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.
Comments Off on RAPID RECAP – Pens WIN 3-2
Posted by nafsnep on March 11, 2017
A real nail biter here in Wilkes-Barre as the Penguins race out to a 3-1 lead and chase Zane McIntyre out of the net in the first period.
Bruins get one back in the second but a defensive and penalty killing clinic by the Penguins sees them hold on over Providence and keep the lead on first in the division at four points.
Last Game: Last night against Hartford, the Pens won 8-1. Eight different Penguins scored. Barry Goers had a three point game and Derrick Pouliot had a four points. For Providence, the Bruins were last in action against Bridgeport Tuesday and lost 5-3. Zane McIntyre took the rare loss, he’s 15-2-1-1. Jordan Swarz had two goals.
Last Meeting: February 19 in Providence, the Pens lost 3-2. Each team traded goals but a late goal by Jordan Swarz was enough to give the Bruins the win. Dominik Simon picked up third star honors for the Penguins with a goal.
Record: For WBS: 40-17-3-0 (83 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division) — For PRO: 34-16-5-4 (77 pts., 3rd place Atlantic Division)
Why you should care: Whatever you do, do not expect the Penguins to beat the Bruins by seven goals like they did against Hartford last night. This is a real test for the Penguins against the Bruins who I think is the only team that can win the Atlantic Division not named Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton.
Comments Off on Hartford Wolf Splat — Pens WIN 8-1
Posted by nafsnep on March 10, 2017
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Tonight’s game was an evisceration of the Hartford Wolf Pack by the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, plain and simple.
8-1 the final tonight and exactly what the doctor ordered for a team which was floundering a bit in the wake of the yearly injuries to Pittsburgh and the drones of early Spring, where the Penguins always go cold.
Eight different goals scored by eight different goal scorers. Five players with multiple point games. It’s probably easier to lost the players who didn’t record a point tonight than it is who didn’t, but I will do it anyway.
No points for Tim Erixon, Josh Archibald, Teddy Blueger, Frank Corrado, Christian Hilbrich, Tom DiPauli and Ryan Haggerty. Hell, even starting goaltender Casey DeSmith picked up an assist in this game.
For Hartford, Every single player on the team was a minus, except for the line of Marek Hrivik, Taylor Beck and Michael Joly, who scored on DeSmith to break up his shutout bid in the second period. No Wolf Pack players was an even.
But you can’t play Hartford every night and the real test to see if the Penguins are indeed back to shredding teams will come tomorrow when a rested Providence Bruins team comes in hungry to get at it with the division leading Penguins.
The aforementioned Casey DeSmith opposed Mackenzie Skapski, who allowed all eight goals tonight. God love him.
Lines were…
Thomas DiPauli – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Dominik Simon – Teddy Blueger – Josh Archibald
Sahir Gill – J-S Dea – Adam Krause
Christian Hilbrich – Jarrett Burton – Ryan Haggerty
David Warsofsky – Frank Corrado
Derrick Pouliot – Barry Goers
Tim Erixon – Ethan Prow
Casey DeSmith – Tristan Jarry
Lineup Notes: Oskar Sundqvist was recalled earlier in the day to Pittsburgh. It’s his first callup of the season. Sundqvist has 9 points in his last 25 games. Regardless, the lines were all shook up for the Penguins.
Penguins jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period with goals by Derrick Pouliot (from the blueline with Skapski screened) Jarrett Burton (after a nice end to end rush by Pouliot and a ridiculous pass setting up Burton for the goal) and Kevin Porter (on a rebound left by Sakpski with 17.2 left)
Here they are, in order, courtesy of the GIF skills of Taylor Haase…
Casey DeSmith assisted on the Jarret Burton goal giving the Penguins netminder his first assist in the AHL. Who knew that it would be DeSmith’s first point to come rather than his first shutout in the regular season.
In the second, J-S Sea scored in close on this shot from Barry Goers and it was 4-0 Penguins…
I thought, and still believe, that the goal should be credited to Sahir Gill. Anyway, that second assist by Goers gave him 100 points in the AHL.
Taylor Beck busted up the DeSmith shutout that made it 4-1. Hartford was starting to make a push but DeSmith was holding them out.
Sahir Gill scored for sure and made it 5-1. Adam Krause, who was recalled earlier in the morning in the wake of the Sundqvist recall, picked up his first assist of the season on the Gill goal here…
That was the turning point in this one. Hartford was trying to push after the Beck goal but the Penguins step up and score another to re-establish their four goal lead and continue to rout the Wolf Pack.
18th time this season that the Penguins have scored five or more goals. Who is slumping? Who is in danger of losing the division lead and miss playoffs? Who? Who? Who?
In the third, Hartford couldn’t get anything going on a DiPauli double minor for high sticking and gave the Penguins several chances to get a shorthanded goal.
Bad to worse for Hartford, Garrett Noonan scored an own goal which was credited to Dominik Simon, who finally gets his 10th goal of the season that made it 6-1 Penguins…
All that was left was the Penguins scoring a power play goal and they got one via a Tom Kostopoulos tap in that made it 7-1. Kostopoulos tied Jake Guentzel for lead on the Pens with 21 goals….
Notes: Wilkes-Barre is the first team to 10, 20, 30, now 40 wins in the AHL….Derrick Pouliot’s first four point game in the AHL….Wilkes-Barre’s magic number Saturday morning will be 23 with the win and coupled with Hershey’s regulation loss to Lehigh Valley.
Three Stars: 3) Kevin Porter (goal, two assists, +1) 2) J-S Dea (goal, two assists, +4) 1) Derrick Pouliot (goal, three assists, +4)
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