Last Game / Last Meeting: Last night in Allentown, the Penguins won 4-1 to one up a five point lead on the Phantoms for tops in the Atlantic Division. Teddy Blueger had two assists, giving him eight against the Phantoms this season, Tristan Jarry stopped 29 of 30 shots. Max Lamarche scored a first period power play goal for the Phantoms.
Record: For WBS: 42-17-3-0 (87 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division) — For LV: 38-19-4-0 (82 pts., 2nd place Atlantic Division)
Why you should care: Penguins can really put themselves out front and stop worrying for now about if they will get passed by the Phantoms or anyone else for the division lead with a win tonight in regulation over Lehigh Valley in regulation. A straight up win puts them seven clear of the Phantoms. A loss puts things where they were Friday, back down to three points. It’s a televised sellout crowd tonight, Wilkes-Barre better come to play.
Comments Off on Teddy Boo-ger — Pens WIN 4-1
Posted by nafsnep on March 17, 2017
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J-S Dea is the Phantoms killer, three goals and two assists against Lehigh Valley so far this season.
But the shadow lurking in the dark, is the Latvian assassin, Teddy Blueger. Blueger came into tonight’s game with six assists and the most points against the Phantoms on the Penguins this season.
Blueger adds two more assists, bringing him to eight points against the Phantoms, and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins beat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by a score of 4-1 Friday night and build up a five point lead on the Phantoms for first in the Atlantic Division.
Tristan Jarry opposed Alex Lyon.
Lines were…
Sahir Gill – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Thomas DiPauli – Oskar Sundqvist – Josh Archibald
Dominik Simon – Teddy Blueger – J-S Dea
Adam Krause – Jarrett Burton – Ryan Haggerty
David Warsofsky – Frankie Corrado
Tim Erixon – Ethan Prow
Brett Stern – Barry Goers
Tristan Jarry – Casey DeSmith
Lineup Notes: The Penguins signed draft pick Troy Josephs to an ATO and he took warmups but was scratched. Josephs comes from Calrksoin University where he led the team in goals, plus / minus and second on the team in points. He set career highs in everything in is senior year. Josh Archibald and Oskar Sundqvist were down from Pittsburgh, re-assigned Thursday, and Pittsburgh recalled Derrick Pouliot Friday morning. Word came down from practice Thursday that Stuart Percy is week to week with an upper body injury. Clark Donatelli is away this weekend attending to a personal matter so Chris Taylor ran the bench. Mark Recchi was seen on the Penguins bench during the game. Tristan Jarry started, and he has started every game against Lehigh Valley this season. Patrick McGrath served the first of his three game suspension.
First Period: Phantoms score the only power play awarded by referee Camron Voss when Max Lamarche scored from the far side and one timed a shot past Jarry that gave the Phantoms a 1-0 lead.
In an overall even period, the Phantoms hemmed the Penguins in for large portions and nearly scored a few more times but for the timely saves from Tristan Jarry. Lehigh Valley hit a post and really smothered the Penguins in the final minute of the period.
Second Period: Wilkes-Barre needed a big period and big response after getting steamrolled in the first period and got one.
Josh Archibald scored a shorthanded goal, his fourth such goal tying him in the AHL lead, when Lyon’s pass to a defenseman went off the boards to a forechecking Teddy Blueger who found Archibald cross ice that beat the Phantoms netminder which made it a 1-1 game…
Teddy Blueger picked up his seventh point against the Phantoms with the primary assist on the Archibald goal.
Ryan Haggerty made it 2-1 Wilkes-Barre when a shot from the opposite point caromed off of Lyon, who had no idea where the puck was where Haggerty banked it off of the Phantoms goaltender and made it 2-1 Wilkes-Barre…
As Taylor tweeted, Frank Corrado picked up an assist on the goal, his first with Wilkes-Barre.
Shots were 15-8 Penguins in the period and aggregate 22-17 Wilkes-Barre heading into the…
Third Period: Penguins came out with the same vim and vigor they exhibited in the second period, but Tristan Jarry remained on point and made this save which maintained the one goal Wilkes-Barre lead at the time…
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 18, 2017
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Later, Kevin Porter won a face-off to Tom Kostopoulos and the Penguins captain wired one past the glove of Lyon which made it a 3-1 lead for the Penguins….
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 18, 2017
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Jarry bailed out a Thomas DiPauli turnover at his own blueline to maintain the two goal lead the Penguins had.
Lehigh Valley pulled Lyon in favor of an extra attacker and had a brief 6-on-4 power play with Kevin Porter in the penalty box for a textbook boarding call. Obie and Nick mentioned it on the broadcast that it was a clean game between the two rivals from a perspective of shenanigans, and it was, which made it an excellent game for referee Cameron Voss, who I thought was exceptional tonight.
With Lyon vacated, Teddy Blueger wins a neutral zone face off, walks past two Phantoms defenders just staring at him and unselfishly dishes to Dominik Simon for the easy tap in empty net goal.
Three Stars: 3) Tristan Jarry (29 saves on 30 shots) 2) Tom Kostopoulos (goal, +1) and 1) Josh Archibald (goal, +1)
Wheeling Update: The Nailers beat the Adirondack Phantoms 5-2 up in Glens Falls, NY tonight. The two teams rematch tomorrow from Central New York. Sean Maguire picked up the win and first star honors, stopping 32 of 34 shots.
Video highlights….
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Pens and Phantoms rematch Saturday night in Wilkes-Barre. If you can’t make the game, it will be on TV. Gameday setup will hit the blog Saturday at 3 with all the details.
Last Game: Barry Goers’ two assists earned him first star honors as the Penguins beat the Providence Bruins 3-2 at home last Saturday. For Lehigh Valley, the Phantoms coughed up a 4-3 lead late in the third Wednesday at home against two man short Syracuse and lost 5-4 in overtime. Danick Martel scored twice.
Last Meeting: March 8 in Wilkes-Barre, Lehigh Valley goaltender Alex Lyon stopped all 31 shots faced as the Phantoms shut out the Penguins 3-0.
Record: For WBS: 41-17-3-0 (85 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division) — For LV: 39-18-4-0 (82 pts., 2nd place Atlantic Division)
Why you should care: If the Penguins are to win the division this season, it is going to come at the expense of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms whom they must fend off here in the final stretch of the season where they play the Phantoms six more times starting tonight in Allentown.
As of five minutes ago, you may not have known who Zach Aston-Reese was. I know that five minutes before I read about the news, I didn’t know who he was either.
But that’s what the power of the internet is for. Here are some reactions…
It’s a big deal when Jonathan calls the guy the top undrafted college free agent on the market…
I don’t suppose that you can use the kids name without also using, “big signing”
Big signing for the #Pens. Aston-Reese ranks 2nd in the NCAA this year with 1.66 points/gm. The senior has posted 63 pts (31G-32A) in 38GP https://t.co/muIATLeSQS
The signing certainly helps. Don’t look for him to jump right in and start playing all of a sudden. He will probably use this week to acclimate himself to Wilkes-Barre, have a couple of video sessions, practice this week and take in the two games this weekend with Lehigh Valley. Hobey Baker finalist and leader in whichever category you prefer, I don’t think they are going to trot the kid out there Saturday in Allentown, in the thick of a playoff race. If he gets in a game at all, it will most likely be next Tuesday at home against Hartford.
The one game to watch Wednesday night is Lehigh Valley hosting the North Division leader Syracuse Crunch. This is the game in hand that the Phantoms are burning against the Penguins and a Lehigh Valley win would put them two points behind Wilkes-Barre for tops in the Atlantic with a home and home series between the two sides starting Friday in Allentown. I’ll have a blurb on Twitter later Wednesday mentioning the final score.
Next blog recap should be the Gameday setup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Friday at 3.
Comments Off on Wheeling Wrap 3/14
Posted by nafsnep on March 14, 2017
Tuesday’s at noon here at Chirps from Center Ice mean we take a look back at the week that was for the Wheeling Nailers, the Penguins ECHL affiliate.
The Nailers played three games this week and went 1-2. On Friday, they were shutout and lost 3-0 to the Quad City Mallards. Sean Maguire took the loss for the Nailers, stopping 27 of 30 shots. Wheeling went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
On Saturday, the Nailers and Mallards met again in a rematch. The Nailers won that one 6-4. The story in this game was the play of Johnny Daniels, who scored three goals in :57 for the Nailers for a natural hat trick. Cody Wydo scored one and Tyler Carrier scored two. Doug Carr picked up the win stopping 22 shots. The Nailers scored one on the power play and were 2/2 on the penalty kill.
Sunday, the Nailers hosted the league best Toledo Walleye and lost 6-3. The Nailers were in the game until the third period when Toledo pulled away and scored three in a row to pick up another win. Gage Quinney and Nick Sorkin each had a goal and an assist among them.
The Nailers remain in fourth place in the North Division with a 29-25-6-0 record and really need to start making a push here if they want to make the playoffs.
Wheeling can make up ground in that quest heading to last place Elmira this Wednesday, then travel to Glens Falls to take on the Adirondack Thunder for a pair Friday and Saturday. The Thunder are in third place and ahead of the Nailers by eight points. Wheeling caps off the weekend with a Sunday visit back to Elmira.
So it is a huge week ahead for the Nailers for their playoff chances. Can they do it?
Comments Off on Bruins Barry-ied in the ‘Barre — Pens WIN 3-2
Posted by nafsnep on March 11, 2017
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Things are tightening up in the Atlantic Division. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are bearing down on the Penguins and if not but for the play and offensive output of one Barry Goers, the Penguins could likely be tied with the Phantoms heading into a huge weekend where the two teams meet for a home and home next Friday and Saturday.
Goers’ four points last night (two goals and two assists, the AHL changed the Dea goal to Goers this morning) and two assists tonight for Goers as the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins hold on to defeat the Providence Bruins 3-2.
Tristan Jarry vs. Zane McIntyre
Lines were…
Thomas DiPauli – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Dominik Simon – Teddy Blueger – Josh Archibald
Sahir Gill – J-S Dea – Adam Krause
Ryan Haggerty – Jarrett Burton – Patrick McGrath
David Warsofsky – Frank Corrado
Derrick Pouliot – Barry Goers
Tim Erixon – Ethan Prow
Tristan Jarry – Casey DeSmith
Lineup Notes: The Penguins sent Christian Hilbrich and Brett Stern to Wheeling earlier in the day. Patrick McGrath took Hilbrich’s spot in the lineup from last night.
First Period: Wilkes-Barre did their damage in the first period. :31 in, Dominik Simon pounced on a Providence turnover in the neutral zone and scored to make it 1-0 Penguins…
Penguins would take a penalty and it would be a theme for the evening. Noel Acciari scored :18 into the power play to even the game at one a piece. This would be the anomaly for the Penguins as they would finish the game 5-for-6 on the kill.
Penguins would then get two goals 1:09 apart that would chase Zane McIntyre, who all of a sudden after starting the season 15-0, has lost three straight games.
Josh Archibald deflected a Barry Goers point shot that would make it 2-1 then Patrick McGrath would carry a puck in and put it on net where McIntyre spilled a juicy rebound to Jarrett Burton who extended forward and lifted it over McIntyre for a 3-1 Penguins lead. Here they are…
Enter Malcom Subban and the end of the scoring for the Penguins. Subban placed a flaming spirit on the Bruins but they were just not able to spark enough of a comeback.
Patrick McGrath fought Tyler Randell. You may read that and say, “yeah, the Bruins are being routed and need a spark” but only be partially correct. McGrath left the bench to engage with Randell. Here is the fight…
You can’t do that. It’s a violation of Rule 70.3 “Leaving the Players’ Bench” which carries an automatic six game suspension. Straight from the rulebook, in part…
70.3 Leaving the Players’ Bench – Players shall not be permitted to come on the ice during a stoppage of play or at the end of the first and second periods for the purpose of warming-up. The Referee will report any violation of this rule to the President for disciplinary action.
Except at the end of each period or for entering the game legally, no player may, at any time, leave the players’ bench. If it is necessary to proceed to the dressing room during the course of the game (and when it is required to proceed by way of the ice to access the dressing room), the player must wait for a stoppage of play and ensure there are not altercations in progress before proceeding.
The player who was the first player from either or both teams to leave the players’ (or penalty bench) from either of both teams shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next six (6) regular League and/or playoff games of his team.
Unless I am misinterpreting, which I don’t think I am, McGrath will miss the next six games due to the suspension and if he fights two more times, he’s suspended under the 10 fight rule in the AHL.
Clark post game to Tom…
Donatelli said McGrath came on the ice during a line change in the second period. Not sure about the game misconduct for leaving the bench
Second Period: Wilkes-Barre continued to find its way to the penalty box but would manage to get out of the penalties by not allowing the Bruins to score. You almost got the feeling that if the Bruins did score, they would get another and the score would be tied but it never happened.
Matt Grzelcyk scored on a quick rush with a quick shot that brought the Bruins to within one. With the way that the game had settled since McIntyre was pulled, you knew it was just a matter of time.
Third Period: Penguins held on and kept the Bruins from tying it. Bruins actually took three penalties to the Penguins two while trailing which killed their chances at a comeback.
Subban did everything he could to keep his team in it but they were not able to get one more past Jarry and the Penguins would hold on.
Three Stars: 3) Matt Grzelcyk (goal, assist, +1) 2) Jarrett Burton (goal, +1) 1) Barry Goers (two assists, +2)
Wheeling Update: Natural hat trick by Johnny Daniels as the Wheeling Nailers beat the Quad City Mallards by a score of 6-4.
Video highlights….
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Pens are off till next Friday when they are in Allentown against the Phantoms for a home and home series with Lehigh Valley. AHL Power Rankings are here Monday at 4 and the Wheeling Wrap is here Tuesday. Make sure you turn your clocks ahead.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 