Chirps from Center Ice

Defensive stand by the Penguins in the third period locked this one away for the home team as Hershey threw everything they had at the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins in the third period but could not find the space guarded by Tristan Jarry. 

The Pens won 4-1. Shots were 26-25 Hershey. Wilkes-Barre added two empty net goals at the end. 

Big night by Tom Sestito who had a goal and fought Hershey’s Liam O’Brien.

More later plus video of the Sestito fight. 

The last time the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins saw Bridgeport Sound Tigers goaltender Stephon Williams, they put five goals behind him. 

Not tonight. 

The Penguins scored two power play goals tonight, put 32 shots at Williams but lose 3-2 when the Sound Tigers scored two third period goals to essentially win the game. 

Williams and his glove were the story of the game and the Penguins inability to score on a 1:56 of 5-on-3 in the first prior missing trigger men Conor Sheary and Dominik Simon who were recalled to Pittsburgh an hour before the game was one of the keys to the loss. 

More in a bit.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins needed to step up to the bully today in a big way. After getting smacked around by Hershey yesterday in a 6-2 throttling, they need to respond and respond in a big way. 

They did. 

A Carter Rowney hat trick, a couple of assists by Tom Kostopoulos joining the illustrious 600-600 Club, and the Wikkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins draw closer to Hershey for the division lead winning today 5-4. 

More later. 

T,ristan Jarry did all he could in this one. It would be weird if he jumped into the play and attempted to score a goal. It’s not allowed anyway, goalies aren’t allowed past the red line during play. 

Jarry stopped 34 of 36 shots and the Pens lose this game in overtime. An offensive blitz by the Pirates and a clinic in goal by Jarry ends about 90 seconds into the extra five minutes and the Pirates get the extra point. 

Dominik Simon had the only goals for the Penguins. 

Lots to get to in this one in a bit.

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers came into the game tonight having won five games in a row and on the rise in the Atlantic Division. The understaffed Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins scraped together a lineup tonight and gave it a go. 

Gosh golly, they almost came out winners. Or forced overtime at least. 

Behind 3-0 after the first period, the Penguins comeback falls short and they lose 3-2. Carter Rowney had both Penguins goals. 

Tristan Jarry stopped 24 of 27. 

More in a bit with full analysis.

This game fell apart in the second period when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms scored their fifth goal of the game with Tristan Jarry on his back being interfered with.

Referee Olivier Gouin allowed the goal to stand, which set off the sellout crowd here tonight in Wilkes-Barre very angrily, as well as the Penguins bench. A penalty filled second period followed. 

But the a penguins still had a whole period to play and battle through and ultimately fell short by a score of 5-3. 

All the big names, Sheary, Wilson, O’Neill, did all they could to keep the spend in it but couldn’t. They all had multiple point games. 

More to follow in a bit when I get home. 

29 saves from Tristan Jarry back from injury, two goals by Scott Wilson and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins win their fifth in a row and remain unbeaten in 2016 with a 4-2 win over the Utica Comets. 

Wilkes-Barre struck twice on the power play and welcomed the return of Jarry, Kael Mouillierat and Tom Sestito.

More to come in a bit.