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Penguins respond quickly with a goal from Jack St. Ivany that tied the game at one.

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Through a screen. And a St. Ivany goal? That’s what you want to see.

But as they were announcing the goal, Rocco Grimaldi scored :36 later and the Monsters re-took the lead.

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Trey Fix-Wolansky and LaBate added two more Cleveland goals while the Penguins were down two men.

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The Penguins took five straight penalties to open the period and got burned for four goals, two of them on the power play.

They looked bad the night prior against Bridgeport and won. Cleveland offered stiffer competition and this? Oh boy.

Second Period: A Valtteri Puustinen shot banks off of Joona Koppanen’s leg and the comeback was seemingly on.

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Kelly and Terreri dialed back the penalties in the period.

Third Period: Okay, so they settled a bit and started to play Penguin hockey. They torched Jet Greaves’ net with 17 shots in the period and with every passing shot and shift, momentum started to turn.

Nifty hands by Jonathan Gruden in close from a hell of a pass from Sam Poulin and the Penguins are back to within one.

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Then after a time out and with Murashov pulled for the extra attacker, the Penguins would indeed find the equalizer when none other than Sam Poulin scored to tie the game at four.

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Free coffee!

But the celebration would be a bit short-lived as linesman Jud Ritter adjudged that Marc Johnstone threw a puck over the glass, thus assessing a delay of game penalty.

Ritter sucks and I think he has a vendetta against the Penguins going back years. But that’s beside the point.

Overtime: After 22 skaters in Cleveland jerseys and four idiots with striped shirts and whistles, here we are.

Wilkes-Barre would kill the Johnstone penalty thanks to four really good saves from Sergei Murashov and then Owen Pickering scored with 23.1 seconds left to clinch the epic comeback for the Penguins.

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Another angle…

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Three Stars: 3) Sergei Murashov (29 saves, four in overtime) 2) Sam Poulin (goal, two assists) 1) Owen Pickering (game winning overtime goal)

The Good: They never seemed out of it despite how things were going after the first. That’s coaching. That’s leadership. That’s determination.

The Bad: Besides the officiating, what planet was Mac Hollowell on? Not a good game at all by Hollowell in my eye, somehow credited with 7 shots. He would have had double that if those attempts were actually on target.

Turning Point: In a game that chased it to the end, the Pickering goal gets it here.

Around the Division: Bridgeport wins just their third game on home ice this season, beating Charlotte 5-1….Syracuse roughs up a depleted and ill Hershey team 5-0 that skated a man short because of it….Hartford beats Lehigh Valley 4-2 and Springfield beats Providence 5-2.

Good night out of town for the Penguins. Here’s why:

Standings: Hershey 61 – Penguins 56 – Charlotte and Providence 55 – Lehigh Valley 50 – Springfield 49 – Hartford 43 – Bridgeport 26

Wheeling Update: Nailers win 4-3. Jordan Martel with a goal and an assist. Jaxon Castor stops 23.

Video Highlights: 

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Late Breaking News:

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Pittsburgh and the rest of the NHL are on break for whatever the hell Four Nations is for two weeks, so this is expected.

The Power Rankings will be out Monday, don’t forget the Pens have a road trip to Hershey where they can draw to three points of the Bears lead with a win. Important game.

Let’s Go Pens!

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0                                 3

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Your mileage may vary, but I didn’t like the way they played Friday.

Sure, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins shutout the Bridgeport Islanders 3-0, and a team on the rise beat a team that’s been in last place all season. It kind of had to happen this way, but I didn’t think they played well at all.

Bridgeport, save for a few shorthanded instances and maybe the first five to seven minutes of the game, never threatened. You take the two points and the game in hand on Hershey and move on.

Here’s how they lined up…

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I don’t know this guy, but you can’t convince me otherwise they aren’t the great Mike Fornabaio.

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1888007646562931181

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Lineup Notes: Jesse Puljujarvi and the returning Tristan Broz for Corey Andonovski and Emil Bemstrom up front and Filip Kral for Scooter Brickey on defense.

First Period: Bridgeport wanted a hot start and got it, but didn’t get any goals to show for it.

Sam Poulin with a dart at 11:22 and the Penguins are on the board.

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1888022049375010883

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Upper 90, as they say in soccer.

Then the Penguins put on a passing clinic and Tristan Broz tipped in a Ville Koivunen shot that made it 2-0 late.

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Second Period: Islanders go about half the period without a shot on goal but then get a few good looks and even better ones killing a penalty. Tristan Jarry didn’t have a lot to do in the period but stayed sharp.

Third Period: Jonathan Gruden lays a big hit on Isaiah George and fights Riley Piercey which delighted some of the casuals in attendance. Later, Gruden banged bodies again with Piercey in open ice.

Bridgeport had more of the desperation and if you were watching you were waiting for them to score. The Penguins got sloppy taking two penalties in the period but got out of those OK.

Islanders head coach Rick Kowalsky signaled his 6’8 goaltender Henrik Tikkanen to the bench and a few seconds after that Ville Koivunen setup Boris Katchouk for an empty net goal that sealed it.

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1888055153741242678

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Three Stars: 3) Trisan Broz (goal) 2) Sam Poulin (goal) 1) Tristan Jarry (31 saves)

The Good: Handled business and beat a team they are on paper and in all facets better than, used game in hand to inch closer to Hershey.

The Bad: I was expecting more, especially on the power play which went 0/2. Was it a down night? Rust after All-Stars? Who knows. They could have been better, and maybe I am nitpicking a bit after a 31 ave shutout.

The Bad Deux: We have reached the point of the season that they start wearing dark jerseys at home. This is one of the stupidest things the League has done in quite some time. First of all you don’t see enough variety come through when you constantly play the same handful of teams over and over. It isn’t worth it. Whites are clean, whites should be worn at home. Period. Like, look at this…

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Do. Less.

Turning Point: No coming back from a three goal deficit late, the Katchouk goal gets it here.

Around the Division: Charlotte shuts out Hartford 3-0….Lehigh Valley coughs up a two goal lead at home against Cleveland but wins 3-2 in a shootout….Providence beats Springfield in the shootout 3-2. Hershey was off.

Standings: Hershey 61 – Charlotte 55 – Providence 55 – Penguins 54 – Lehigh Valley 50 – Springfield 47 – Hartford 41 – Bridgeport 24

Wheeling Update: Nailers double up the Indy Fuel 6-3 in Indiana Friday. Matty De St. Phalle with a pair of goals and an assist. Taylor Gauthier stopped 16. Nailers host the Reading Royals Saturday.

Video Highlights: 

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Back at it Saturday when they host the Cleveland Monsters.

Let’s Go Pens!

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3                              2

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Just 16 shots on goal for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Saturday night but it’s enough to turn the tables on the Charlotte Checkers and results in a 3-2 Penguins win.

Sergei Murashov is 5-0 in the AHL. Wilkes-Barre has important stretches of games over the final half of the season. Murashov is positioning himself as the number one goaltender.

They will break now for the All-Star game. During the third period, it was announced that Owen Pickering was added to the games, joining his teammate Emil Bemstrom.

It ain’t that deep, but Vasily Ponomarev deserves it more. He just does, but it’s a showcase for guys that will be playing in the NHL someday and Pickering has already been there and will be there again. It ain’t that deep.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Avery Hayes for Atley Calvert up front; Dan Renouf for Filip Kral.

First Period: Four goals in the period, all before the game was eight minutes old. Vasily Ponomarev, still not an AHL All-Star, scored just :16 in, with this goal…

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Penguins power play after that. Easy, right?

Wrong.

Patrick Giles scores the Checkers 12th shorthanded goal of the season, Charlotte’s fourth against the Penguins alone, to tie the game at one.

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Corey Andonovski scored to push the Penguins back ahead to make it 2-1.

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What a pass right there. Andonovski getting hot is something you want to see.

Will Lockwood would score on back to back nights on the Penguins to even the game at two at 7:31.

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Whew. And I don’t know what Lockwood saw there because Sergei Murashov sure didn’t. Gotta have that.

Second Period: Another slow start for the Penguins, just four shots in the period. Sergei Murashov kept things level, stopping all 11 shots faced. Teams traded power plays but no one scored.

Third Period: Penguins sweat through a Dan Renouf delay of game penalty. I thought Adam Tobias and Mike Sullivan were generally okay this weekend which makes it more frustrating whenever you see Sullivan’s name assigned to the games. He’s so inconsistent.

Anyway, during the penalty kill, Jonathan Gruden won a foot race and stole the puck off goaltender Ken Appleby’s stick and it went straight into the net to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead on a shorthanded goal.

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Later the Checkers would pull Appleby for an extra attacker but they would never find the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Patrick Giles (goal) 2) Corey Andonovski (goal) 1) Jonathan Gruden (goal, assist)

The Good: Nice to see them turn the tables on Charlotte. I think these two teams are headed for a collision course in late April / early May.

The Bad: 16 shots? Really? That. won’t get you very far on most nights but like I said Friday, styles make fights.

Turning Point: Go back and watch that Gruden goal. That’s dogged determination if there ever was any.

Around the Division: Laval clips Hartford in overtime 5-4….Cleveland bests Providence 3-2….Hershey again survives Bridgeport 5-4 and Springfield crushes Iowa 7-2. Lehigh Valley had the weekend off.

Standings: Hershey 61 – Providence and Charlotte 53 – Penguins 52 – Lehigh Valley 48 – Springfield 46 – Hartford 41 – Bridgeport 24

Wheeling Update: Nailers were out in Fort Wayne and lost 5-3. Matthew Quercia had a pair of goals in the loss.

Video Highlights: AHL VideoCenter is your best bet.

AHL Power Rankings will be out Monday. I will be able to finish them Sunday at a reasonable time which is nice with no games.

Enjoy All-Stars and the week off. Talk next Friday for the Weekend Setup.

Let’s Go Pens!

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2                              3

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They didn’t have it tonight.

Down 3-1 to start the third period, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins don’t register a shot until 9:56 into the third period. That shot, taken by Ville Koivunen, did go in.

But the Penguins would not get any closer and lost 3-2.

They lacked that same killer instinct that they had Wednesday at home against the Hershey Bears.

It happens. You can’t get mad at them, when they have this many games in hand on the rest of the division and the Checkers are their kryptonite this season.

They will rematch Saturday at 6. Don’t be late.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Up front Corey Andonovski was in for Avery Hayes. Atley Calvert jumped up to the second line. On defense, Scooter Brickey for Dan Renouf. Avery Hayes and Renouf are ill and if that’s the case, likely not on the trip.

First Period: Penguins had a pair of power plays but didn’t score on them. Instead, John Leonard scored this, highlight reel worthy goal, to give the Checkers their League leading 11th shorthanded goal and the Checkers a 1-0 lead.

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I mean it was pretty nice. Nothing Mac Hollowell could really do there either as Hollowell was playing Leonard tight. Leonard straight up spun off him and flung a backhander at Jarry that beat him.

Second Period: Charlotte put the puck in the net three times in the period but two times it didn’t count.

Will Lockwood did put the puck in the net early in the period when there were three Penguins watching it pinball around off of each other.

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Tilt!

Penguins connect on a power play goal when Sam Poulin scores to put the Penguins on the board and cut the deficit to one.

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But the flatfooted-ness continued for the Penguins and the Checkers would score in the final minute when Sandis Vilmanis scores to push the lead back out to two for the Checkers.

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Third Period: As I mentioned at the top, the Penguins didn’t record a shot until four seconds to half way but that attempt by Ville Koivunen did give the Penguins another lifeline.

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But, as also mentioned in the jump, the Penguins never had it and, despite pulling Tristan Jarry for the extra man, never got set in their zone and thus, never found the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Sandis Vilmanis (goal) 2) John Leonard (goal) 1) Will Lockwood (goal, assist)

The Good: Power play stays hot, getting a goal.

The Bad: Charlotte gives them fits. Styles make fights and all. They need to find a way to beat the Checkers because they are a team they will undoubtedly have to go through in late April, early May if they should qualify for a playoff berth.

Turning Point: The Vilmanis goal gets it here. Just a back breaking goal to give up in the final minute that sent them reeling to open the third.

Around the Division: Springfield is out in Des Moines playing the Iowa Wild in a game that started an hour later then the Penguins. That box is here. All the other Atlantic Division teams are final as this goes up around 10 p.m. on Friday. Providence beats Cleveland 4-2….Hershey survives Bridgeport 5-4…Laval beats Hartford 3-1. Lehigh Valley was one of two AHL teams (Bakersfield the other) not in action on Friday.

Standings: Hershey 59 – Providence and Charlotte 53 – Penguins 50 – Lehigh Valley 48 – Springfield 42, but they are still in action when this goes up, Hartford 40 – Bridgeport 24

Wheeling Update: Nailers are in Cincinnati and won in overtime 4-3. Matt Koopman got the goal, Taylor Gauthier stopped 31. Matty De St. Phalle had a goal and an assist.

Video Highlights: AHL VideoCenter may be your best bet for you sickos.

Back at it Saturday at 6. Who do you have winning the Royal Rumble?

Let’s Go Pens!