Chirps from Center Ice

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There’s no flies on Sam Poulin.

Coming back from injury, Poulin assists three times and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins defeat the Charlotte Checkers 4-1 on Friday night in an important game for both teams.

Poulin had been playing well leading up to his recent injury, and he now has 21 points in 27 games.

Vinnie Hinostroza had a pailr of goals, including one on a power play that put the Penguins up 3-1 at the time.

Radim Zohorna had an empty net goal, also on a power play which iced the game away for the Penguins.

Joel Blomqvist stopped 21 shots.

Charlotte’s seven game point streak comes to an end.

These two teams rematch in Wilkes-Barre Saturday at 6.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Coal Street really buried the lede with missing that Sam Poulin also made his lineup return. Other lineup notes were Radim Zohorna and Avery Hayes (also returning from injury) for Jonathan Gruden (recalled to Pittsburgh) Max Cajkovic and Taylor Fedun.

First Period: They looked flat, Joel Blomqvist bailed them out a bunch of times and got beat by Wilmer Skoog for a goal that put Charlotte on the board first and gave the Checkers a 1-0 lead.

Penalty filled first period. Nothing was getting past referees Liam Maaskant and Casey Terreri.

Second Period: Vinnie Hinostroza went to work.

The latter of which was a power play goal.

With Valtteri Puustinen in Pittsburgh and Alex Nylander traded, Wilkes-Barre will be leaning heavily on Hinostroza for offensive outputs. So, essentially carbon copies of games such as this going forward.

Third Period: Thing of beauty as Ryan Shea connects with Corey Andonovski who connects with Austin Rueschhoff who slams it home for a 3-1 Penguins lead and some breathing room.

Charlotte takes a penalty, goes with the empty net and Radim Zohorna outmuscles a guy for an empty net power play goal that ices the game away.

Ballgame.

Three Stars: 3) Austin Rueschhoff (goal) 2) Sam Poulin (three assists) 1) Vinnie Hinostroza (two goals)

The Good: Felt like a big game, was hyped up as such and they delivered after a rough start.

The Bad: Still can’t get a shutout, huh? Bummer.

Turning Point: The Rueschhoff / Andonovski connection for a goal and a two goal lead was big at the time and gets it here.

Around the Division: Hartford beats Laval clean 2-1….Utica shuts out Lehigh Valley 3-0….Providence beats Springfield 4-2.

Standings: Hershey 85 – Providence 73 – Penguins 64 – Hartford 61 – Charlotte 58 – Springfield 53 – Lehigh Valley 51 – Bridgeport 39

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 2-1 in Cincinnati. Justin Lee with the goal for the Nailers. Taylor Gauthier stops 22.

Video Highlights: 

Back at it with the Checkers an hour earlier Saturday.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Wednesday it was face-offs that sunk the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

Friday in Hershey, it was penalties.

Chase Priskie’s power play goal late in the third period was the game winner in this one, a 4-1 Bears win over the Penguins. Hershey had seven power plays in the game and Priskie scores on the last one. Hershey turned it into a runaway as the Penguins, who went 0/5 on the power play Friday, were trying to get the game even and pulled starting goaltender Joel Blomqvist when Hershey hit two shorthanded empty nets from over 100 feet away.

Jordan Deckard and Adam Tobias were in charge Friday. Those two make the trek up I-81 and will be with you live again running amok when the Pens host the Bridgeport Islanders Saturday night.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Alex Nylander to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday for Emil Bemstrom. Bemstrom is a right wing. Matthew Phillips, who Washington tried to send to Hershey but the Penguins claimed on waivers plays right wing. Phillips was the Calgary Wranglers leading scorer last season. Calgary was the AHL’s best team last season. It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when Pittsburgh waives Phillips, Washington reclaims him and Hershey obliterates everything in their path like they have in all season. The Bears don’t need the help, but they are going to get it.

That’s the second time this season Pittsburgh has traded Wilkes-Barre’s leading scorer. Rem Pitlick to Chicago for 2026 considerations, now Alex Nylander. Ty Smith, you’re probably next.

Magnus Hellberg was sent back to Coal Street Thursday but it was Taylor Gauthier who backed up.

Matt Filipe and Taylor Fedun were back from injury. They went 11/7 again. Dillon Hamaliuk was assigned to Wheeling in the morning and reassigned back to the AHL in the afternoon. Radim Zohorna was out, with Peter Abbandonato. Seven players injured right now for the Penguins.

First Period: Jonathan Gruden scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway on this nice setup by Raivis Ansons.

Wilkes-Barre held Hershey to just a pair of shots but then Ryan Hofer scored a low quick shot that beat Joel Blomqvist that tied the game at one.

Second Period: Not a lot of action because the period was marred by penalties. Five total. Adam Tobias and Jordan Deckard were getting their monies worth. Foreshadowing in case you missed the lede, the Penguins will see these two whistle blowers Saturday when they host Bridgeport.

Third Period: I mean the penalties continued. It felt like a preseason game. Tensions were running high and it felt like Deckard / Tobias were losing control. When you call 900 penalties in game and become too controlling, you tend to lose control at some point.

Chase Priskie nets a power play goal for the Bears on their seventh opportunity on the night.

Wilkes-Barre would get a chance at a late power play (Deckard and Tobias didn’t discriminate) so J.D. Forrest called time out. A fumbled pass by Vinnie Hinostroza was picked off by Ryan Strome who scored from about 180 feet away. Later Bogdan Trineyev scored another shorthanded, empty net goal.

Three Stars: 3) Matt Strome (goal, assist) 2) Ryan Hofer (goal) 1) Chase Priskie (goal)

The Good: Despite all of the penalties, they stayed step for step with the Bears. Again, you need to play a perfect game if you want to beat Hershey. Giving the Bears seven power play opportunities is hardly a perfect game plan.

The Bad: The captain had six PIMs. Taylor Fedun has to be the most ineffective captains in the history of the franchise.

Turning Point: It’s Priskie’s power play goal. No sense in overthinking it.

Around the Division: Hartford loses in Springfield 6-3….Providence beats Cleveland 4-3 in overtime.

Standings: Hershey 83 – Providence 67 – Penguins 60 – Hartford 58 – Charlotte 53 – Springfield 53 – Lehigh Valley 49 – Bridgeport 37

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 5-3 at home to Fort Wayne.

Video Highlights: 

Back at it Saturday at home against Bridgeport.

Let’s Go Pens!

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So here’s the thing, if it’s anyone else other than Joel Blomqvist in the net for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Wednesday night, this is a blowout loss of epic proportions.

Instead, it was a close game throughout, but a game that the Penguins would lose 3-2 in overtime.

Wilkes-Barre carried a 2-1 lead into the third period but it was in this period that Lehigh Valley’s Cooper Marody started to cook. He scored the game tying goal and then in overtime the Penguins won the face-off, turned it over then never got it back and it was Marody at 1:04 of overtime that sent them packing.

Here’s how they lined up…

Lineup Notes: I completely forgot about Matt Filipe’s injury in the segment earlier today for the Weekend Preview. Other than that add Taylor Fedun and Lukas Svejkovsky to the injured list. They returned to the 12/6 format and Jonathan Gruden and Vinnie Hinostroza were back from Pittsburgh, Joona Koppanne was back from his weekend hiatus. Justin Addamo was out, the only lineup change from last game, but took warmups. 200th AHL game for Jonathan Gruden.

Magnus Hellberg was recalled to Pittsburgh earlier in the week. I didn’t mention it in the Weekend Preview because there’s no injury to any goalie (one of team were sick) so I would have thought he would have been back in time. He wasn’t and Taylor Gauthier was recalled from Wheeling.

First Period: Penguins came out flatter than two day old soda. That was foreshadowing on the night. But then Jonathan Gruden rang the post, and Jagger Joshua cleaned up the loose change and scored to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

Only blemish of the night from referees Mason Riley and Jim Curtain was when Austin Rueschhoff had the puck but was called for hooking near the Phantoms net. Baffling decision, but these two were stellar tonight I thought and let the players dictate play. I really like Curtain, I think he’s one of the better refs in the AHL.

Second Period: Phantoms had a goal taken away when replay shows it bat off the glove of the player who redirected it in (I didn’t catch a number) and more great stuff from Curtain and Riley, the review on video took all of about ten seconds.

Then the Penguins could not win a face-off. At all. This time, they lose the face-off (again) and Lehigh Valley fumbles it at the blue line and Alex Nylander is set up for a breakaway and scores to make it 2-0 Wilkes-Barre.

But then Lehigh Valley got a legal goal to go when Bobby Brink scored in tight to make it a 2-1 game.

(Lehigh Valley didn’t GIF goals, check video highlights below)

Third Period: Cooper Marody with a slam dunk on the near side left unmarked for a goal at 11:24. No penalties for either side, Curtain and Riley must have work in the morning like I do and kept it moving.

Overtime: Penguins win face-off, I think Ryan Shea turns it over and Lehigh valley takes it, doesn’t relent and Cooper Marody scores his second for the game winning goal that wins it for the Phantoms.

Three Stars: 3) Bobby Brink 2) Alex Nylander (goal) 1) Cooper Marody (two goals)

The Good: They scratched out a point and have 60 on the season. If I didn’t have work in the morning I’d check to see when it was they got 60 last season. Likely late in the season, because they finished with just 66 last year.

I think they will be fine. This loss stinks though.

The Bad: They could have and very well should have won the game, but not for Blomqvist, would have lost badly. Ryan Shea wasn’t good at all either I thought.

Turning Point: Marody’s overtime game winner gets it here as the event of a goal in overtime always does. Pens are 1-7 in overtime this season. That alone may cost them a shot at a bye come playoffs.

Around the Division: Hartford beats Bridgeport clean 2-1….Hershey loses in a shootout 3-2 in Laval.

Standings: Hershey 81 – Providence 65 – Penguins 60 – Hartford 57 – Charlotte 53 – Springfield 51 – Lehigh Valley 49 – Bridgeport 47

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

Back at it Friday in Hershey, more then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Really had to commit to the bit Saturday.

That’s because for one night, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins didn’t exist. Instead, they were the Pittston Tomatoes. So bear with me here.

The Tomatoes gritted out a 6-3 win over the visiting Laval Rocket Saturday and with the win, it marked head coach J.D. Forrest’s 100th in the AHL.

After doing everything right the night before in Rochester but running into a hot goaltender that ate everything they threw at them, the Tomatoes were able to crack Kasimir Kaskisuo, who coming into Saturday’s game against Pittston, was undefeated this season.

It will inch them closer to idle Providence and keep them ahead of fourth place Hartford for now.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: None. Same personnel and 11 forward / 7 defenseman setup from Friday.

First Period: Jan Mysak scored his first of the night win a deflection that put the Rocket up 1-0.

Pittston had the only power play of the period but looked good but were not able to score.

Second Period: Three goals in 94 seconds for the Tomatoes.

Max Cajkovic :26 in, followed by a low angle shot by Jagger Joshua at 1:15 and then called off by a goal from Justin Addamo at 2:00 and the Tomatoes were off to the races.

But the Rocket remained resilient and Mysak scored his second of the night when Joel Blomqvist got ran into by his own teammate.

Seemed like a thrill a minute pace in this period.

Third Period: Tomatoes would cash on the back end of a two man advantage when Jack Rathbone would find some daylight the top of the crease and rifle home a goal on the power play that reestablished Pittston’s two goal lead.

Laval made it interesting late when Xavier Simoneau scored to make it a one goal game again on this goal right here…

Which was a power play goal for the Rocket with Ty Smith in the penalty box for interference.

Pittston would net two empty net goals from Alex Nylander and Corey Andonovski to sauce the game away.

There was a very ridiculous save by Joel Blomqvist on Nathan Legare which are in the full highlight package you have to see to believe.

Three Stars: 3) Jagger Joshua (goal, assist) 2) Austin Rueschhoff (two assists) 1) Jack Rathbone (goal, assist)

The Good: Seemed like they gritted this one a bit, but the issue never seemed in doubt.

The Bad: They gritted this one out and it could have got away from them.

It didn’t though.

Turning Point: Jack Rathbone’s power play goal gets it here. Big goal at the time.

Around the Division: Springfield beats Charlotte 2-1 in overtime….Hershey does the same to Toronto only 3-2….Hartford also, but 2-1 over Bridgeport in overtime and Syracuse beat Lehigh Valley clean 2-1.

Standings: Hershey 78 – Providence – 63 – Tomatoes 59 – Hartford 55 – Charlotte 51 – Springfield 51 – Lehigh Valley 47 – Bridgeport 35

Wheeling Update: Nailers are still out in Utah and are playing their second of three with the Grizzlies. That box is here.

Video Highlights: 

Back at it Wednesday against the Phantoms when the Tomatoes morph back into the Penguins.

Let’s Go Tomatoes!