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Coming into this weekend, I had some trepidation about how the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins would fare, having been shutout on Friday and Sunday of last weekend’s action. Then, at some point, I re-read this entry I ran this past week and figured that we would be fine.

My inhibitions would prove false, as the Penguins win Sunday in Bridgeport 2-1 in a shootout.

Three games won 2-1 three different ways. 2-1 Friday in Philly against Adirondack, 2-1 in overtime at home against Connecticut and 2-1 in a shootout over the Sound Tigers.

This current Penguins roster isn’t exactly the ideal lineup that staff, front office and fans had visions of dancing in with when the season started. Your fourth line is basically a Wheeling line. The top line is really a second or third line as Paul Thompson and Philippe Dupuis are still out with injury. The only steady thing has been in goal. Brad Thiessen and Jeff Zatkoff have been rocks all season long and the defense has been there. The majority of playoff games are normally one goal affairs. Not saying that I would bet the house on the Pens in playoffs with this lineup, but as bodies heal the best, may be, yet to come.

Really dull games this weekend if you are looking for thrill a minute, in your face hockey. At the tail end of a three-in-three as both clubs were in this afternoon it was more of the same.

Brad Thiessen got the start and was opposed by Kenny Reiter, who has spent much of his time down in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. The only lineup change for the Pens was Reid McNeill in for Philip Samuelsson on defense.

First Period: Defensive gaffe by the Pens leads to a goal for Bridgeport. Aaron Ness picks a corner and the Sound Tigers were on the board. More shaky defense on the backend by the Penguins but Thiessen was there to make the saves. I got the sense early that the Sound Tigers wanted to get the early jump on the Penguins, much like the Pens wanted to do to the Crunch last Sunday. Pens had about a minute of 5-on-3 but weren’t able to materialize anything.

Second Period: A puck is dumped in the offensive zone. Brian Gibbons keeps it in along the back wall, he ultimately feeds Joe Morrow back at the point who walks in and fires it and Tom Kostopoulos tips it in to even the score at one. It was Kostopoulos’ 98th all time goal for the Penguins and first in over nine years.

Third Period: Really choppy period. Penguins had a scare late when Bridgeport had a late offensive push but again Thiessen was more than up to the challenge to keep the Penguins square at one. It was on to…

Overtime: Nothing to see here.

Shootout: Chad Kolarik and Riley Holzapfel. Thiessen stops four of five and the Pens hang on to win to complete the perfect weekend.

Three Stars: 3) Riley Holzapfel (shootout game winner ) 2) Kenny Reiter (26 saves on 27 shots) and 1) Brad Thiessen 34 saves on 35 shots)

Jonathan had this gem of a tweet:

Around the Division: Adirondack beats Binghamton at home 2-1. Syracuse blanks Connecticut 4-0 in Central New York and Hershey loses to Albany in Atlantic City 6-4.

Standings: Syracuse 72 — Binghamton 67 — Penguins 61 — Hershey 58 — Norfolk 50

Conference: 1) SYR (72) 2) SPR (67) 3) PRO (66) 4) BNG (67) 5) POR (64) 6) WBS (61) 7) HER (58) 8) CT (57)

SendToNews Highlights: Not up yet. I will check later.

Wheeling Update: Nailers shutout the Fort Wayne Komets in Indiana 1-0. Paul Crowder scored the lone goal of the contest.

Three other things to note which you may or may not find interest in. First, ex-WBS defenseman Carl Sneep is on his way up to the NHL, he earned a callup this afternoon. Second, it looks like the Calgary Flames could be pulling out of Abbotsford and heading to Utica, New York according to this report. Should be interesting to see how this develops. Finally, remember Hershey Bears goaltender Freddy Cassivi? He played in the Alumni Game in Hershey this past January. He also played today for the Reading Royals and made 21 saves in a 5-3 Royals loss to the Trenton Titans. Reason for this is because last night in Hershey backup goaltender Dany Sabourin was struck with an errant puck and needed stitches. The Bears recalled Brandon Anderson from Reading this morning.

Pens take to the ice again Wednesday at home vs. Norfolk. Hoping that the Penguins can keep this thing rolling.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Not a whole heck of a lot happened in the first forty minutes of this game tonight in front of a sold out crowd. The action happened early in the third, tension mounted the rest of the way and then Joe Morrow ended the game in overtime with just under a minute to play and the Penguins win 2-1 on a Saturday night.

No, really. That was it. OK, you want more? Fine.

You really could see the crescendo building from the drop of the puck. Chad Kolarik especially. He told Bombulie earlier this week that there were some hard feelings over the way he was traded here and who he was traded for (Benn Ferriero) and how Ferriero was called right up to the parent New York Rangers. Kolarik had a team high six shots on goal.

Both Jeff Zatkoff and Cam Talbot were on point for much of the first forty minutes of the game. Zatkoff dove over to stop a Blake Parlett shot and Talbot was turning away shot after shot after shot that the Penguins put on him.

Early in the third the Penguins were dealt a power play when Brandon Segal was sent to the penalty box for closing his hand on the puck. Kolarik gets a cross ice pass from Brian Dumoulin and smokes it home to put the Penguins on the board, snapping 180:41 of scoreless home ice hockey for Wilkes-Barre. You could tell also that he was really jubilant in his feat, too.

The very next shift, seemingly before you sat down, the Penguins were down two men. Tom Kostopoulos was sent to the box for roughing and then Zach Sill was nabbed for high-stiicking that drew blood. The Whale were on a 1:26 of 5-on-3. They scored soon after when Kris Newbury found Brandon Segal on the back door to even things at a goal a piece.

Here’s where I thought that the Penguins were in trouble. They had not scored a home ice goal since last Tuesday. They ran a marathon just to get one goal tonight. As soon as that happens, they go down two men and the Whale draw even. Thankfully, the Penguins clamped down defensively and we were off to overtime.

But, before that occurred, Chad Kolarik would get nabbed for delay of game clearing the puck over the glass. Nearly every Penguin on the ice argued that the puck deflected but Kolarik. Nevertheless, the Penguins would kill it in regulation and then in overtime. Then, Joe Morrow cranks up and fires and ends it in overtime with Penguins buzzing in front of Talbot.

Three stars were Zatkoff (26 saves on 27 shots) Kolarik (goal, even) and Morrow (game winning overtime goal, +1)

Seemed to me that the Pens had that “never say quit” attitude about them tonight. Could be something, or could be nothing. Time always tells.

Alright. does that work for you? Hope so. Here’s what else went down outside of Wilkes-Barre:

Around the Division: The Hershey Bears shutout the Adirondack Phantoms 3-0. Philipp Grubauer had a 40 save shutout, his first of his AHL career and certainly not his last. Grubauer is a horse in goal. He is really, really good. Here’s a story that Justin Felisko from Hockey’s Future wrote about Grubauer during the ECHL All-Star game in Loveland, CO. Binghamton loses to Albany on the Southern Tier 5-3 and Norfolk beats Providence 3-2 in a shootout. Syracuse blanks Springfield 3-0. Newcomer Cedrick Desjardins with a 26 save clean sheet of his own. 

Standings: Syracuse 70 — Binghamton 67 — Penguins 59 — Hershey 58 — Norfolk 50

Conference: 1) SYR (70) 2) SPR (67) 3) PRO (66) 4) BNG (67) 5) POR (62) 6) WBS (59) 7) HER (58) 8) CT (57)

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 3-1 in Cincinnati tonight.

Pens back at tomorrow afternoon in Bridgeport, Conn. at 3 p.m. Gameday for that will be up here on the blog at 11 a.m.

Let’s Go Pens!

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The Penguins mount a third period comeback in the City of Brotherly love and win 2-1.

But I am not taking this as an impressive win because the Phantoms are the worst team in the AHL. The Penguins looked inert all game and got late goals from unlikely places. Bobby Farnham on a goal that surprised people then Brian Gibbons on a garbage goal.

Christiaan Minella was signed to a PTO this morning as Chris Collins was injured in practice yesterday blocking a shot off his foot in practice per Tom Grace in pre-game.

Brad Thiessen vs. Cal Heeter. Reid McNeill took warmups but was scratched.

First Period: Minella was out with a line of Zach Sill and Adam Payerl and they had some early chances but weren’t able to get one past Heeter. Then the Penguins find themselves defending a 1:05 5-on-3 against. Right as the first power play expired, Marcel Noebels put one past Thiessen as Brad was caught out of position not being able to corral a Phantom shot. Penguins get a power play late but it looked awful. Gain center ice, dump it in, chase, lose out on a puck battle, Phantoms clear. Gain center ice again, rinse and repeat.

Second Period: Penguins allow the Phantoms just three shots on goal in the period, just one through fifteen minutes. Couple of fights, including Farnham and Ian Slater with Slater getting the better of Farnham.

I got the sense that the Penguins were totally off their game. No physicality. When they had a little bit, they were totally overwhelmed and outmatched by bigger guys. You had at one point the 5’11 Jayson Megna going after the much bigger Tom Sestito.

Third Period: Dominik Uher gets high sticked by Brandon Manning. Blood is drawn. Penguins get a 4:00 power play. They manage ZERO shots on goal during the ENTIRE power play. Things looked bleak. Then, the Penguins hem the Phantoms in their own end and Bobby Farnham gets the puck and sneaks one past Heeter. Then, right after that, Brian Gibbons scores a garbage goal off of a rebound of a Jayson Megna shot. Phantoms later pull Heeter but are unable to get the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Brian Gibbons (goal, +1) 2) Cal Heeter (26 saves on 28 shots) and 1) Brad Thiessen 29 saves on 30 shots)

Around the Division: Providence shuts out Norfolk in Virginia 3-0. Binghamton beats Hershey in a shootout 5-4 after Nathan Lawson starts the game, tells his coach that he doesn’t feel right, Bears tie the game but lose in the shootout. The Crunch were off tonight. 

Standings: Syracuse 68 — Binghamton 67 — Penguins 57 — Hershey 56 — Norfolk 48

Conference: 1) SYR (68) 2) SPR (67) 3) PRO (65) 4) BNG (67) 5) POR (62) 6) WBS (57) 7) HER (56) 8) CT (56)

SendToNews Highlights: Probably won’t be up either because it’s an NHL building or later. I will check at some point tomorrow.

Wheeling Update: The Nailers lost in Toledo to the Walleye 5-2. Keven Veilleux was a -4. Ouch.

Penguins travel home to faceoff against the Connecticut Whale in front of a sold out crowd at 7:05. Gameday will be up at 3:00 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!