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These teams don’t like each other. That good old fashioned hate can sometimes make for ugly hockey games. Tonight was the exception.

In the third period of a 2-2 hockey game, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins and Hershey Bears put on an offensive exhibition with each team taking a lead and the other team coming back to tie it. An instant, instant classic between these two sides and one that sees the Penguins win 6-5 in overtime, sweep the weekend, and win their fourth game in a row.

David Warsofsky was not named an All-Star when the teams were announced on Thursday. In the three games this weekend, Warsofsky has two goals and four assists. Warsofsky had a third period goal and the game winner in overtime to help the Penguins sweep the weekend.

Casey DeSmith vs. Vitek Vanecek

Lines were…

Dominik Simon – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Garrett Wilson – Oskar Sundqvist – Josh Archibald
Jake Guentzel – J-S Dea – Danny Kristo
Tom Sestito – Teddy Blueger – Patrick McGrath

Derrick Pouliot – Tim Erixon
Stuart Percy – David Warsofsky
Cameron Gaunce – Barry Goers

Casey DeSmith – Doug Carr

Lineup Notes: Barry Goers was in for Ethan Prow who had a rough game last night against Binghamton…Patrick McGrath replaced Ryan Haggerty on the fourth line. Patrick’s first game in a while, he needs to play more in my opinion.

First Period: You are going to read this next sentence and realize that it doesn’t make any sense but that’s okay. The Penguins played like the better team in the first period but trailed 2-0 after it. But for losing Stan Galiev in front and Zach Sanford scoring on a low angle power play, Wilkes-Barre, I thought, played like the better team at even strength. I think that was evident late on in the period when the teams were 4-on-4 and the Penguins were dominating puck possession and offensive zone time. DeSmith wasn’t tested much but his counterpart Vanecek was and he shut the door on a lot of Penguins opportunities in the first period.

Second Period: Pens couldn’t do anything with a 4:00 double minor that saw Tom Sestito out there on the power play. Then they killed a penalty of their own. After that Tim Erixon with a bullet of a shot through bodies that made it 2-1 Hershey….

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After that, Goers took a tripping penalty and like before, the Penguins scored after the successful kill. Tim Erixon again took the same shot from the same spot that Vanecek saved but Tom Kostopoulos was there to poke the rebound across.

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I said that the Penguin splayed like the better team in the first but the scoreboard didn’t agree with me. They continued that play in the second period and were rewarded by the scoreboard.

Third Period: Hershey scores to edge ahead 3-2 when the Bears won a defensive zone face off, raced up the ice and scored. Nathan Walker with the nice dish to Stan Galiev to give the Bears the lead.

Derrick Pouliot with candidate for early goal of the year….

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Allen Iverson-esque crossover by Pouliot there, crossing his man up and throwing in the puck via backhand to tie the game at 3 a piece.

Pens couldn’t stop taking penalties. Eventually, Hershey scored to edge back ahead 4-3 on a Christian Thomas goal that gave the Bears a 4-3 lead.

But the Penguins respond again on a power play of their own when David Warsofsky scored his first of the night with this blast from the point that made it 4-4….

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Back and forth, the struggle consumes us all.

Wilkes-Barre found itself on a late power play with 3:04 left to play in the game. Derrick Pouliot looks off his man in the corner, dishes to Garrett Wilson alone in front, Wilson wastes no time in giving the Penguins their first lead of the game….

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But the Bears would have last regulation time laugh when a pin balling pick found its way in with 8 seconds left to play with Vanecek pulled for an extra attacker. Zach Sanford scored the goal to ensure that Hershey would at least take a point heading into….

Overtime: It’s so hard to get two points clean out of Hershey, the Bears always find ways to take points out of home ice at Giant Center.

Casey DeSmith with a ten bell stop on this Aaron Ness attempt in the overtime period….

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David Warsofsky ended it with this goal that concluded this instant classic of a hockey game….

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Three Stars: 3) Stan Galiev (two goals, +2) 2) Zach Sanford (two goals, even) and 1) David Warsofsky (two goals, even)

Big time game by Derrick Pouliot, possibly his best in a Penguins sweater this season. Pouliot had a goal and two assists.

Around the Division: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms stay in lockstep behind the Penguins for second and aren’t giving the Pens any ground to start expanding a lead with a 4-1 win over the Utica Comets at home this afternoon…Providence shuts out Hartford 3-0 with a 21 save shutout by Anton Khudobin. Everyone else was off.

Standings: Penguins (.757 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.706) — Providence (.681) — Hershey (.643) — Bridgeport (.561) — Springfield (.515) — Hartford (.389)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers fell in overtime to the Cincinnati Cyclones 3-2. Garrett Meurs and Gage Quinney scored in regulation, Sean Maguire stopped 16 of 19 to take the loss. More this week in the Wheeling Wrap.

Video highlights…

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The Week 13 AHL Power Rankings hit the blog Monday at 4.

The Wheeling Wrap goes up Tuesday at noon.

Pens are back on the ice Wednesday in Toronto. Gameday setup hits the blog at 3 Wednesday with the recap afterwards.

So a lot to read about this week.

Let’s Go Pens!

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  4                                       5

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His name is Bill. He sits in front of me at the Penguins games. He has been coming since Day 1 in 1999. He has a lot more hair than I do, too.

After Tom Sestito scored in the second period to bring the Pens back tied with the Senators and made the game 3-3, he turned to me and said to me that Tom Sestito should be AHL Player of the Week.

He was joking, of course, but if Sestito turns in another performance Sunday afternoon like he did tonight and yesterday, we will have to watch carefully Monday afternoon when the AHL usually announces these things.

Penguins win 5-4 in a game against Binghamton that saw the Penguins go up 2-0, the Senators rattle off three straight, then the Penguins adding three more before Binghamton getting one back with a minute left on a power play.

Something about those B-Sens, always playing the Penguins tough.

Danny Kristo broke out of his drought and scored two goals. Jake Guentzel continued his tear in the American Hockey League with three assists. Doug Carr got the start tonight and impressed stopping 33 of 37.

Carr opposed Chris Driedger.

Lines were….

Dominik Simon – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Garrett Wilson – Oskar Sundqvist – Josh Archibald
Jake Guentzel – J-S Dea – Danny Kristo
Tom Sestito – Teddy Blueger – Ryan Haggerty

Derrick Pouliot – Tim Erixon
Stuart Percy – David Warsofsky
Cameron Gaunce – Ethan Prow

Doug Carr – Casey DeSmith

Lineup Notes: Danny Kristo was back in for Sahir Gill and Lukas Bengtsson was out for Stuart Percy.

First Period: Wilkes-Barre jumps out to a quick two goal lead in the games first 2:32 with goals :44 apart. Tom Kostopoulos went bar down and in to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead, then Danny Kristo netted his first of two on the night that made it a 2-0 lead.

Binghamton gets one back on a play I thought was offside. Jack Rosewald followed a rebound and cashed that put the Senators on the board.

I’d throw in a paragraph here about the officiating, where referees get all the hate, but the linesmen of late have been particularly awful. But it’s late.

Second Period: It took just :12 for the Senators to tie the game on a dart of a shot by Nick Paul. Later, Binghamton would edge ahead on a shot that deflected on its way in that gave the visitors a 3-2 lead.

Pens saw a power play come and go. Head Coach Clark Donatelli was shortening up his bench, Ethan Prow wasn’t seen much after the third Binghamton goal.

Dave Warsofsky takes a shot, Tom Sestito goes to the dirty area and deflects it in past Driedger that tied the game.

Tale of two halves for both teams to this point. Penguins started the first gangbusters and coasted, then Binghamton took the reigns and got three goals. Then they let off and the Penguins edge ahead.

Third Period: Danny Kristo scored his second of the night that gave the Penguins the lead for good on a shot that found its way in.

:39 later, the Penguins got another goal by Ryan Haggerty. Haggerty cleaned up a rebound in front.

Binghamton scored on a late, 6-on-4 power play when All-Star Casey Bailey scored on a shot from the point on a screened Carr.

Binghamton never got the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Tom Sestito (goal, assist, +2) 2) Jake Guentzel (three assists, +3) and 1) Danny Kristo (two goals, +3)

Notes: Last time Sestito had back to back multi-point games was November 24 and 25 when he was with the Adirondack Phantoms….I thought Doug Carr played great, he was active with the glove and stopped what he saw as any capable AHL goaltender should at this level.

Around the Division: Utica beats Hershey 3-2 in overtime in Hershey. The Bears will be angry when they take the ice Sunday at 5 against the Penguins….Lehigh Valley shuts out the Albany Devils 2-0 in Allentown tonight….Providence beats Springfield 4-1 and Bridgeport beats Hartford 2-1.

Standings: Penguins (.750 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.697) — Providence (.671) — Hershey (.647) — Bridgeport (.561) — Springfield (.515) — Hartford (.400)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off. They play the Cincinnati Cyclones Sunday.

Video highlights….

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Pens finish off their three in three with a Sunday afternoon visit to Hershey. Game day setup for that game hits the blog at 1 Sunday. Game is at 5.

Let’s Go Pens!