Chirps from Center Ice

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An exact 2-1 Wilkes-Barre win Saturday night just like the same 2-1 Wilkes-Barre win from the night before.

While it wasn’t a repeat of what happened last night, it sure looked awful similar. Pens jump out to a 2-0 lead. Admirals cut the lead in half with a goal by Devante Smith-Pelly.

Regardless, the Pens travel to Norfolk and take all four points away from the Admirals. A needed perfect weekend for the Pens, with a lot of jockeying behind them. It doesn’t matter what happens behind you as long as you keep winning.

Peter Mannino vs. John Gibson

The only lineup change tonight was Nick Drazenovic for Spencer Machacek, veteran for veteran.

First Period: A predictably more stronger period for the Norfolk Admirals as they are in a mix with other teams battling for their playoff lives. Shots were 10-4 Norfolk this period, in a real defensive battle.

Second Period: Brendan Mikkelson breaks the scoreless deadlock with this shot from the blue line to put the Pens on the board first. Chuck Kobasew didn’t have a point in the game, but he did have a fight, tangling with Kevin Gagne.

Third Period: If you tried to watch this game or any other game on AHL Live tonight and had difficulty, it wasn’t you, it was them. I managed to get a piece of this nice Dominik Uher shorthanded goal before it went out to pasture completely on me. Then, Devante Smith-Pelly scores a power play goal when the Penguins took a delay of game call. Pens would get two power plays but up against the top rated penalty kill in the AHL would not get a goal. Two Norfolk power plays bookended the Penguin power plays but the Pens did not allow a game tying goal. With Gibson pulled late, they never found the equalizer.

Ice Chips: Tonight was Tom Kostopoulos’ 400th game as a member of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins….With the secondary assist on the Brendan Mikkelson goal, Andrew Ebbett extended his point streak to 11 games….The Penguins are 19-3-4 when Ebbett tallies a point in the game.

Three Stars: 3) Brendan Mikkelson (goal, +1) 2) Devante Smith-Pelly (goal, -2) and 1) Dominik Uher (goal, +1)

Around the Division: Shootouts dominated the East Division tonight. Hershey wins a 12 round shootout against the St. John’s IceCaps and keep their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 win tonight…..Binghamton just uses the standard five rounder to get by Syracuse 4-3 in a shootout up in Central New York.

Standings: Binghamton 85 — Penguins 84 — Norfolk 77 — Hershey 76 — Syracuse — 65

Conference: 1) MCH (94) 2) SPR (90) 3) BNG (85) 4) STJ (87) 5) WBS (84) 6) PRO (81) 7) ALB (80) 8) NOR (77)

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off tonight.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here for your viewing enjoyment. I am actually interested to see what happened in the third period because I couldn’t see it on AHL Live.

The B-Sens burn one of their two games in hand on the Penguins tomorrow when they face off against the Albany Devils in the Capital District tomorrow. The Penguins will want an Albany regulation win and so will you. I will have a blurb on that final score Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

Week 26 AHL Power Rankings will be here Monday at 4 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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Chip. Chip. Chip.

That sound you hear is the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins chipping away at getting into the playoffs.

A 2-1 win in another playoff like game against the Norfolk Admirals tonight. Chuck Kobasew continues his torrid pace since his demotion to the AHL, now with a goal in each of his 6 games played since arriving in Wilkes-Barre (7-1-8) Josh Archibald scores in his second professional game as well. Starting goaltender Peter Mannino stops 19 of 20 shots as the Pens keep pace on the Binghamton Senators for the East Division lead.

The aforementioned Peter Mannino vs. John Gibson.

Lineup changes: Lots. Dominik Uher, Harry Zolnierczyk and Spencer Machacek were all back in the lineup. The veteran scratch was Nick Drazenovic. Also, Carter Rowney was back in the lineup for his first AHL action for the Pens since February 9. Philip Samuelsson was also out and is still, “yet to be evaluated” which, to me, means that he will probably go to Pittsburgh to get looked at by the doctors there. Also, Eric Hartzell and ATO D Alex Boak were sent to Wheeling yesterday. Healthies were Anton Zlobin, Harrison Ruopp and the ATOs Marcantuoni and Sheary. Obie said in pre-game that these two are on the trip.

First Period: Nice opening pop by the Pens to start. Then it screeched to a halt as Zolnierczyk took an inadvertent goaltender interference call then Brian Dumoulin would take a delay of game call :20 later to put the Pens down two men for 1:31. The Penguins would be able to kill it. Later, Josh Archibald would score his first professional goal finishing off this two one one pass from Dominik Uher to put the Pens ahead 1-0.

Second Period: Chuck Kobasew at :43. Finished off a great pass from Andrew Ebbett from the corner to give the Pens a 2-0 lead.

Penguins don’t allow the Admirals a shot on goal for the first ten minutes of the second period. Then, all of a sudden, Dave Steckel picks off a Penguin at center ice and passes to Emerson Etem. The rest is history. Etem scores to bring the Admirals within one. Penguins would then take a penalty and the Admirals would go on the power play. Luckily, Andrew Ebbett would get hooked on a shorthanded rush up ice to end the Admirals power play and put the teams at four on four.

Third Period: Norfolk opens and takes it to the Penguins to start. Mannino and the defense shut the door. The the penalty parade begins for the Penguins. A McNeill cross check and a Barry Goers trip but the Penguins would successfully kill them all.

Time dwindling on the home team, the Admirals would pull Gibson but would never find the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Josh Archibald (goal, +1) 2) Emerson Etem (goal, +1) and 1) Chuck Kobasew (goal, +1)

Around the Division: Binghamton, trailing St. John’s 1-0 to start the third period at home, rally for two goals and defeat the St. John’s IceCaps by a score of 2-1…. Hershey, in the same boat trailing 1-0 to open the third at home vs. Albany, enjoy the same result with a four goal explosion and win 4-1 to keep the Bears playoff hopes alive with a 4-1 win on home ice…. Syracuse beat Adirondack 6-4 and the Phantoms are the first team officially eliminated from the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Manchester Monarchs join the Texas Stars and clinch a spot with a 5-1 pasting of the Worcester Sharks at home tonight. Grand Rapids could have been the third team to qualify, but they lost to Rockford tonight. Edit: Scratch all that. The Griffins are in, on account of some advanced mathematics by the brain trust in Springfield.

Standings: Binghamton 83 — Penguins 82 — Norfolk 77 — Hershey 74 — Syracuse 64

Conference: 1) MCH (94) 2) SPR (88) 3) BNG (83) 4) STJ (86) 5) WBS (82) 6) PRO (81) 7) ALB (79) 8) NOR (77)

Wheeling Update: The Wheeling Nailers were victorious tonight with a 5-3 win over the Toledo Walleye at home. Eric Hartzell stopped 31 of 34 and picked up the win.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

These two teams rematch tomorrow at Scope at 7:15. Gameday for the matchup will be here on the blog at 3:15.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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They did everything right but score tonight.

Probably one of the more complete games that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have played in recent memory. The Pens were essentially shut down by Providence Bruins goaltender Malcolm Subban, who had himself quite the game tonight, making money save after money save, and the Penguins were beaten on home ice by a score of 2-1.

Subban actually has better numbers than his counterpart Niklas Svedberg. A .907 SV% with a 2.34 GAA which is eighth best in the AHL amongst goaltenders coming into the game tonight. Yet the Providence Bruins are the third best team in the Atlantic Division behind the Manchester Monarchs and the St. John’s IceCaps. Explain that. The Atlantic is not only a deep ocean but also a deep division.

Tonight was the swan song for Beau Bennett, who played the third and final game of his conditioning stint for the Penguins. Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero was in the house tonight along with Bill Guerin and it is anticipated that they will take Bennett back to Pittsburgh with them tonight and the recall will be made official by the Penguins sometime tomorrow. What will likely happen in my opinion will be Jayson Megna will get one more game against the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow, and will be sent back Thursday night and Bennett will play in the Penguins next game Friday in Columbus.

Tonight was also the beginning of the Josh Archibald era. Archibald was on the ice nearly every other shift and was out there late in the final minute of the game with Penguins starting goaltender Peter Mannino pulled as the Pens were looking for the game tying goal. Archibald nearly had it, twice. He didn’t get all of a puck with a body in front and was denied by the ever steady Subban in the late stages of the games final seconds.

Lineup had Zach Sill, Harry Zolnierczyk, Spencer Machacek and Dominik Uher listed as injured. We know that Sill, Zolnierczyk and Machacek have upper body injuries. That Uher is listed injured is a surprise. Healthies were Eric Hartzell, back in town to work with the goaltending coach, Carter Rowney, called up today, as likely insurance for the Norfolk trip, Barry Goers and the ATO guys.

Craig Cunningham scored in the opening stages of the game from the high slot when ex-Penguin Nick Johnson fed from behind the net. Cunningham slapped one home high glove on Mannino for a 1-0 Bruins lead. The period was an even one, but a slight edge went to the Bruins as at times, it looked and felt like they controlled things.

Chuck Kobasew scored. Again. This time :17 in when he got Subban off an angle it looked like from where I was sitting. This period was all Wilkes-Barre, as they dominated puck possession, hitting and scoring chances. Bruins for a long stint only managed one shot on goal at Mannino.

Late, Ryan Spooner catches Mannino with his legs open and slips it five hole and in while the Bruins were on a power play. The cause of the power play was a Philip Samuelsson cross check. It was a real momentum killer and one that may have longer term implications for the Pens as Samulesson left the ice with an apparent injury and did not return.

Pens were awarded a power play with .8 to play in the second, which meant fresh ice to operate on in the third. Nothing doing. Providence then came out with a big time flurry, but Mannino, with help from his goal post, kept it a one goal game. You almost got the sense that if the Bruins got another goal, you could turn out the lights because the party would be over.

They never did. But ultimately, neither did the Penguins. They got close on multiple occasions. Chuck Kobasew snuck in behind the defense but Subban, seemingly cool as a cucumber, made a huge save. Pens would set up and look for Grade A opportunities. What they would get Subban would stop. Providence seemed content to sit on the lead, as any attempt by them was a one and done and it was back up the Wilkes-Barre way.

Providence gets nothing on a late power play. Penguins get nothing late with Mannino vacated. Archibald out there late shows the confidence John Hynes and Company has in this kid from the NCAA ranks playing in his first professional game.

Three Stars: 3) Malcolm Subban (31 saves on 32 shots) 2) Chuck Kobasew (goal, even) 1) Craig Cunningham (goal, assist, even)

Around the Division: Syracuse rallies to upset St. John’s at home 3-2. Everyone else was off.

Standings: Binghamton 81 — Penguins 80 — Norfolk 77 — Hershey 72 — Syracuse 62

Conference: 1) MCH (92) 2) SPR (86) 3) BNG (81) 4) STJ (86) 5) WBS (80) 6) ALB (79) 7) PRO (79( 8) NOR (77)

Penguins may regret losing this one for two reasons. One, they are a point off the division lead with two more games played than the Binghamton Senators. Two, St. John’s will likely have home ice in the first round if they do not rally past Manchester for the Atlantic Division title. The IceCaps will have home ice advantage in round one. I don’t think any team wants to go in facing that.

Wheeling Update: There is none. They were off.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens will probably hit the road to Norfolk tomorrow. You know Bennett is going up, so it’s not worth me blogging about, “Hey, you all knew this, and today it happened” regarding the recall so look for the next update here Friday at three for the Gameday setup vs. Norfolk in an important series for both teams.

Let’s Go Pens!!

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“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

Chuck Kobasew, run out of Pittsburgh on a rail after not scoring a goal for the Penguins in 30 games, was sent to Wilkes-Barre when he was placed on and cleared waivers.

Kobasew has over 600 NHL games played. He doesn’t need the AHL. He could have took his sticks and drove right past Wilkes-Barre and went home.

He didn’t. He came to Wilkes-Barre with a positive attitude, quoted in the newspaper going around the Arena and the practice facility introducing himself simply by saying, “Hi, I’m Chuck.”

The AHL is Kobasew’s playground. Three goals in three games coming in to this afternoon’s action against the Albany Devils at Boardwalk Hall. Kobasew adds two more goals and assists on another as the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins defeat the Albany Devils 3-2 in overtime, with Kobasew netting the game winning goal.

The game was a snoozefest for the first forty minutes. Only a Kobasew power play goal from a cross ice pass from Andrew Ebbett in the first period was the only thing to write home about.

The second period didn’t have much either. Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid was making saves he didn’t know he was saving. There was a late sequence between Ebbett and Beau Bennett where they nearly connected on a goal after some nice tic tac toe passing.

The third period was where all the action was.

Penguins ice. Off the ensuing face-off, Adam Larsson scores over the shoulder of starting goaltender Jeff Deslauriers to tie the game at one a piece.

Then, after causing a Penguins turnover at center ice, Darcy Zajac skates in and claps home a slapshot that Deslauriers got some of but not all of. 2-1 Devils.

At this point, with the way that the two two teams were playing, tight, defensive hockey, things looked bleak for the Penguins.

Late, on a rush, Brendan Mikkelson pinches and slaps home a shot to tie the game at two again.

Chuck Kobasew ends the game on a net front crash, hack and whack. The video isn’t the greatest, but the puck was never completely covered, and Kobasew stuffed it in.

Notes: Only lineup change Wilkes-Barre’s way was Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond in for Denver Manderson. No updates available on the statuses of the upper body injuries to Harry Zolnierczyk, Spencer Machacek and Zach Sill….Jeff Deslauriers started his first game since March 9….Andrew Ebbett is on an 8 game point streak with his assist on Kobasew’s first goal….with the win today and the Hershey loss to Manchester, the Penguins magic number to clinch playoffs is now 15….speaking of playoffs, the Texas Stars were the first team to clinch a spot today with the Charlotte Checkers losing 4-2 to the San Antonio Rampage Sunday afternoon.

Three Stars: 3) Darcy Zajac (goal, -1) 2) Brendan Mikkelson (goal, +1) and 1) Chuck Kobasew (two goals, assist, +1)

Around the Division: Hershey loses to Manchester in New Hampshire 2-1. Syracuse shuts out Adirondack 3-0.

Standings: Binghamton 81 — Penguins 80 — Norfolk 77 — Hershey 72 — Syracuse 60

Conference: 1) MCH (92) 2) SPR (84) 3) BNG (81) 4) STJ (86) 5) WBS (80) 6) ALB (79) 7) NOR (77) 8) PRO (77)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off today.

SendToNews Highlights: Will look later. Not up yet.

Week 25 AHL Power Rankings will be done Sunday night and will be up Monday at 4 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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That was easy.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are on a tear right now. No disrespect intended to the Syracuse Crunch tonight, but you could see that the Crunch are disjointed hockey team that just wants the season over. The Penguins roll, winners 2-0. Peter Mannino with his second consecutive shutout, now 162:20 without giving up a goal.

News du jour this week was Jayson Megna being sent back from Pittsburgh and Barry Goers signing an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre for the rest of season.

News du jour from Friday was the news that Beau Bennett will be assigned to Wilkes-Barre for a three game conditioning stint beginning probably tomorrow. The max he could play is three games, there was talk by Obie on pre-game that Bennett could be in the lineup as early as tomorrow, travel with the team to Atlantic City on Sunday, then back Wednesday for a home game vs. Providence then back to Pittsburgh next weekend.

Bennett is not waiver eligible, but because he was not on the AHL roster (because of his injury) the most he could play here is the three game allowable under the “conditioning” tag.

Okay, to the game tonight.

The aforementioned Peter Mannino vs. Kristers Gudlevskis

Lineup Notes: Chuck Kobasew was the veteran scratch tonight. Healthies were Nick D’Agostino and newcomer Conor Sheary. Harry Zolnierczyk, injured last weekend, listed with an upper body injury, may play this weekend. Again this information was from Mike O’Brien on the radio pre-game.

First Period: Penguins dominated this period. Plain and simple. Syracuse looked like a disinterested, out of synch last place hockey team that just wanted the season to be over. Penguins outshot the Crunch 12-4. I could only remember one good attempt on Mannino by the Crunch, and that was Jon DiSalvatore on a backhander that Mannino saw all the way.

Spencer Machacek dispossesses Gudlevskis and slips it under his pads to put the Pens ahead 1-0. Later, on the power play, Denver Manderson centers a pass from the wall to a cutting Adam Payerl all alone to make it 2-0 Penguins.

Second Period: Pretty tame first period in the penalty department. The first half of the second period was anything but, featuring 32 minutes of penalties in the periods first 6:10. Tom Kostopoulos fought. There were hits all over the place. Nothing doing in the scoring department this period. The Crunch only had nine shots on goal heading into the….

Third Period: Spencer Machacek didn’t come out for the third period, seemingly banged up in the second period through all the fisticuffs.

Crunch don’t do much to pressure Mannino, what they do he saves easily. Pens don’t offer much either, but with a two goal cushion, they basically played prevent all period and looked silly while on the three power plays that referee T.J. Luxmore gave to the Penguins in the period.

Three Stars: 3) Kristers Gudlevskis (26 saves on 28 shots) 2) Spencer Machacek (game winning goal, +1) 1) Adam Payerl (goal, even)

Payerl had nine shots on goal.

Around the Division: Hershey shuts out the Providence Bruins 2-0 in Rhode Island. This was the first time that the P-Bruins were shutout at home all season….Binghamton defeats Norfolk 5-2. The B-Sens scored four unanswered goals.

Standings: Binghamton 79 — Penguins 78 — Norfolk 76 — Hershey 72 — Syracuse 58

Conference: 1) MCH (88) 2) SPR (82) 3) BNG (79) 4) STJ (82) 5) WBS (78) 6) ALB (76) 7) NOR (76) 8) PRO (75)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were defeated in Evansville, Indiana by the IceMen 4-3. Tom Kuhnhackl had a goal, Zak Torquato assisted on two. Eric Hartzell backed up in goal.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens come home to host the Utica Comets tomorrow night in what should be a sold out crowd. Gameday for this will be up at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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Where were you on February 26, 2011?

Why is that date significant? It’s because it is the last time that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins defeated the Norfolk Admirals at home. A 3-2 shootout win.

Tonight, changed that. Resoundingly.

Four goals by the Penguins and a twelve, yes, twelve save shutout by Peter Mannino and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins crush the Norfolk Admirals by a score of 4-0.

I’d say, the Penguins are back. Back from their funk when they couldn’t do anything right, back from having a big question mark in goal for them with Mannino’s stellar play and back at the top of the East Division.

The aforementioned Mannino opposed John Gibson. Here were Gibson’s numbers coming into this contest tonight against Wilkes-Barre: 4-0 in 4 games played, a 1.00 GAA and a .960 SV%.

Some regression to the mean was had tonight.

Spencer Machacek was back in tonight for the Pens. He was on the top line with Andrew Ebbett and Chuck Kobasew. Brendan Mikkelson was the veteran scratch and Mike Carman was the extra forward scratched for the Pens. Barry Goers went in for Mikkelson.

First Period: Two great chances on early power plays by the Penguins but Gibson closed the door. Finally, Harry Zolnierczyk scored on a wraparound to put the Pens ahead 1-0. Later, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond scored on a nice, close cross ice dish from Adam Payerl to put the Penguins ahead 2-0.

The one save Mannino made that stuck out to me was on Devante Smith-Pelly, who dangled through everyone and got a shot on that was stopped by the Penguins net minder right after Wilkes-Barre had scored the first goal.

Second Period: Brian Dumoulin scored on while the Penguins were on a 5-on-3 to put the Pens ahead 3-0. Then lots of penalties. I tweeted a picture at one point of the madness. Andrew Ebbett had a long breakaway which was stopped by Gibson. You got the sense at this moment that the wheels were off for the Admirals. Later, Bobby Farnham feeds Andrew Ebbett who scores his second goal in as many nights and the Penguins were ahead 4-0.

Third Period: Norfolk starts Brad Thiessen in goal to begin the period. The Penguins put 14 shots on the ex-Penguins net minder, many coming when they had a full 2:00 of 5-on-3 to work with but the Game 6 hero vs. Providence last year stopped them all. I don’t know what I would have done had the Penguins actually gotten a goal on Thiessen. Laughed, cried, clapped or just sat there. I know you always hear and see me say that I cheer for the front of the jersey and not the back, but Thiessen’s time and heroics here in Wilkes-Barre cannot and should not ever be overlooked.

Norfolk only managed 2 shots on goal for the period and were outshot badly 40-12 in the game, an all time franchise low for the club.

Three Stars: 3) Peter Mannino (12 save shutout) 2) Bobby Farnham (two assists, +2) and 1) Harry Zolnierczyk game winning goal, +1)

Of note, Zolnierczyk did not come out for his first star mention. He took a hit on the boards in the third and did not return.

Around the Division: Hershey beats Adirondack at home 4-1 in front of their largest crowd of the season, 10,995. Syracuse loses in a shootout to Hamilton 2-1 and Binghamton defeats Rochester at home 2-1.

Standings: Penguins 76 — Binghamton 75 — Norfolk 72 — Hershey 70 — Syracuse 58

Wheeling Update: The Nailers shutout the Cincinnati Cyclones at home 2-0. Christiaan Minella and Cody Sylvester scored the goals for the Nailers.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Alright, so the Binghamton Senators have two games in hand on the Penguins. They will burn one of those tomorrow when they face-off with the Rochester Americans again up in Rochester in the make up game from this week when that game was cancelled because of snow. A B-Sens win puts them ahead of the Pens by one point. A loss obviously keeps the Penguins as the division leaders. It all may not matter, the Pens and B-Sens play each other three more times, all at the critical time they call the month of April.

I’ll have a tweet of the final score of that game tomorrow on Twitter. The Week 24 AHL Power Rankings will be up Monday at 4 p.m. Until then…

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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It’s coming together.

About two weeks ago, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins were a lifeless, effortless bunch on the outside of the playoffs and leaving a marginal blogger scratching his head and asking himself why. But it made for clicks! Let’s blog about other teams scores and hope that this team wins and this team loses and this team loses and this team wins!

When you are out of control, you can’t hope that others control what you can’t.

Or something.

Anyway, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins finally turned it around with a 6-5 win at home against Hershey on a Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre.

Since, they haven’t looked back.

It’s actually been a forgotten man that has gotten them not only back into playoff contention but back into sole possession of first place in the East Division after a 5-1 win Friday night against Hamilton.

His name is Peter Mannino.

In the month of March alone, Mannino has gone 4-1, with a 2.05 GAA and a .922 SV%. Not bad for a guy who didn’t take his assignment to Wheeling in the Fall the right way and was suspended by the team.

With a 3-1 Binghamton win against Norfolk up on the Southern Tier, the Penguins sit in sole possession of first place in the East Division. For now. Binghamton has two games in hand and Norfolk comes to town tomorrow. Norfolk owns the Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza as of late. Something like 12 straight wins or something like that.

Anyway. The game.

Mannino opposed Devan Dubnyk. Chuck Kobasew made his first AHL start in a long, long time. Spencer Machacek was the veteran scratch. Jayson Megna was called up to Pittsburgh before the game. Normally I get upset whenever a player gets recalled from Wilkes-Barre to Pittsburgh, but not in this case. Megna had four points for the Pens since being re-assigned at the Olympic break. Not exactly setting the AHL world on fire, there.

First Period: Long period of green flag hockey. That is, non-stop, end to end hockey. Then, a Penguins penalty kill. Andrew Ebbett dogs the Bulldogs defensemen and steals a puck and skates in on a breakaway and is hauled down and is awarded a penalty shot. He scores. 1-0 Penguins. Probably the first ever shorthanded penalty shot goal in team history.

Later, Anton Zlobin steps up and scores on a power play to put the Penguins ahead 2-0. Hamilton responds when Mike Blunden cleans up a rebound left by Mannino to cut the lead in half.

Second Period: You’ll probably see this one in the SendToNews Package. Peter Mannino with a glove save while going in the splits robbing Sven Andrighetto in the slot.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Chuck Kobasew, banished by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the scorn of the fan base and placed on waivers, scores in his first game as a Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguin to make it 3-1.

:23 later, Brian Dumoulin waits out a Bulldog and pumps one on net for a 4-1 Penguin lead. That goal would end Dubnyk’s night.

Third Period: Anton Zlobin with his second of the night on a nifty backhand and it’s 5-1 Wilkes-Barre, who, for all intents and purposes just played defense the entire period and didn’t let anything funny happen the Hamilton way.

Three Stars: 3) Peter Mannino (26 saves on 27 shots) 2) Andrew Ebbett (goal, assist, +2) and 1) Anton Zlobin (two goals, assist, +2)

So, wait. Anton Zlobin was sent to Wheeling a week or so ago, responds with a three point night. Meanwhile Jayson Megna, who scored only four points his entire stay here since the Olympic break, gets the call up? Okay……..

Around The Division: You know about Binghamton beating Norfolk 3-1 from my lead. Click there for the box if you are so inclined. Hershey, battling for a playoff spot, loses to Syracuse 3-2 in overtime, done in by ex-Bear Jon DiSalvatore. The good news for the Bears is that their trade deadline acquisitions in Chris Brown and Kris Newbury had an immediate impact, with Newbury assisting on a Brown goal.

Standings: Penguins 74 — Binghamton 73 — Norfolk 72 — Hershey 68 — Syracuse 57

Conference: 1) MCH (88) 2) SPR (80) 3) WBS (74) 4) STJ (78) 5) BNG (73) 6) PRO (73) 7) NOR (72) 8) ALB (70)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers defeated the Reading Royals by the same 5-1 score as the Penguins did tonight. Tom Kuhnhackl (1-2-3, +4) Carter Rowney (1-3-4, +5) and Cody Sylvester (3-1-4, +3) all with HUGE nights to help the Nailers in the race for playoffs in the ECHL.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens take on the Norfolk Admirals tomorrow at 7:05. Gameday for this will be up at the usual 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!!!