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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 8, 2025
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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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 9, 2025
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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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 9, 2025
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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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 9, 2025
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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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 9, 2025
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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.
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.
Comments Off on Tristan Show — Pens WIN 3-0
Posted by nafsnep on February 7, 2025
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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.
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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 8, 2025
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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.
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…
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.
Comments Off on Economy Effort — Pens WIN 3-2
Posted by nafsnep on February 1, 2025
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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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 1, 2025
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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…
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.
SHORTY TIME 🚨
For every shorthanded goal we score, Borland and Borland will donate $250 to the Penguins GOALS Foundation. This makes 7 shorties on the season pic.twitter.com/D99w7V8XDK
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 2, 2025
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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.
Comments Off on Day Late and a Dollar Short — Pens LOSE 3-2
Posted by nafsnep on January 31, 2025
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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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 31, 2025
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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.
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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 1, 2025
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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.
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.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 1, 2025
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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?
Yes, you are reading it all right. Both the scoreline and the headline. Vasily Ponomarev leads AHL rookies in points (35) and is yet somehow not an AHL All-Star. Baffling, and maybe downright insulting.
And yes, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins beat up the Hershey Bears like they owed them money to a tune of 9-0.
It’s just the second regulation road loss for the forward depleted Bears, who are missing a ton of offensive firepower but are generally OK on defense on goaltending.
Not tonight, though.
Four goals for Vasily Ponomarev, a hat trick also for Ville Koivunen and 27 saves for Sergei Murashov, his first AHL shutout and he wasn’t even named a star of the game.
Valtteri Puustinen, Colton Poolman, Owen Pickering, Marc Johnstone and Dan Renouf were held off the score sheet for the Pens Wednesday. Only Bogdan Trineyev, Chase Priskie and Garrett Roe for the Bears weren’t on the ice for any even strength goals scored.
Historic night.
Biggest margin of victory over the Bears….biggest margin of victory ever….seven hat tricks this season shatters the franchise record of five, and they had two in one game, also first time ever.
I said in the Weekend Preview that if they beat Hershey then the rest (with Charlotte this week) takes care of itself.
I think we are getting to the point to where a win should be expected. Not given, but expected.
The Penguins jumped on the Bears from the outset with Ville Koivunen scoring at 4:39 off a nice feed from Boris Katchouk.
Vasily Ponomarev would net a power play goal at 6:42 and it was 2-0.
Ponomarev again at 9:12 and that was all for Clay Stevenson in net for the Bears, enter Hunter Shepard.
It didn’t matter.
Ville Koivunen netted the free coffee goal at 14:15.
This was just the first period.
More in the second.
Koivunen for his hat trick at 1:36 at the expiration of a Penguins power play made it 5-0, Sam Poulin creeping behind the defense off a very nice pass from Joona Koppanen to make it 6-0 at 7:02, Koivunen for his fourth at 13:09 and then Filip Kral, who had four assists, tucked in a goal that made it 8-0 at 17:28.
The only question is would the Penguins score ten and would Ponomarev get a hat trick of his own?
Ponomarev would at 3:17, back on Clay Stevenson who went back in net for the Bears to start the third, but the Penguins would not continue shattering franchise records by scoring a tenth goal, something they have never done.
Here they are, in all their glorious glory. Pick your favorite and let me know in the comments.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 30, 2025
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Whew.
Lost in the ether was a strong effort in net from Sergei Murashov whom I thought was a good call to go in net against the Bears. What offensive mustard the Bears put on Murashov when they weren’t having to put out fires on the backs their defensemen or fishing pucks out of the net or scheduling audiologist visits after Todd Nelson gave them an earful in intermission, were all shut down rather easily by the Russian rookie net minder.
But again, buyer beware, Hershey has a lot of forwards hurt.
Lineup wise, Atley Calvert made his AHL debut on the fourth line in place of Corey Andonovski and Colton Poolman was in Scooter Brickey.
Three Stars: 3) Filip Kral (goal, four assists) 2) Vasily Ponomarev (hat trick) 1) Ville Koivunen (hat trick plus one)
The Good: Again, they jumped on Hershey like they owed them money. I said in the Power Rankings earlier this week I don’t think the Bears win the division this season. I think the Penguins are the best team in the division but they just haven’t played enough games to have people notice yet.
The Bad: They didn’t get ten?
Turning Point: I think the power play goal scored by Ponomarev back in the first set the ball in motion and it was downhill from there for the Bears and just a runaway train for the Penguins.
Around the Division: You won’t believe this, but there was another team that scored nine goals. Lehigh Valley throttles Bridgeport 9-2…Hartford loses 6-5 in overtime in Belleville.
Standings: Hershey 57 – Providence and Charlotte 51 – Penguins 50 – Lehigh Valley 48 – Springfield 42 – Hartford 40 – Bridgeport 24
Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.
Video Highlights:
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They fly to Charlotte Thursday and we will be back here Friday.
Seriously, Vasiliy Ponomarev isn’t an AHL All-Star.
Comments Off on Sunday Scaries – Pens WIN 5-1
Posted by nafsnep on January 26, 2025
Quick one today because of you have followed along for any amount of time you realize that I detest with the fire of a thousand suns Sunday games. I can tolerate road games easier then I can home games (not having to negotiate crowds, etc) but still detest the concept. I’d make a terrible Hershey Bears fan, they love their 5 o’clock starts on Sundays. They are crazy.
Anyway, Emil Bemstrom’s hat trick and the Penguins three power play goals are enough to sail past the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Sunday afternoon. Penguins inch closer and use a game in hand on Hershey to pick up two points on the Bears after a 5-1 win.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 26, 2025
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Lineup Notes: Owen Pickering, assigned Friday because he was the only waiver exempt non-goaltender on the roster, went down and Boko Imama went up. He replaced Colton Poolman from Saturday. Up front, Jesse Puljujarvi was out for Marc Johnstone. I’ve been generally underwhelmed by Puljujarvi, so that was a wash.
First Period: Wilkes-Barre blitzkrieged the Phantoms to the tune of three goals, while Tristan Jarry only had to face five Phantoms shots and didn’t let the first one he saw go in. Progress.
Emil Bemstrom slammed home a Boris Katchouk pass on the near side to give the Pens an early 1-0 lead at 11:36.
Under two minutes later, Avery Hayes comes flying down the near side, cuts to the net and digs Alexei Kolosov out, dekes him and roofs it to make it 2-0.
Hayes is a fellow you want to get going. You accomplish that, this team is unbeatable.
Late, Ethan Samson cross checks Corey Andonovski right in front of referee Jake Kamrass. Penguins power play. Mac Hollowell squeaks in a goal with two seconds left on the clock to give the Penguins a 3-0 lead.
Here’s all the goals. Writing this on the fly, hope they all go through.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 26, 2025
Second Period: Avery Hayes was awarded an early penalty shot when a Phantoms covered the puck in the crease in an early scramble. He made a good move but Alexei Kolosov got a pad on it. That would be a theme of the period.
Ville Koivunen would get run over (legally) by Hunter McDonald and Boris Katchouk stepped up and fought McDonald. Katchouk would pick up 2-5-10 and the Phantoms got a long power play.
That thing I said about Kolosov’s pad? He stopped a Marc Johnstone setup and pass to Jonathan Gruden with the pad. Just a straight up robbery and then in the immediate rush up ice the other way, Cooper Marody scored to put the Phantoms on the board.
Hard to believe that was Marody’s first of the season, but Sunday was just his third game of the season and he’s been dealing with injury.
Third Period: It’s good when you have a power play that’s effective.
With the Phantoms still hanging around down two, Wilkes-Barre goes on a power play with seven minutes remaining. Thought here is that if the Penguins get one here, it’s over.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 26, 2025
Phantoms take a late delay of game penalty and you think that the Penguins would send a bunch of guys out there to get power play work who aren’t regulars.
Wrong.
Bemstrom again, for the hat trick, scores to ice it away as if the game wasn’t already sealed.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 26, 2025
Three Stars: 3) Avery Hayes (goal) 2) Ville Koivunen (four assists) 1) Emil Bemstrom (three goals, assist)
The Good: Power play went 3/4 (they had a brief :03 one if you want to count that) and that’s what got them the win. You do that and you win more than you lose.
The Bad: Would have been nice to see Jarry get the shutout, but it’s nitpicking.
Turning Point: The second goal Bemstrom goal gets it here. It’s 4-1 and there’s no way you come back from that unless you collapse.
Around the Division: Hey the AHL has a functioning website again! Hooray! Springfield hosted Hartford and Providence hosted Laval. The Rocket beat the Bruins in overtime 3-2 and Springfield beats Hartford 4-2.
Wheeling Update: Nailers in their third contest of the weekend with the Kansas City Mavericks. That one started a little later then the Penguins game. Here’s the box.
Video Highlights:
Bad enough I had a Sunday game to go to but I have a busy Monday so the AHL Power Rankings will likely be delayed to late Monday, possibly Tuesday. Check them out then.
Comments Off on Spasibo, Sergei — Pens WIN 2-1
Posted by nafsnep on January 25, 2025
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Sergei Murashov is now 3-0 at the AHL level after a very strong showing in net Saturday night for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, shutting down the Utica Comets three power plays and stopping 29 of 30 shots. Penguins win 2-1, snapping their four game losing streak.
Back at it Sunday afternoon at home (sigh) against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 25, 2025
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Lineup Notes: Mac Hollowell for Scooter Brickey on defense; Corey Andonovski for Marc Johnstone up front. Isaac Belliveau was sent to Wheeling Saturday afternoon.
First Period: Sergei Murashov was tested early and often as the Comets boat raced the Penguins to a tune of 10 shots to 1 at one point, then Shane Bowers connected for a goal at 13:34.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 25, 2025
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I don’t know why the folks in attendance clapped at the end of the first period, that was an awful period for the home teams who were lucky that their goaltender was dialed in.
Second Period: Murashov dazzled with a stop through bodies and a screen then slid over to stop the rebound attempt with the pad. Wilkes-Barre was starting to come unraveled a bit because Utica was getting all the calls (refs Rob Hennessey and Jake Kamrass did not give Utica a single penalty all night) but that boiled over at the end of the period.
Third Period: Vasily Ponomarev this time connects on another tic tac toe pass play and scores to push the Penguins ahead 2-1.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 26, 2025
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Utica did not find the equalizer with the net, tended by Nico Daws again in back to back nights, emptied.
Three Stars: 3) Rutger McGroarty (goal) 2) Sergei Murashov (29 saves) 1) Vasiliy Ponomarev (goal)
The Good: Nice to see them snap out of it and grit out a win. Utica plays better then its record and place would indicate.
The Bad: The AHL’s servers. You will note that this is blog piece is short scores from out of town or links to boxes. It’s 2025 and we have major hockey operations have server issues. I can’t get the scoreboard to load and am not going to continue to try.
Turning Point: The Ponomarev goal that put them ahead gets its here.
Hopefully the League gets new servers or pays the bill tomorrow so I can update standings and an out of town scoreboard for you.
Wheeling Update: Nailers are getting hammered at home by the Kansas City Mavericks. Box here. Hey, the ECHL’s servers are just fine!
Video Highlights: AHL VideoCenter, provided they also have the bandwidth, likely your best bet as Coal Street hasn’t posted them yet.
Back at it Sunday afternoon against Lehigh Valley.
WBS News
