Chirps from Center Ice

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I think I may have a new favorite player.

Not since Casey DeSmith was an AHL goaltender have I had a favorite player.

Wade Brookbank. Ben Lovejoy. Casey DeSmith.

That’s it. That’s my list.

They may have to make room for Marc Johnstone.

Saw it when they were on the road in Charlotte opening weekend. Guy busts his ass every shift and plays like he is 10 foot tall. Smart with the puck. Doesn’t make any errors. Goes and goes and goes.

Who else but Marc Johnstone, the hero, with .5 seconds left.

Wilkes-Barre wins 2-1 over Hershey Friday night.

Close game that they nearly lost a dozen times and couldn’t win with multiple power plays late. They needed a hero and it came in the form of Marc Johnstone.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup was Matt Filipe for Corey Andonovski who took warmups and Taylor Fedun for Jack St. Ivany.

Bears score in the first on a power play goal from Mike Vecchione on a nice setup from Mike Sgarbossa and it was 1-0 Hershey.

I didn’t like the way referees Mike Dietrich and Jake Kamrass ran things early, and they stick around and will be the referees Saturday against Belleville.

Penguins get a goal the gritty way when Alex Nylander camps out in front of the net and Jansen Harkins sets him up for the tying goal in the final minute of the second period.

In the third, I became incredibly frustrated with the Penguins power play.

J.D. Forrest throwing things at the wall. Jonathan Gruden on the power play?

I figured their power play out, though.

Johnstone won it late, as documented above. Thought it was deflected in with a high stick, but it was not.

Three Stars: 3) Joel Blomqvist (19 saves) 2) Alex Nylander (goal) 1) Marc Johnstone (game winning goal)

A note about Blomqvist – I don’t want to say he stole the game cause he kept the team in it and his guys won it for him. I also don’t want to rush him, but I think he is quickly becoming the best goaltender in the organization, all things considered. Keep it up.

Also, Hershey has three regulation losses and the Penguins gave them two of those losses.

The Good: Marc Johnstone. What else can I say? What a player. Give me a team full of Marc Johnstone’s.

The Bad: Power play coulda used a goal.

Turning Point: Johnstone’s goal with .5 left gets it here. Obviously.

Around the Division: Cleveland has been in the AHL as the Monsters since  2007. This is the first ever meeting with the Providence Bruins, a team that plays in the same conference as them. Providence wins 7-3….Lehigh Valley beats Hartford 5-4 in overtime….Springfield beats Belleville 6-3.

Standings: Hershey 14 / Hartford 11 / Penguins / Charlotte / Springfield 10 / Lehigh Valley and Providence 9 / Bridgeport 5

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights:

Back at it Saturday against Belleville at 6:05.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Dictionary defines “providence” as timely preparation for future eventualities.

Well tonight, you can state that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins lacked providence because the team that bears the name came in and beat them 3-1.

First home loss for the Penguins, in what would best be defined as a feckless offensive effort.

Work night. School night. Let’s get into it.

Lineup Notes: Sam Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen (both injured) out for Austin Rueschhoff and Colin Smith. Smith returns from injury. Garret Sparks was the one injured, which explains why he didn’t come out for the third Sunday in Hershey and why Taylor Gauthier was recalled. On defense, Taylor Fedun was out. Libor Hajek stayed in. I think they still have veteran issues.

First Period: Shots were 9-3 Penguins in the period. Wilkes-Barre jumps out to a 1-0 lead on a power play goal from Rem Pitlick:

But Providence hits back 90 seconds later when John Farinacci, who sounds like a Pittston Area gym teacher, tips in a shot from the point that makes it 1-1.

Second Period: Providence ratcheted up the offense and gets a goal from Vincent Areseneau which I initially thought was an own goal from Dmitri Samorukov, that made it 2-1 Bruins.

Third Period: I waited for a comeback that never came. The Penguins took their second too many men on the ice call, the third time they had such an issue in the evening but that one time they didn’t have the puck. How does that happen? Twice one game?

Turning point of the game was when the Penguins had a power play with 4:28 left to play and failed to score.

Somewhere in there Brandon Buss made a ridiculous save to keep it a one goal game for the visitors. I don’t want to say that he won the game for the Bruins, but he was a big big part.

Providence hit an empty net, which essentially sealed their fate. Jesper Boqvist scored it.

Three Stars: 3) Brandon Buss (26 saves) 2) Rem Pitlick (goal) 1) Vincent Arseneau (goal)

The Good: Optimist says they held the Bruins close, offense wasn’t there when it needed to be against a really good AHL goaltender. Also, the penalty kill went 6/6.

The Bad: They essentially have a fourth line that consists of Jagger Joshua and Marc Johnstone, who bust their ass on every shift every game, and Jonathan Gruden who does the same, but plays third and sometimes second line minutes. That’s all. Jansen Harkins has shown flashes of brilliance but the defense is out to lunch half the time. Samorukov ain’t it. Jack Rathbone I don’t think is either. Ty Smith is in the wrong system, jury is out on Hajek and Ouellet does what he can with who he’s paired with. St. Ivany has flashes. He’s young, cut him some slack.

Every team has clunkers every once in a while. This Penguins team is not championship caliber, so you are going to have more.

Maybe they get the proper coaching and accountability. Hershey is here Friday. It better come quick.

Around the Division: Hershey beats Lehigh Valley 4-3 in overtime and are 7-2. I didn’t think the Bears could somehow be better than last year, yet here we are. They are in Friday.

Standings: Hershey 14 / Hartford 10 / Charlotte / Penguins / Thunderbirds 8 / Lehigh Valley and Providence 7 / Bridgeport 5

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: You may have to go hunt and peck for them yourselves if you are so inclined. I am off Thursday and not going to be near a computer for most of the day.

Back at it Friday against Hershey.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I don’t think they are a very good team on the road.

A 6-1 pasting Sunday afternoon by the Hershey Bears. They give up the first two shots faced, and it was all really downhill from there.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: It was the WBS debut for Libor Hajek as the Penguins went 11 forwards, 7 defensemen. Avery Hayes drew the short stick.

First Period: Disaster start for the Penguins and Garrett Sparks in general.

Hershey scores twice before Sparks records a save. Ethen Frank scores twice, starting at 1:11 into the contest, and this was the first goal allowed in the first period by the Penguins.

Then the Bears strike on a power play and Frank notches his second.

Couple things here. First, Sparks needs to be better here, especially on the second goal by Frank. There’s time and space and a goaltender as experienced as Sparks has to make that save.

Jack Rathbone continues to really unimpress me, being on the ice for the first of Frank’s goals here. Be better.

Speaking of, just what in the sam hill is this disaster?

A 2-on-0? Really?

The Penguins as a whole, were out to lunch that period and the defending champion Bears punished them rightly for being so unprepared.

Second Period: Penguins have a would be Corey Andonovski power play goal swiped off the board when referees Alex Lepkowski and Patrick Hanrahan adjudge that the puck was deflected in on a high stick. It is not a reviewable call (it should be) but on the few replays I did see, it looked borderline.

Later, Sam Poulin scores a legal power play goal the traditional way with a hack and whack slam dunk.

But Hershey would respond in kind when Joe Snively scores his second goal of the game on a power play goal left unmarked on the far post.

Third Period: Joel Blomqvist came in for relief of Garrett Sparks and it mattered little.

A loose puck put in by Jimmy Huntingdon made it 5-1.

Later, Bogdan Trineyev scores his first AHL goal on the trot.

Seriously, the guy never loses a step and just charges at the net where Nic Aube-Kubel sets him up for a goal that makes it 6-1.

Three Stars: 3) Ethen Frank (two goals) 2) Jimmy Huntingdon (goals, two assists) 1) Joe Snively (two goals, assist)

The Good: Somehow Valtteri Puustinen, Xavier Ouellet and Taylor Fedun ended the day even.

The Bad: Jack Rathbone was a -3. Gotta tighten up there buddy.

Turning Point: The second shot of the game for Hershey gave the Bears all the momentum necessary for what turned into a blowout win for the 12 time league champions.

Around the Division: Springfield beats Providence in overtime 3-2 and sweeps the weekend….Hartford salvages theirs with a 4-1 win in Allentown.

Standings: Hershey extends their lead over the Penguins by four points at the top of the division. Bears have 12 points, Hartford 10, Charlotte, Penguins and Springfield have 8, Lehigh Valley 6, Providence and Bridgeport 5.

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights:

Back at it Wednesday at home against Providence. Weekend Preview will be up Wednesday morning.

Let’s Go Pens!

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In Memoriam: There was news last night that was devastating to learn regarding ex-Penguin Adam Johnson, who tragically passed away during a hockey game overseas. Johnson played the bulk of his AHL time in Wilkes-barre but also had stints in Lehigh Valley and Ontario. The Hershey Bears held a moment of silence for Johnson before the start of the Sunday afternoon game against the Pens.

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Getting on a bit of a roll here.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins won their third straight game at home, defeating the suddenly slumping Hartford Wolf Pack 4-2 Saturday night in Wilkes-Barre.

Special teams carried the day for the Penguins, who did all of their scoring in the first period with a shorthanded goal and a power play goal. They held the Wolf Pack to just 8 shots through the two periods before Hartford nudged a little closer, but not too close to the point to where it may become uncomfortable.

Hershey Sunday and a chance to sweep the week.

Here’s how they lined up:

Hartford didn’t post lines and never does.

Lineup Notes: Vinnie Hinostroza went up Thursday, Corey Andonovski came back. That was it, D pairings stayed the same.

First Period: A blitzkrieg for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

Valtteri Puustinen receives a nice stretch pass and doesn’t miss for a 1-0 Penguins lead.

I don’t know if Puustinen reads the blog (please don’t) but ever since I said he should be scratched, he’s responded with goals.

Penguins go on the penalty kill and Joona Koppanen skates in all alone and scores a shorthanded goal.

Jonathan Gruden on a hack and whack job and the rout was on.

And then Rem Pitlick scores a power play goal for the cherry on top.

Now I was expecting Hartford starting goaltender Dylan Garland to get the yank but Kris Knoblauch stayed with him. After the Pitlick goal, Garland shut it down from there.

I really thought that had the Penguins scored a fifth, Garand’s night would have been over.

Second Period: Seemed at times a bit tamer, which I think played more in favor for Hartford and less so for the Penguins.

Jack Rathbone and Xavier Ouellet cross wires and Turner Elson scores to put the Wolf Pack on the board.

Third Period: Hartford had a leftover penalty from the second, and Jonny Brodzinski rifles one home just :39 into the period to make the game a lot closer.

Said this at the time…

Sometimes I tweet things to set things up for the blog. If Hartford scores again, then yeah it’s a lot tigher and I use foreshadowing to set up the rest of the blog entry, If the Penguins score to make it 5-2, it’s likely an easy win for the Penguins. Either way, the tweet still stands.

Only no one scored again.

Jansen Harkins came close on a breakaway, but Dylan Garand was a completely Dylan Garand in the second and third periods then he was in the first.

Hartford had a few chances late with Garand pulled and a power play, but never got any closer.

Three Stars: 3) Ty Smith (assist) 2) Valtteri Puustinen (goal) 1) Jonath Gruden (goal)

The Good: Jump all over the opponent in the first and send them scrambling. The Penguins have not allowed the opponent to score at all in the first period so far this season. It’s a good trend, you’d like to see it continue.

The Bad: Boy oh boy, they nearly blew that one until the didn’t. Take the two points and move on.

Turning Point: Turns out that Gruden power play goal was big at the time back in the first period as it stood up as the game winning goal.

Around the Division: Charlotte shuts out Bridgeport 2-0 at home….Hershey does the same to Lehigh Valley 4-0.Lehigh Valley had eight power plays…Springfield beats what looks like a bad Providence team 5-2. The Thunderbirds scored three power play goals.

Standings: Hershey 10, Penguins, Charlotte and Hartford 8, Lehigh Valley and Springfield 6, Bridgeport 5 and Providence 4

Wheeling Update: Nailers are down big in Fort Wayne. Box here.

Video Highlights: 

Hershey Sunday at 3 in Hershey. Don’t be late. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Sam Houde has four points in two games.

Yeah, he’s not coming out of the lineup any time soon.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins continue to be the kryptonite to the Hershey Bears and throttle the defending champions at home 5-1, handing the Bears their first road loss of the season.

The Penguins are 2-0 at home, important to note also. Gotta defend that home ice.

Work night, school night, so let’s get this over with already.

Lineup Notes: Just Sam Poulin for Colin White. Corey Andonovski went up and Radim Zohorna came back down. The Penguins also recalled Magnus Hellberg.

First Period: Good start, the Penguins score first, in the first period, to boot.

Alex Nylander on a power play.

I don’t know which idiot on this blog suggested the Penguins scratch Nylander.

Penguins played an overall quiet, disciplined first period. Didn’t take a penalty and scored on the on power play they were awarded.

Second Period: Joe Snively, one of my favorite non-Penguin player and definitely my favorite Hershey Bear, scores his first of the season with this snipe.

So next goal was crucial here in this overall, to this point, even headed hockey game.

Enter Sam Houde.

A St. Ivany blast from the point that Joona Koppanen and Sam Houde get deflections on and it’s 2-1 Penguins.

Third Period: So the question coming in here was whether or not the Penguins could hold the lead and hold the Bears back when the inevitable charge came.

Not only did the Penguins hold the lead, they extended it and the 12-time Calder Cup Champions never made that charge.

A second power play goal? In one game? In this economy?

Sam Houde again.

Marc Johnstone picks Vinnie Iorio’s pocket, or Iorio gave it away like the kid who sees the bully coming and Johnstone didn’t miss.

And then Vinnie Hinostroza scores another breakaway goal and the rout was on.

Goals came fast, and they came furious, 4:32 to be exact provided my math is right.

Penguins continued to play disciplined and it never really felt like the game was going to get out of hand for the home team.

Three Stars: 3) Joel Blomqvist (19 saves) 2) Alex Nylander (goal, assist) 1) Sam Houde (two goals)

The Good: Kind of the game you wish you could bottle up and keep. They played their most complete game of their young season, did mostly everything right and there were no weak points in this one. Hershey is a good team, a championship team, and not a pushover by any means. But for some reason, for all the pitfalls that befell this Penguins team, whenever the Bears come around, it’s like a completely different hockey club.

The Bad: When I got nothing, I got nothing. Moving on….

Turning Point: The Houde power play goal in the third period was the breathing room that the Penguins needed here when they were nursing a one goal lead as the third period started. It ripped the game open and the once close game turned the game into a laugher.

Around the Division: Charlotte loses up in Rochester 4-3.

Standings: Hartford / Hershey 8, Penguins / Phantoms 6, Bridgeport 5, Charlotte / Providence 4, Springfield 2

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

Rare Friday off for the Penguins and then Hartford comes calling Saturday night. Let’s see how they show up then. Good start to the week, however.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Here’s a hot take for you, Springfield and Wilkes-Barre are a lot alike.

I got that sense after watching about 40 minutes of these two teams battling Saturday night in Wilkes-Barre in a game that the Penguins would win 3-1, their home opener.

No score after the first, 1-1 after the second, the two teams couldn’t separate from one another until a Rem Pitclick power play goal put the Penguins ahead for good and a Jansen Harkins empty netter sealed it late.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: After that effort last night, Alex Nylander was a scratch. So too were Corey Andonovski and Austin Rueschoff. In were Sam Houde, Jansen Harkins (making his WBS debut) and Matt Filipe. For Filipe and Houde, it was their season debuts.

No changes to the defense or the pairings from Friday in Hartford.

First Period: Another scoreless first. After seeing him on the road on AHLTV and now seeing him in person, Marc Johnstone busts his ass every shift. Like every shift he’s methodical in his positioning and gives 100%. Early fan favorite in my opinion. Give me a team full of Marc Johnstone’s.

Penguins failed to score on two power plays, so they have gone 0-for-15 to open the season.

Second Period: Vinnie Hionostroza opened his account with a breakaway goal to open the middle frame.

Nice little cueball pass there by Rem Pitlick, setting up the breakaway for the veteran Hinostroza. He shouldn’t miss these and didn’t. Big goal.

A little over a minute and a half later, Xavier Ouellet is in his defensive zone and goes to rim a puck around the wall. Valtteri Puustinen was closely and assumed that the puck would do it’s thing and goes where he thought it would go.

You know what happens when you assume, right?

I enjoy the use of the pun there.

Third Period: Things got chippy about halfway through. Will Bitten was caught with his head down and needed help off. A few minutes later Penguins get a power play and it’s Marc Johnstone (that man again) setting up Rem Pitlick for a power play goal (a what?!?!?) that gives the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

A few more heart in your throat moments however as Wilkes-Barre would get tagged with too many men putting Springfield on the power play and with starting goaltender Vadim Zherenko pulled for an extra attacker for the power play, Springfield would not find the equalizer and indeed Jansen Harkins would seal the victory for the Penguins with an empty net goal.

Three Stars: 3) Joel Bloimqvist 31 saves (first AHL win) 2) Vinnie Hinostroza (goal) 1) Rem Pitlick (goal, assist)

The Good: Don’t make any lineup changes. Roll with this for the Wednesday game against Hershey, J.D. Please, I beg you. Sam Houde had two assists, hasn’t played yet.

The Bad: I you had to make one move though, J.D., I’d scratch Valtteri Puustinen cause the guy doesn’t play any defense and thinks he’s Superman out there when he has the puck.

Turning Point: Wilkes-Barre’s special teams in the third period. They scored a power play goal and came up with a huge stop late to deliver the win.

Around the Division: Hershey wins their third straight, taking down and sweeping Providence 5-4 in a shootout….Charlotte wins 3-2 in Toronto….Bridgeport beats Utica 2-1 in overtime and Hartford earns the 1,000th goal in franchise history with a 5-1 win over Lehigh Valley 5-1.

Standings: Hartford 8, Hershey 6, Charlotte, Lehigh Valley, Penguins, Providence and Bridgeport 4 and Springfield 2.

Wheeling Update: Nailers started an hour and a half later then the Pens, she they are finishing up what should be a season opening with against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Box here. Taylor Gauthier in net. Lukas Svejovsky with a goal and assist. Nailers have three power play goals! 🤯

Video Highlights: 

Hershey Wednesday. Notes as they come if I have time, etc.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I think I have reused this headline before.

Penguins lose 5-0 in Hartford Friday night. Their old habits from last year bubbled up and the game got out of hand quick on them.

They lost puck battles, their offensive “threats” were taking liberties with the puck, which led to goals for the other team.

Say it with me now, it’s only the third game of the season. It’s only the third game of the season. It’s only the third game of the…

…you get it.

Here’s how they lined up…

(Hartford didn’t and doesn’t post lines)

Lineup Notes: Sam Poulin was out, day to day with something. I didn’t catch what was likely a very detailed description of the injury from Nick Hart pregame. Liens were jumbled from last weekend in Charlotte. Pittsburgh recalled Radim Zohorna and sent down Jansen Harkins, who wasn’t in the lineup Friday…Alex Nylander was back in as was Jagger Joshua. On defense, Jack Rathbone made his WBS debut, Xavier Ouellet was back in. Justin Lee was out. Mark Friedman was traded, as you know from this week.

First Period: Hartford’s power play carried them to a pair of wins last weekend, but in the first period Friday, it didn’t do anything for them as they had two power plays in the opening period but didn’t score. The Penguins seemed to get some jump out of those penalty kills in what was a bit of a feisty period by current AHL standards, as there were two fights in the period. Corey Andonovski and Taylor Fedun fought.

Second Period: Penguins had a pair of power plays in the period but didn’t score on them and that brings them to 0/11 to start the season on the man advantage.

Hartford would score a pair of goals at even strength (they didn’t get a power play in the period) when Brett Berard would score a fluky goal.

Pinballing puck, fluttering a bit, Berard takes a poke at it and high sticks Xavier Ouellet in the process (no call on that) and Hartford is on the board first.

Later, Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski scores a goal scorers goal which extends the home teams lead to 2-0.

It was Brodzinski’s 300th AHL game, as well.

A lot of things wrong on that play. Colin White shoving Alex Nylander, who never plays any defense, trying to encourage him to either a) get the hell out of his way or b) play defense, was something there and Avery Hayes trying to break up the pass was an effort, but a miss and Brodzinski with all the time and space he needs, didn’t miss.

Last years habits creeping into this years team. Great.

Third Period: A two goal deficit is usually nothing for a team to overcome.

But when you have bad habits, they usually die hard.

Riley Nash beats Jack St. Ivany to a race to the net and catches a pass for an easy tap in and it’s 3-0.

The wheels straight up fell off from there.

Hartford won every puck battle. Pens were one and done when they entered their offensive zone. The bad habits quickly rubbed off on the newcomer Jack Rathbone, who gets beat in a race by Adam Edstrom who had a good chance which was denied by Hellberg.

Has Kyle Dubas kept his receipts?

It’s only the third game of the season…It’s only the third game of the season….

Anyway.

Under 5 to play with the game slipping out of control and there are five black jerseys watching a player shoot.

Alex Nylander didn’t have a great game. A homer backhand chance from the crease went about 15 feet wide. Then, he tries a cross ice pass to a team mate with the Penguins having an empty net and Connor Mackey intercepts it for an easy empty net goal and a 5-0 lead.

The Hartford fans wouldn’t stop throwing stuff on the ice, so the bench was given a delay of game penalty. Referees Jackson Kozari and Chris Waterstradt weren’t messing around.

But the Penguins couldn’t score on the power play that ensued, even getting a 5-on-3 when the WolfPack scored another empty netter that made it 5-0.

When it rains, it pours.

0/13 on the power play to start the season by the way.

Three Stars: 3) Riley Nash (goal, assist) 2) Brett Berard (goal, assist) 1) Louis Domingue (35 save shutout)

The Good: You tell me. 🤷‍♂️

The Bad: Nyalnder doesn’t play defense and thinks he’s superman out there. Cure your vet problem by benching this bum. Series clinching goals against Hershey be damned.

Turning Point (hey I remembered this time!): The Riley Nash goal made everything worse, putting the game out of reach for Wilkes-Barre.

Around the Division: Hershey beats Providence 3-2 in Rhode Island….Lehigh Valley thumps Springfield 5-2. Charlotte and Bridgeport were off.

Standings: Hartford 6, Lehigh Valley and Hershey 4, Providence 3, Charlotte, Springfield, Penguins, Bridgeport 2.

Wheeling Update: Nailers open their season Saturday in Cincinnati.

Video Highlights: If they post them, I’ll work in an edit.

Back at it Saturday when they host Springfield. Hopefully it goes a bit better then this flaming disaster in the Connecticut capital.

Let’s Go Pens!