Chirps from Center Ice

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So I believe I had this week nailed. From this past Wednesday’s Weekend Preview…

Give us a bold prediction…

We all make dentist appointments next week after we grind our teeth to dust. Pens split with the Checkers and take the Thunderbirds to overtime and find a way to win. Everything stays tight a week before Christmas.

Indeed, the Penguins split with the Checkers and nearly lost it all in the third period of Saturday’s game against Springfield but win 5-4 in overtime off of an Emil Bemstom power play goal, the Penguins third of the night and Bemstrom’s third off the night, a hat trick, their third in five games.

So I hope the trend of needing a hat trick to win a hockey game doesn’t continue because the last three games where they have won a player has recorded a hat trick.

Here’s how they lined up. I thought the embeds were fixed, didn’t use them Friday so I am crossing my fingers for Saturday…

https://twitter.com/RyanSmithHockey/status/1868063507528241328

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1868065884927123695

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Lineup Notes: Corey Andonovski for Marc Johnstone was the only change.

First Period: 1:53 in and Rutger McGroarty scores a goal that unleashed a flurry of fur as it was the Annual Teddy Bear Toss Night. After a brief delay, they were back underway but let’s hope the embeds still work and check it out below.

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1868075849066365010

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Penguins would bag their first of three power play goals when Emil Bemström scored his first of the night on the man advantage here…

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1868082854972051909

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Second Period: The Thunderbirds would get on the board at 5:17 when a shot was stopped initially by Filip Larsson but swept in by Marcus Sylvegard.

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I think the only two people who knew the puck was loose were Sylvegard and the referee.

But the Penguins would respond three minutes later when Vasily Ponomarev found Valtteri Puustinen for yet another power play goal that re-establihed the two goal lead.

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Springfield thought they had a power play goal a few minutes later but after video review, a long one, it was ruled no goal. Puck never crossed.

Then, to rub the proverbial salt in the wound, Emil Bemström scores his second of the night that made it 4-1.

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Third Period: I said at the end of the second period that Springfield didn’t look like a very good team.

In the third, they looked like a completely different team.

:17 in, Matt Peca picks a corner. Two goal Penguin lead.

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Just under three minutes later, ex-Penguin Scott Harrington scored his first of the season for the Thunderbirds and it was a one goal lead for the Penguins.

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Puck left sitting in the slot and there’s Harrington to sweep it in.

They managed to eat a lot of time off the clock but then they took a late penalty with about two minutes left to play. Springfield opts to pull Vadim Zherenko. Oh boy.

Tie game. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki. I feel for any Springfield bloggers out there that have to type that name on a daily basis.

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Somehow, someway, they managed to drag that flaming wreck of the third period off to….

Overtime: Penguins get a late opportunity on the power play and while the goal was initially credited to Boris Katchouk, after review post game the goal was attributed to Emil Bemström, for a hat trick.

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Ballgame. Also, whew.

Three Stars: 3) Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (goal, assist) 2) Emil Bemström (three goals) 1) Boris Katchouk (assist)

Katchouk was initially credited with first star honors because, at the time, everyone though he scored the OT GWG.

The Good: 3/4 ob the power play. That should win you plenty hockey games.

The Bad: I didn’t particularly like that third period. Bad team effort. Thankfully they built up enough credit and were able to drag it to overtime.

Turning Point: I want to go back to the disallowed goal that Springfield scored because that could have ganged things a lot. I won’t thought, the Bemstrom power play hat truck goal gets it here.

Around the Division: Hartford beats Laval 4-2….Charlotte beats Hershey 2-1 and the number one curse in my Monday Power Rankings is alive and well….Lehigh Valley beats Cleveland 3-2 in overtime.

Standings: Hershey 39 – Penguins, Charlotte 29 – Providence 28 – Hartford 27 – Springfield 26 – Lehigh Valley 25 – Bridgeport 14

Wheeling Update: The Nailers win again. 13 straight wins. Longest in franchise history. 4-1 win against Reading. Sergei Murashov stopped 30.

Video Highlights: 

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Power Rankings Monday. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I have an Ethan Prow Christmas jersey I swear is cursed.

I can’t remember the last time the team this blog is dedicated to won a game when I was wearing it. I busted it out because it is the holidays and because the Penguins did beat the Checkers on Wednesday but tonight, a 4-0 Checkers win, proves that the Prow Christmas jersey is bad luck.

Even moreso now that I think of it because :15 into the game, a turnover leads to a Rasmus Asplund goal that put the Penguins in an early hole, before most of the patrons even made it to their seats.

Then about five minutes later an Asplund pass to teammate John Leonard actually caromed off Leonard and into the net of Joel Blomqvist for a 2-0 lead for the visitors.

Penguins couldn’t muster any type of offense in front of Ken Appleby, who had a 29 save shutout, his second consecutive (vs. Rochester last weekend) and third overall. The only time I thought he was tested was when Tristan Broz had a chance point blank, but Appleby flicked it away with the pad. This was in the second period right after the Penguins killed off :61 of a two man advantage for Charlotte.

The Penguins had an opportunity at 4 on 3 after a timeout called by Kirk MacDonald to get back into it, but did not.

Patrick Giles then goes unmarked into the Penguins zone and whizzes a shot through Blomqvist’s five hole that gives the Checkers a lead at 13:50 0f the second.

Charlotte connects on a third period power play when a Wilmer Skoog shot is kicked out by Blomqvist but right to Ben Steeves who put it home.

Wilkes-Barre went 0/5 on the power play, and that was one of the many things that cost them the game.

You had to know that Charlotte would come out juiced up after losing Wednesday and they did. It was a picture perfect start for them and their goaltender did the rest.

That’s really it. They got defensemen Mac Hollowell and Filip Kral, forward Emil Bemström back from injury and released Chris Ortiz of his PTO and sent him back to Wheeling. Corey Andonovski and Mats Lindgren came out of the lineup. I thought the infusion of Bemstrom would help, it didn’t.

Three Stars were John Leonard with a goal, Rasmus Asplund with a goal and an assist and Ken Appleby with 29 saves in that order.

Providence beats Bridgeport 5-3 and Hershey pulls another rabbit from its arse with a late goal from Ethen Frank to tie it in Syracuse and then the Bears win in OT on a Bogdan Trineyev goal to win 2-1. The rest of the Atlantic was idle.

Wilkes-Barre will slip to third in a tie with Charlotte with 27 points, a point behind Providence’s 28 and 12 points back of division leader Hershey.

Wheeling wins 4-1 down the road in Reading for a franchise record longest point streak at 15 games. There are a lot of players there that belong here. Matty De St. Phalle is one, who had two goals for nine on the season. Jordan Martel had three assists. Taylor Gauthier stopped 28. Give them a look.

No highlights to this one.

Back at it under hopefully the old conventional way tomorrow after the Springfield contest. I saw their broadcaster on radio row getting his equipment set up so I know the Thunderbirds are already in town, unless he drove down himself with coaches. Doubtful Springfield is one of if not the hottest team in the AHL currently, so the Penguins need to be ready. More then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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The second hat trick in three games for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, this time by Boris Katchouk, who also added another goal for four on the night, is enough to carry the Penguins to a 6-4 win over the Charlotte Checkers Wednesday night.

These teams rematch Friday.

I’d love to stay and chat, but the job that actually pays me starts at 8:30 and it’s past 10:30 now and I don’t normally stay up this late on work night, so let’s get moving!

Here’s how they lined up:

https://twitter.com/CheckersHockey/status/1866996978707730578

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1866988694571565511

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Lineup Notes: Ten guys injured for the Penguins. Minutes after the Weekend Preview went up, Coal Street signed Chris Ortiz to a PTO. He, Justin Lee and Mats Lindgren were in for Nikolai Knyzhov, Mac Hollowell and Filip Kral, all injured. Forwards from Sunday were unchanged, but shuffled.

First Period: Boris Katchouk was either hooked on a long delayed call that award him a penalty shot or Jaycob Megna’s stick throwing in the defensive zone at a puck caused a penalty shot, which Katchouk buried here…

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1867005212784795850

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I got the sense that despite the lead, they were playing with house money.

Second Period: Charlotte has the leagues best power play. The Penguins, who were not only badly outshot in the period, gave the Checkers opportunity after opportunity on the man advantage.

Only a matter of time before future AHL Hall of Famer and Checkers captain Zac Dalpe scored ti tie the game on the power play.

https://twitter.com/CheckersHockey/status/1867018632842317830

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Less then a minute mater, Mikulas Hovorka scored and the Checkers took the lead.

https://twitter.com/CheckersHockey/status/1867018919917260853

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It was a low shot with traffic in front.

Shots were 30-12 Checkers for the game and 15-6 in the period, same as the first.

Third Period: They adjusted in this period.

They get the kickoff goal from probably a player that isn’t long for the AHL if he keeps this up, Tristan Broz scored at 3:43 off a rebound of an Isaac Belliveau shot that tied the game.

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1867030827952984566

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Katchouk followed with his second of the night on a tip of a Dan Renouf shot and it was 3-2 Wilkes-Barre at 5:23

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1867031005535629775

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Boko Imama must love scoring goals against the Charlotte Checklers because he did so on opening night and again here that made it 4-2 Penguins.

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1867032539170250891

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Still, I didn’t think that it would be enough to hold on because there was too much time on the clock.

But Katchouk would get his hat trick on a power play that made it 5-2 Penguins. Some breathing room…

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1867033397727486255

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But here’s where the game got interesting. Wilmer Skoog scored at 17:02 that made it 5-3 and then John Leonard followed about a minute and a half later with Chris Driedger pulled that made it a one goal game!

(The Checkers didn’t bother to post these goals)

Geordie Kinnear called time out but then Boris Katchouk stepped back up and flipped a shot in front of his own goaltenders crease 190′ down the ice and scored into the empty net that sealed the deal for good.

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/1867044854141706518

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Three Stars: 3) Zac Dalpe (goal, assist) 2) Sam Poulin (two assists) 1) Boris Katchouk (four goals)

The Good: They said enough already and took over the third period from the opponent and won a hockey game.

The Bad: No matter what, until the Katchouk fourth goal, it never seemed like it was in the bag.

Turning Point: I hate to go with it, but the Katchouk empty netter ended all bad vibes and guaranteed an important two points for the Penguins.

Around the Division: Hartford shutout the Hershey Bears in Connecticut 3-0….Providence beats Bridgeport 4-2.

Standings: Hershey 37 – Penguins 27 – Providence 26 – Springfield, Charlotte, Hartford 25 – Lehigh Valley 23 – Bridgeport 14

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

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Back at it Friday with these same Checkers. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Wilkes-Barre / Scranton has a consistency problem.

Explain to me how they get a pair of shorthanded and power play goals in Hartford, a competitive team, and then come to Providence, a team in seventh place and lose 5-0.

I think it’s a consistency problem. Players get too high into their heads and think they are gods gift to the AHL. But that’s just the thing, it’s the AHL. Things change, often. Your best yesterday isn’t going to measure up on most nights the next day.

Maybe Todd Nelson in Hershey is onto something. Every day might be the Super Bowl.

I started to write the Weekend Preview during the third period of this game, and the Penguins have Charlotte in for a pair this week and Springfield, probably the hottest team in the Conference right now. All teams have 25 points. But that’s for Wednesday…

Here’s how they lined up….

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Lineup Notes: Corey Andonovski returned from injury and Marc Johnstone were back in the lineup for Emil Bemström and Raivis Ansons up front. Bemstrom and Ansons are day to day with upper body injuries. I recall seeing Bemstrom crash hard in front of the net in Hartford, but he shook it off and continued. Isaac Belliveau was in for Jack St. Ivany who was listed as week to week with an upper body injury.

So just as they were starting to get healthy-ish, they lose three guys to injury.

First Period: So Providence was playing in their third game in as many nights and started this four and a half hours away in Utica, NY. You wouldn’t know it after watching the first period.

The Bruins outshot the Penguins 17-3 in the period and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission when a Vinnie Letteri shot was tipped in by Georgii Merkulov.

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On top of that, Mac Hollowell may have been lost to injury as well.

Second Period: So they were only down 1-0 to start the period, manageable, have been there before, but the bottom fell out.

Penguins had a power play, but Jeff Viel steals a puck, dances in and scores shorthanded to make it 2-0 Providence.

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Wilkes-Barre were getting some looks, but Brandon Bussi was getting some lucky bounces and making the saves.

Bruins get a power play and seconds in, a shot from the point by Vinni Letteri hits the low post and dinks in to make it a triple for the Bruins.

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Matthew Poitras would make it 4-0 here…

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I don’t want to pick on the guy and I may be ranting ere, but I feel like the wrong guy is in Wheeling. Sure, the Penguins did Filip Larsson no favors by letting Providence outshoot them 17-3 in the first period, but it was a 1-0 deficit. To give up a shorthanded goal, a fluke goal and then a shot that you probably could make a save on doesn’t seem great.

Does Blomqvist make those saves? Does Sergei Murashov? I have no idea. But if hockey is a team effort they all needed to be better and you could say the same about the goaltender.

Third Period: Kirk MacDonald tried something unorthodox and pulled Larsson for an extra man when the Penguins had essentially a 6 on 3. It didn’t work, but I like the innovation.

Penguins, down four, gave the Bruins a pair of back to back power plays and the Bruins connect when Brett Harrison scores to make it five.

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The Penguins may have lost Nikolai Knyzhov late to an injury when he was banged hard near the Penguins game late. With the game a blowout and under two minutes, he didn’t return.

Three Stars: 3) Matthew Poitras (goal, assist) 2) Brandon Bussi (21 saves) 1) Vinni Letteri

The Good: If you can’t say something nice….

The Bad: …don’t say anything at all.

Turning Point: I think the goal that went off the post in the second that made it 3-0 should get it here. Perhaps the Viel shorthanded goal. Take your pick.

Around the Division: One other game, Hershey hosting Lehigh Valley, but that starts late on these Sundays and is still in action as this is going up. Box here.

Standings: I don’t know if I will be back around for an edit later, so the Penguins will stay in second place, for now, with 25 points. A three way tie with the Checkers and a suddenly surging Springfield Thunderbirds team. Wednesday’s matchup with the Checkers looms large.

Wheeling Update: Nailers started an hour later than the Penguins, hosting the Reading Royals. If Wilkes-Barre is indeed seriously banged up, look for some recalls from the Nailers this week. Box on that Nailers / Royals game is here.

Video Highlights: Hard pass on the search for this one.

Power Rankings Monday, Weekend Preview setting up the pair with the Checkers and Thunderbirds this Wednesday. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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After getting pasted by their blood rival and the reigning back-to-back Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears on Wednesday, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins complete a masterclass of a game on all sides of strategy and win 6-2 in Hartford Saturday night.

They scored a pair of power play goals and two shorthanded goals. Now yeah, one of them was on an empty net, but the fact remains that the special teams was on point, and it feels good to be on the winning side of a game where special teams carries the day.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Hartford didn’t and doesn’t post lines.

Lineup Notes: Raivis Ansons in for Marc Johnstone up front. No changes on defense.

Wheeling Transactions: Justin Lee was sent down to the Nailers and G Jaxon Castor was called up and signed to a PTO. The ECHL has weird roster rules. Castor is here kind of in storage, there’s no injury to any goaltenders, just the Nailers needed to make a move and that was the move.

Don’t ask me to explain ECHL roster rules.

First Period: Penguins had a sluggish start Wednesday at home against the Hershey Bears, but that was not the case at all in the first period in Hartford.

Valtteri Puustinen scored a pair of power play goals and Joona Koppanen scored with. :14 left after a shot from Nikolai Knyzhov was blocked, rebound back to him, shot again and tipped in by Koppanen.

Here’s the goals…

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Tristan Broz is the Penguins best player right now. Go back and watch that second goal and that touch Broz had on the pass to Puustinen for the goal.

Shots were 12-8 for the Penguins heading into the…

Second Period: Hartford would find the back of the net and the teddy bears would fly as it was their Teddy Bear Toss night. Bryce McConnell-Barker would score and the fur flew.

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After the short break to clean up the teddy bears, the Penguins would score their third period play goal of the evening when Vasily Ponomarev would score that made it 4-1.

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Nice hand / eye coordination there.

Then Hartford would find t themselves on 1:50 of two man advantage time and they would connect for a goal when Jake Leschyshyn scored to cut the Penguins lead in half.

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Wolf Pack would outshoot the Penguins 11-5 in the period. The Penguins, despite scoring a power play goal in the period, were a bit on their heels in that frame.

Third Period: Hartford had a golden opportunity to get back into the game when ex-Wolf Packer Mac Hollowell was called for a double minor for roughing. Hartford power play.

Here comes Vasily Ponomarev…

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And off the rush as well. They were dogged on the puck all night, especially on the special teams.

The Penguins had a power play late but couldn’t score.

Hartford had desperation set in and were on the power play late but Ponomarev scored on the empty net left by Louis Domingue and scored his hat trick.

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Seems like a cheap way to get the second shorthanded goal of the night as well as a hat trick, but as I stated at the top, it’s a good feeling being in the winning side of a game like this.

Three Stars: 3) Filip Kral (three assists) 2) Valtteri Puustinen (two goals, assist) 1) Vasily Ponomarev (three goals, assist)

The Good: Just a complete domination on special teams for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Saturday, getting four goals.

The Bad: I didn’t particularly like their second period effort, but the special teams get them across the line Saturday and that’s all that matters.

Turning Point: Ponomarev’s first shorthanded goal in the third period iced this for the. Penguins. If the Wolf Pack score to make it 4-3, it’s a different ballgame and the momentum begins to shift. It didn’t happen thanks to the Penguins aggressiveness on the puck while down a man.

Around the Division: Providence beats Bridgeport 6-3….Springfield beats Rockford 2-1….Rochester shuts out Charlotte 3-0….Hershey and Lehigh Valley went to overtime and a Chase Priskie goal gives the Bears a win with :21 left to play and a 3-2 win for the Bears.

Standings: Hershey 35 – Penguins Thunderbirds and Checkers 25 – Hartford and Lehigh Valley 23 – Providence 22 – Bridgeport 14

Wheeling Update: Nailers score their tenth win in a row with a 3-0 win Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati. Taylor Gauthier stopped 17 shots, Jagger Joshua had a goal as well as Justin Lee, fresh off his reassignment and Matty De St. Phalle. The Nailers return home to host the Reading Royals at 4:10 on Sunday.

Video Highlights: I still don’t see them and if they have to catch a bus to Providence, I doubt they will be up any time soon.

Back at it Sunday at 3 in Providence. More then.

Let’s Go Pens!