Chirps from Center Ice

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I think they got the message, if there was a message. But I am thinking there was a message.

After, let’s just say, not their nest effort Friday against Charlotte, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins respond in kind and shutout the visiting Hartford Wolf Pack 5-0 on Saturday night. 31 saves for Filip Larsson, tying him for the lead in the AHL in that department.

The kid is good. Really good.

A good game against a beatable opponent. You come off a bad game Friday and a back up playing like an All-Star starter gets you a shutout, and it’s a recipe for success for the home team.

Here’s how they lined up. Hartford didn’t post lines which is criminal. It’s 2025. Post the lines!

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Lineup Notes: Valtteri Puustinen returned from injury and replaced Joona Koppanen. Defensively, Filip Kral and Colton Poolman (making his WBS debut) were in for Mats Lindrgen and Isaac Belliveau.

First Period: Penguins were getting outshot 8-1 at one point and it looked like the third period against Charlotte with the Penguins getting hemmed in. But, on a delayed call against Hartford, Rutger McGroarty stuffed one past Tayln Boyko to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead.

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They were still outshot in the period but quality beat quantity here.

Second Period: On a power play, McGroarty scored his second of the night on the back door and the Penguins had a dreaded 2-0 lead.

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I say dreaded because they were in this spot the night before with Charlotte and the Checkers score three straight in the games final 39:57 plus overtime to win. Surely, this couldn’t happen again?

It didn’t. And if you call me Shirley again, we will step outside.

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That’s Vasily Ponomarev catching a nice feed from Filip Kral which made it 3-0 Wilkes-Barre.

Third Period: So if you are wondering where I am going with the headline, the Penguins have partnered with Abide Coffee Shop in downtown Wilkes-Barre that if the Penguins score four goals, everyone gets a free coffee.

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Make sure you thank Emil Bemström if you see him in town for the free cup of Joe.

I like mine straight black, no cream or sugar. If you know me professionally, you know I drink a ton of it.

What’s worse, I started dabbling in an afternoon tea a time or two as well.

They don’t sponsor the blog (I wouldn’t mind it, considering I drink a ton of it) but if you were at the game last Saturday and were wondering how to get a free cup if you are in the downtown area…

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Bemstrom would score again, making it 5-0 Penguins and for his effort, Hartford defenseman Connor Mackey would two hand chop Bemstrom behind the knee.

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Clip above doesn’t show the slash, but Mackey and somehow Bemstrom would be thrown out of the game by referees Alex Lepkowski and Austin Rook. I thought the duo were okay this weekend in both games, but for this incident here. How does a guy get his leg chopped off and get thrown out of the game? Baffling.

The only question was whether Larsson would do the thing or if McGroarty would get a hat trick.

Yes to Larsson, no to McGroarty.

Three Stars: 3) Vasiliy Ponomarev (goal, assist) 2) Filip Larsson (31 saves) 1) Rutger McGroarty (two goals)

The Good: I liked the response from Friday. I still don’t think they are really good, because Hartford isn’t the stiffest of competition. Do this against any competition of Hershey, Charlotte or Providence, then we may be onto something.

The Bad: Seriously, the guy gets two hand chopped and get thrown out of the game?

Turning Point: The Ponomarev goal which made it three late in the second was enough charge to get the Penguins two more and their goaltender a 31 save shutout.

Around the Division: Rochester beats Bridgeport 6-3…Lehigh Valley beats Syracuse 3-2 in overtime…Hershey and Providence went to a shootout and Hershey wins 4-3.

Standings: Hershey 43 – Charlotte 41 – Penguins 39 – Providence 38 – Lehigh Valley 35 – Hartford 31 – Springfield 29 – Bridgeport 18

Wheeling Update: Nailers get throttled in Norfolk 9-3. What’s the bar scene down there in Hampton Roads? They dressed the same lineup….

Video Highlights: 

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They are on the road now for the next two weeks traveling to Canada. It begins Wednesday in Toronto. I will have the AHL Power Rankings for you here Monday afternoon then the Weekend Setup, (it’ll be heavily Senator themed, since they will see the Belleville Senators in three of the next four games after the Toronto game) on Wednesday. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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It was a tale of two halves for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Friday. After racing out to a 2-0 lead, the visiting Charlotte Checkers gnaw away at the deficit and use a very big third period to tie the game then win it in overtime and skate away with a 3-2 overtime win.

Earlier in the day the Penguins made some trades. Bennett MacArthur, an NHL contracted forward playing in ECHL Wheeling was traded to Buffalo for Colton Poolman and in a separate transaction Jagger Joshua was traded to the Sabres AHL affiliate the Rochester Americans for Future Considerations.

They must know something we don’t on the defensive front as Poolman is a defender. Small sample size, just a handful of games for him so it looks like a change of scenery for both players.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: Sam Poulin returned from injury. Boko Imama slotted in also for the departed Joshua and the ill Tristan Broz. Broz’s absence was huge for the Penguins. Nate Clurman and Mac Hollowell were in for Justin Lee and Filip Kral.

First Period: Ville Koivunen scored with seconds remaining in the period off of a deflection and the Penguins took a 1-0 lead into intermission.

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Second Period: Nate Clurman scored his second goal of the season off a nice feed from Avery Hayes and the Penguins were off and running.

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Or so it would seem. Here’s where Charlotte went to work on the comeback.

Will Lockwood roofs a shot over a prone on the ice Joel Blomqvist to put the Checkers on the board about halfway through the period and it was a 2-1 game all of a sudden.

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Third Period: Penguins held to just five shots. They took two penalties and on the latter one, with under five minutes to play, Ben Steeves scored on a tip of a setup from John Leonard and it was a tie game.

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If you were at the game or listened, you didn’t need me to tell you that all of the momentum resided on the Checkers side. I know I knocked those, “happy for a point” people last week, but somehow the flaming wreckage of a third period made it to…

Overtime: Penguins had a great opportunity to end the game but then John Leonard works a two on one with Trevor Carrick and well…

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Three Stars: 3) Nate Clurman (goal) 2) Ben Steeves (goal) 1) John Leonard (game winning overtime goal, assist)

The Good: I guess you can be happy with the point, because the second half of the game was not good at all. They were stuck in the mud and exposed, scored on three times and were lucky to get a point that they probably didn’t deserve if you watched that third period.

The Bad: The problem is that the division is ultra competitive. You need to be a really good team to be in the lead. The Penguins aren’t really good and the second half of the game proved why.

Turning Point: Since it was the second half that cost the Penguins the two points it’s the goal by Will Lockwood at 10:03 of the second, or three seconds into the second half of the game, that gets it here. Everything was downhill for the team in white Friday after that.

Around the Division: Lehigh Valley beats Utica 4-2 and Rochester beats Springfield 5-2.

Standings: Charlotte and Hershey 41 – Providence and the Penguins 37 – Lehigh Valley 33 – Hartford 31 – Springfield 29 – Bridgeport 18

Wheeling Update: Sam Houde returns from injury, passes out three assists, Sergei Musharov wins his 13th for the Nailers who beat the Norfolk Admirals down at The Scope 5-4.

Video Highlights: 

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Back at it Saturday at 6:05 against Hartford.

Let’s Go Pens!

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So if you have followed the Pens / Bears rivalry long enough you know all of the usual suspects that irk the Penguins.

Mike Sgarbossa, Pierrick Dube and Ethen Frank are three. Well all of these players scored in that order and Wilkes-Barre gains a point but loses 3-2 in overtime.

Penguins played the Bears, who got Sgarbossa and Ethen Bear (another usual suspect) back from injury, very well in my opinion. Losing in overtime on a breakaway goal by the AHL’s fastest skater at All-Stars last year is something that happens that you can’t let happening but in the spirit of three on three usually does.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: Only change was Jagger Joshua for Boko Imama up front.

First Period: Late at four on four, Mike Sgarbossa scored to put the Bears on the board.

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Second Period: After the first period shenanigans where every whistle there was pushing and shoving and some penalties, Avery Hayes scored at even strength for both teams to bring the Penguins level.

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Avery Hayes is not a guy that you want to get hot if you are the opposition.

Wilkes-Barre was good on the power play, but didn’t score Saturday and were 0/4 yesterday. Mac Holloweell can’t get back from Switzerland soon enough.

Third Period: Pierrick Dube scored at 2:34 and the Bears were off and running. With it being 1-1 coming in, I had a sense that the team that scored first in the period would get all the momentum.

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To some extent yes, but then Ville Koivunen scored and they were level again.

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No one scored and they played a clean, penalty free third so it was off to…

Overtime: Ethen Frank scored on a breakaway when he broke up a pass in his own defensive zone, raced up the ice and made a nifty move on Joel Blomqvist and backhanded it in to send a crowd of over 10,000 home happy on a Saturday in Hershey.

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Three Stars: 3) Ville Koivunen (goal) 2) Pierrick Dube (goal) 1) Ethen Frank (game winning overtime goal)

The Good: Hung with the Calder Cup Champs and got a point on the road.

The Bad: I saw some of you say you were happy with the point. That’s why we don’t win championships around here. The complacency kills you, and the point lost here kills you in April when you go on a run but lose out on a first round bye or home ice in the first round when you are short three points. Like Herm Edwards once said, you play to win the game!

On the ice, going 0/3 on the power play hurt. Being unable to finish on Hunter Shepard on some stops that Shepard made (which were highlight reel worthy) obviously hurt them. You have to find a way to finish those chances.

Turning Point: The Frank goal gets it here, as overtime game winners usually do.

Around the Division: Lehigh Valley beats Charlotte 2-1….Providence stays hot and has second place to their own with a 4-1 win in Hartford…Bridgeport beats Springfield 7-5.

Standings: Hershey 41 – Providence 37 – Penguins 36 – Charlotte 35 – Springfield, Hartford and Lehigh Valley 29 – Bridgeport 18

Wheeling Update: Nailers beat up the Iowa Heartlanders 6-2. Taylor Gauthier had 28 saves. Jack Beck had three assists. Atley Calvery had a gaol and two assists.

Video Highlights: Nothing posted yet, I will work an edit in if I see one.

So that closes the books on 2024. Power Rankings Monday. I have to remind myself that I have all day New Years to write the Weekend Preview, which would be up Friday.

Let’s Go Pens!

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So this Filip Larsson is good, right?

29 saves, including some timely ones on a late second and third period penalty kill and don’t look now but the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are just four off of the Hershey Bears for first place in the division with a 3-2 win Friday night over the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Oh yeah, and this Tristan Broz kid is going places too. A pair of goals for the rookie.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: All on defense as the forward lines were unchanged. Mats Lindgren and Justin Lee for the recalled Nate Clurman and the Spengler Cup playing Mac Hollowell.

First Period: Terrible start, Filip Larsson lets in the first shot he sees by Garrett Wilson just 1:17 and the Phantoms were off and running early.

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But later, Tristan Broz would score a highlight reel goal and tie the game late in the period.

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Second Period: 2:03 into the second period and Broz scored on a bullet of a one timer set up by Rutger McGroarty and Wilkes-Barre edged ahead 2-1.

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I saw the shot, but never saw the puck. Neither did Cal Petersen and it was 3-1 Penguins.

Rutger McGroarty assisted. It won’t be much longer before Broz is getting the call to Pittsburgh. That was his team leading 12th goal of the season. He’s tied with Boris Katchouk with a dozen goals on the season for the Penguins.

Larsson was at his finest late in a Phantoms power play with seconds left on the clock. Absolutely lasered in on a kill where his unit was out there the whole two minutes. Huge moment.

Third Period: Vasily Ponomarev joined in the goal scoring party with this goal here off of a long shot blockered away by Petersen to Ponomarev who waited, held and shot and scored to make it 3-1 just :43 into the period.

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Decent enough of a response by Lehigh Valley who score off of what I thought was a lazy, seeing eye Ethan Samson shot that beat Larsson up high and in that made it a too close for comfort with too much time remaining one goal game.

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Penguins navigate through another late penalty kill, I thought referees Sydney Harris and Liam Maaskant were okay, I wouldn’t want them as pilots of an airplane because that was a bit of a rough landing.

Phantoms were unable to find the equalizer with Petersen vacated.

Three Stars: 3) Dan Renouf (two assists) 2) Rutger McGroarty (two assists) 1) Tristan Broz (two goals)

The Good: They are finding ways to win rough and tumble games like last weekend and tight and tidy games like the one you saw tonight.

The Bad: 0/4 on the power play, but write some of that off because Mac Hollowell is in Switzerland and everything runs through him.

Turning Point: I have to give it to that late second period kill where the Phantoms did everything but score and Larsson did everything to stop them.

Around the Division: Providence is 7-0 against the Bridgeport Islanders after a 4-1 win…Springfield’s five game losing streak ends with a 5-2 win over Hartford.

Wheeling Update: Nailers win 3-2 in Cincinnati over the Cyclones. Sergei Murashov continues to play on god mode at the ECHL level with 23 saves and hasn’t lost a game in a while for Wheeling. Wheeling is a point off of the defending Kelly Cup Champion Florida Everblades for the best overall team in the ECHL.

Video Highlights: 

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More Saturday after a visit to Hershey.

Let’s Go Pens!