What a statement game by the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins tonight. After basically being run around the rink and being out-physicaled by a very experienced and well coached Toronto team, they claw back and win 2-1 tonight.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Ben Scrivens

The game basically came down to the third period. The first forty minutes were uneventful if you like offense and really exciting if you like goaltenders standing on their heads and physical, defensive hockey. Teams traded power plays, got close but could not score. Both teams were sprung for breakaways but Messrs. Zatkoff and Scrivens both up to the task. This all led up to the….

Third Period: Marlies were pressing, pressing and pressing some more. Finally, Jerry D’Amigo sets up Will Acton cutting to the net and he beats Zatkoff for the first score of the game.

Now here is where the Penguins, who were pretty much out-classed by the Marlies who play the same kind of physical style that Wilkes-Barre is synonymous with could have folded up the tent and packed it in. They could have started the next shift off with a fight, a bone head penalty or a dumb home-run pass.

No.

Next shift, Beau Bennett shoots the puck from the high slot, Benn Ferriero is right in Scrivens’ kitchen. He can’t corral it, Simon Despres swoops in from out of no where, corrals the puck and roofs it up past Scrivens and in. Tie game.

Later, the physicality boils over with Nicolas Deschamps with a silly cross check penalty in on Beau Bennett near the benches. Exception is taken by the Penguins on Deschamps for doing that to the rookie. Out of it, a scrum ensues. Who other than Bobby Fanham is in the middle of it. A Penguins power play ensues. On it, Despres again unloads a bullet from the point that Riley Holzapfel gets a stick on via deflection in past Scrivens. 2-1 Penguins. The 5,841 in attendance were alive, the building was hopping, it was really cool to be a part of. Marlies get a power play late, but could not find the equalizer.

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I really was impressed with the way the Penguins played all night. In my opinion this was a statement game. This showed to me at least that the Penguins could run with any team in the league. I really hope that they are able to build on this, and not rest on this.

Three Stars: 3) Jeff Zatkoff (31 saves on 32 shots) 2) Simon Despres, (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Riley Holzapfel (game winning goal, +1)

Around the Division: Syracuse drops Albany 4-1. Adirondack beats Hershey 3-1. Connecticut beats Norfolk 5-2 and Binghamton continues their hot streak and beats Bridgeport 6-1.

Standings: Separation staring to form. Crunch have 24 points. Binghamton (yes, Binghamnton) have 22 points. Penguins have 20. Then it drops off to Norfolk with 14 and the Bears with 13.

Conference: 1) SYE (24) 2) SPR (24) 3) MCH (20) 4) BNG (22) 5) BRI (20) 6) WBS (20) 7) WOR (20) 8) ADK (18)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were shutout on home ice 2-0 by the Cincinnati Cyclones.

SendtoNews Highlights: Are here. As I am linking, there aren’t any video highlights, but if you wait long enough they eventually go up.

Penguins bus to Atlantic City for a 4 p.m. tilt with the Albany Devils. Gameday for the affair will be up at noon here on the blog.

Jeff Zatkoff is making a case for goaltender of the month. His third shutout of the season, Penguins play a sound sixty minutes of period and finally beat the Bears this season.

Abbotsford’s Barry Brust may have something to say about Zatkoff getting goalie of the month, but still.

Anyway. Penguins play a solid sixty minutes and win 4-0.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Braden Holtby – Jayson Megna and Alex Grant were back in the lineup. Megna’s first action since November 4, and Grant’s first action since October 28. Brian Strait battling a nagging something. Brian Dumoulin scratched for Grant. Megna dressed over Tom Kuhnhackl. Brian Gibbons, Zach Sill, Dominik Uher and Joey Mormina were the other scratches.

First Period: Solid period by both teams. Scary moment for Eric Tangradi while on the power play he was struck by the ever powerful slap shot of Alex Grant. He left the ice and did not return until the….

Second Period: Pens get a power play goal via Beau Bennett that banked off of a Bears skate and in between the legs of Holtby. Later, Bobby Farnham sells a penalty and then Simon Despres scores when Riley Holzapfel wins a faceoff to Dylan Reese making it 2-0.

Then, depending on if you believe anonymous sources telling freelance writers in Hartford a thing or two about bounties, the tension hits a boiling point. Steve MacIntyre and Matt Clackson fight. MacIntyre gets a hand free and drops Clackson. He rightfully gets a game misconduct for continuing to reign blows upon Clackson and is tossed. Then Bears captain Boyd Kane gets a double minor. Tensions at this point were very high. However, no other altercations ensued. Credit referee Mark Lemelin for keeping things under control.

Third Period: Bears on a 1:45 power play, need to get a goal, but Benn Ferriero scores his first goal and the first shorthanded goal for the Penguins, essentially taking the air out of the Giant Center and making the period pretty much a boring period. Probably the most boring period of hockey between the Penguins and Bears I have seen. Bears manage one shot on goal in the period. Warren Peters nets a goal late to make it 4-0. That was about it.

Three Stars: 3) Simon Despres (goal, +1) 2) Benn Ferriero (goal, assist, +2) 1) Jeff Zatkoff (15 save shutout)

Around the Division: Norfolk falls to Charlotte 5-2.

Standings: Syracuse 22 — Penguins 18 — Binghamton 16 — Norfolk 14 — Hershey 13

Conference: 1-SPR (22) 2-SYR (22) 3-MCH (17) 4-BRI (20) 5-WBS (18) 6-BNG (16) 7-WOR (16) 8-STJ (16)

Wheeling Update: Nailers finally get back in the win column with a 4-0 shutout of the Evansville IceMen.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Penguins off until Saturday when they host the Toronto Marlies.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I mentioned this in the game story that I filed for The Citizens’ Voice that the Penguins master the Bears in their own barn for nearly two years and now have lost four straight going back to last year. I also mentioned that the Pens have pretty much mastered teams while on the penalty kill but haven’t figured out the Bears special teams yet.

The Pens lost tonight 4-1. The defense corps looks pretty anemic right now. That didn’t make the game story, obviously cause it’s my opinion.

Anyway, I am writing this just after 10:20, 10 minutes before my self imposed deadline. No quotes from players or coaches, just writing. I have to say I was nervous, and don’t know how guys like JB and the like do it.

Brad Thiessen vs. Braden Holtby — Keven Veilleux and Philip Samuelsson were in for Steve MacIntyre and Brian Strait

First Period: Garrett Mitchell picks the pocket of Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin hooks him on the breakaway. Referee Geoff Miller signals penalty shot. Mitchell scores on his attempt. Thiessen has been involved in two of the eight penalty shots awarded in the AHL and stopped one of them.

Second Period: Pens draw even when Beau Bennett setup Trevor Smith. This was all predicated by the physicality ramping up. There were fights. Joe Morrow involved in his first with tough guy Matt Clackson. You almost got the feel that things were going to turn bad. The Pens prevailed and tied the score though. Then, Mitchell again. A low angle backhander that goes in and out in the upper right hand corner of Thiessen’s net. I knew it was a goal when I saw it. It was ruled no goal at the time but Miller went and had a look at it and ruled goal. Then with .4 seconds remaining, Tomas Kundratek scored a goal off a bouncing rebound from a shot from Garrett Stafford.

Third Period: Nothing doing for the Pens offensively. Boyd Kane hits an empty net goal from center ice with Thiessen pulled.

Three Stars: 3) Braden Holtby (23 saves on 24 shots) 2) Tomas Kundratek (goal, +1) and 1) Garrett Mitchell (two goals, +3)

Around the Division: Binghamton beats Rochester 3-2 and Norfolk loses to Springfield 5-2. Syracuse drops Adirondack by a score of 5-2 and the Crunch are the first team to 20 points in the East Division.

Standings: Syracuse 20 — Binghamton 16 — Penguins 16 — Norfolk 14 — Hershey 13

Conference: 1) SPR (22) 2) SYR (20) 3) WOR (16) 4) BRI (18) 5) BNG 16) 6) WBS (16) 7) MCH 15 8) POR (14)

Wheeling Update: Nailers lost 6-1 in Toledo tonight. Patrick Killeen drubbed for all 6 Walleye goals.

SendToNews Highlights: Haven’t been uploaded by the Bears yet. If I see it Sunday, I’ll throw a link up here. edit: here they are

Pens have off until Wednesday when they face off against the Bears in Hershey.