Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Igloosers – Pens LOSE 5-1

Comments Off on Igloosers – Pens LOSE 5-1 Posted by on January 4, 2012

Pens remain winless coming out of the inflatable igloo for introductions.

On a more serious note, the Norfolk Admirals are more of a threat to the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins then the Hershey Bears or for that matter any team that the Pens square off against. The Admirals are now 4-1 against the Pens this season.

We also have serious problems against…well, I am just going to let Norfolk Admirals broadcaster Pete Michaud explain this for you:

https://twitter.com/PeteMichaud2012/status/154636544408424448

After tonight, a 5-1 loss to the Admirals, you can add eight goals to Conacher’s totals and eleven points to Smith’s totals.

Penguin killers, if there ever were ones.

Brad Thiessen vs. Dustin Tokarski

First Period: Went something like this, tweet for tweet:

Then…

Then a TV timeout and after…

And that can be best described as a lob, “I’m just going to put it on net and not even shoot that hard, and why not lean back and shoot from one leg” kind of shot Thiessen never saw until he fished it out of his net.

Second Period: Nick Petersen scores a goal only he knew he scored initially as there was a scrum, then a delayed celebration by the Pens, then the goal horn, then the official acknowledgement from the referees that the goal was scored all in the span of a minute. Pens pressured after that but the second goal never came. Then a scary moment with Bryan Lerg being boarded by Radko Gudas. Gudas would get a five minute major and would get tossed from the game. Lerg would go to the locker room and not return.

Third Period: Pens could do nothing with the extended power play time and that would really be the game. Seriously, the Pens woes on the man advantage are just a sight to see. The power play is putrid. I have no idea what the setup is. A rush up ice then a drop pass in the neutral zone, then a dump behind the net which leads to a turnover. I never played hockey and I can scout against that. I’m pontificating, but at some point we lost Alex Picard as he was not seen on the bench late. Cory Conacher would get a goal while the Pens were killing a 5-on-3. Late, Jeff Dimmen would get another goal late for good measure.

Three Stars: 3) Richard Panik (goal, +1) 2) Trevor Smith (three assists, +2) and 1) Cory Conacher (two goals, assist, +2)

Around the Division: Bingahmton beat Adirondack in Glens Falls 4-3.

Standings: Hershey and Norfolk tied with 44 points. WBS has 41 in third. Syracuse fourth with 32 points and Binghamton has 32 also.

Conference: 1) HER (44) 2-MCH (44) 3-CT (43) 4-NOR (44) 5-StJ (43) 6-WBS (41) 7-WOR (38) 8-POR (37)

Going to be interesting next couple of days in run up to the Rochester game Friday.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Who is Your All-Star?

Comments Off on Who is Your All-Star? Posted by on January 4, 2012

The AHL announced the All-Stars for the 2012 All-Star Classic this afternoon. The players representing the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are Colin McDonald and Simon Despres.

Congrats to both on the nomination. Fans can vote them into the starting lineup beginning tomorrow.

Click here for the Norfolk Gameday post from earlier today. Let’s Go Pens!

The AHL, WBS

GAMEDAY: vs. Norfolk 1/4

Comments Off on GAMEDAY: vs. Norfolk 1/4 Posted by on January 4, 2012

vs. 

–

–

Home Game: 16

AHL Game: 503

Who: Norfolk Admirals

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

When: 7:05 p.m. EST

Media Kit

Last Game: On New Years Eve, the Pens beat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at home by a score of 4-2. Zach Sill scored two goals. For Norfolk, they lost 3-2 in Hershey to the Bears in a shootout. Mike Kostka had a goal and an assist for the Ads in the loss.

Last Meeting: December 17 in Wilkes-Barre, the Pens got thumped 5-2 before a sellout crowd. Carter Ashton had a goal and an assist for the Ads in the win.

Record: For WBS: 18-10-1-4 (41 pts., 3rd place East Division) — For NOR: 20-11-0-2 (42 pts., 2nd place East Division)

Why you should care: Expect a different outcome tonight from December 17. The Pens have probably their best lineup they’ve had in months and will be looking to stop the streak Norfolk is on (7-2-0-1 in their last ten games) and leapfrog them in division standings.

Referee(s): Chris Ciamaga / Chris Cozzan

Linesmen: Jud Ritter / Mike McDevitt

Twitter: @wbspenguins / @NorfolkAdmirals / @AdsGameUpdates

Beat Writers: @CVBombulie

Broadcasters: For WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / For NOR: Pete Michaud @PeteMichaud2012

Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep

Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For Norfolk: 102.1 The Game

Television: AHL Live

Promotion(s): Remember Whensday (1970s)

Other Game to Watch: Atlantic Division leader Manchester hosts Bridgeport. With any point, Manchester is tops in the Conference.

Next Five Games: RCH 1/6, SYR 1/7, @ NOR 1/10, @ StJ 1/14, @ StJ 1/15

Gameday

A Killer Amongst Us

Comments Off on A Killer Amongst Us Posted by on January 3, 2012

AHL Transaction Page was active this morning with the news that Patrick Killeen was recalled to Wilkes-Barre / Scranton. In 21 games played for Wheeling this year, Killeen sports a 10-8-1-1 record, a 2.86 GAA and an 0.880 SV%.

WBS was mum on this on the website, Twitter and Facebook pages. But Bombulie confirmed Killeen was here for Scott Munroe who has a “minor” lower body injury. It’s expected that Brad Thiessen gets the start tomorrow vs. Norfolk.

I wanted to look at the numbers vs. Norfolk for both Thiessen and Munroe. In a word, ick. Both have 85% save percentages and goals against over three, with Munroe sporting a 4.99 GAA.

Elsewhere around the AHL, ex-WBS Penguin Luca Caputi is on the move again. This time basically across the hall as he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Nicolas Deschamps. The AHL team for the Ducks, the Syracuse Crunch, are in Toronto to play Caputi’s old team the Marlies tonight. It’s expected that Deschamps and Caputi play against their old teams later.

Finally, the AHL All-Star Classic rosters are going to be announced at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Fans will be able to then vote on starters. I’ll go on record now and say that Colin McDonald and Eric Tangradi get nods from the WBS side. Cases can also be made for Ben Street and Bryan Lerg, but not with who Hershey, St. John’s, Norfolk and Manchester are going to send. (more than three each, IMO)

I’ll run a quick congratulatory blurb on whomever it is from the Pens the gets the nod sometime before the Norfolk game tomorrow, for those who are signed up for blog e-mail notifications. Left hand bottom of your screen if you haven’t signed up already. You’ll get my epistles delivered straight to your inbox so you don’t have to go searching for me on the internet.

On the subject of the Gameday post for Norfolk, I’ll have it up at a special time of 1 p.m. tomorrow in advance of the All-Star announcements.

Let’s Go Pens!

The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

Blog in Case You Forget…

Comments Off on Blog in Case You Forget… Posted by on January 2, 2012

Debated for the past couple of hours whether to blog or not. Figured I would for the fact that if I sit on this information / speculation, I may forget it when I actually want to blog. Here goes…

Paul Martin and Richard Park practiced today. Martin is quoted that he wants to be well enough to play Friday. Does this mean Despres is down for good? (Or until there is another injury to a defenseman? These days it’s not a matter of if, but when)

On top of that, Robert Bortuzzo and Dustin Jeffrey skated in full gear and may practice this week. Maybe Jeffrey comes back down for more conditioning soon?

Here in Wilkes-Barre, there was no re-assignment of Peter Merth to Wheeling. Bombulie didn’t update today so I’m thinking the Pens didn’t practice.

Finally, on the subject of replay in the AHL, it was tweeted today by Sound Tigers beat writer Michael Fornabaio and Darryl Hunt who covers the Worcester Sharks (the Sharks visited the Sound Tigers today) that the AHL is experimenting with video replay on goals only. Here’s the blurb on it from Mike’s blog today:

Equipment has been floating around here for a while, but today the AHL confirmed it’s testing a potential video replay system here. There are cameras above both goals providing an angle to allow the referee(s) to take a look and see if a puck went into the net. “All very preliminary,” Jason Chaimovitch wrote. They plan to have it available during all four Bridgeport home games this month. The AHL Board of Governors has talked about replay possibilities over the past few years without approving a system. This potential system was developed by NeuLion, and Charles Wang was in the house.

NeuLion also runs AHL Live. Charles Wang runs the New York Islanders and owns NeuLion. Insert technical difficulties joke here….

Let’s Go Pens!

Pittsburgh, The AHL, WBS

Despres Re-Assigned 1/1

Comments Off on Despres Re-Assigned 1/1 Posted by on January 1, 2012

News of the day was that Simon Despres was re-assigned from Pittsburgh today.

Probably a cap related move, as Pittsburgh doesn’t play again until Friday while Wilkes-Barre has a home game on Wednesday vs. Norfolk. Or, Paul Martin could be healthy enough for Friday and the re-assignment is more permanent, for now.

I’m speculating, but there could be more recalls from Pittsburgh, as Arron Asham and Pascal Dupuis left yesterdays game vs. New Jersey with injury.

I think it is safe to say that there won’t be any recalls until after the Admirals game on Wednesday.

Let’s Go Pens!

Pittsburgh

Knocking Down the Poulin Wall – Pens WIN 4-2

Comments Off on Knocking Down the Poulin Wall – Pens WIN 4-2 Posted by on December 31, 2011

Pens get a 4-2 win against a tired, depleted Bridgeport Sound Tigers team. They allow the Sound Tigers just 16 shots on goal which is the lowest amount of shots on goal by the Pens on an opponent this year.

Bridgeport had to come from Norfolk last night after a 7:30 start in Virginia. They actually played the Pens tough in the beginning, but couldn’t muster much in the way of shots.

Scott Munroe vs. Kevin Poulin

First Period: Poulin was sharp off the hop, denying an Alex Picard point shot then a Matt Rust attempted rebound jam. Later, Brian Strait from the point attempted to get the puck past Poulin but he saw it and save it. Right after off some scabbily moments, Poulin would rob Ryan Craig in close. This period, as this paragraph spells out, was all about Kevin Poulin.

Second Period: Within six seconds three minutes or so into the period it was 2-0. Zach Sill and Eric Tangradi. This was the fastest two goals scored against Bridgeport, per this tweet from beat writer Mike Fornabaio. It’s also the fastest two goals scored in the regular season for the Pens, ever. Bridgeport got within one when Tyler McNeely scored. Sound Tigers would press and press but Zach Sill would score again through the five-hole of Poulin. Then, after a penalty to Brandon DeFazio for delay of game, the Pens would pepper Poulin and Bryan Lerg would score to make it 4-1.

Third Period: Pens would limit the Sound Tigers to just three shots. Kael Mouillierat would score on one of them 4-2 but the Sound Tigers couldn’t muster any more shots. After Poulin was pulled the Pens would hem the puck on the wall to run off a bunch of time and would eventually hold on to win.

This happened afterwards…

In Bombulie’s postgamer, he quoted Eric Tangradi as to why this was done…

“We feel like we haven’t really done the job at home this year and that was our last chance of the year to show we’re going to need these fans on our (side) for the rest of the way. It was a great win and a well-deserved salute for them. They’ve been by us through a tough first half and I think we’re starting to get the ball rolling.”

Also in the postgamer from Jonathan, a Hynes comment on how the comeback in Hershey could be the moment that starts a run. Let’s hope so.

Three Stars: 3) Bryan Lerg (goal, even) 2) Colin McDonald (two assists, +1) and 1) Zach Sill (two goals, +1)

Around the Division: Syracuse thumped Binghamton 6-2. Hershey beats Norfolk in a shootout, 3-2.

Standings: Hershey heads into 2012 with 44 points. Norfolk loses a point but has 42 points now. (they started the day a point behind) – the Pens have 41 points in third. Syracuse has 32 point and Binghamton has 30.

Conference: 1-HER (44) 2-MCH (44) 3-CT (42) 4-StJ (43) 5-NOR (42) 6-WBS (41) 7-WOR(38) 8- ADK-(36)

Pens off again until Wednesday when they host Norfolk. This opens a three in four against the Admirals on Wednesday, the Amerks on Friday and Crunch on Saturday.

Blog updates as items are available to me to blog about. They could be recalls, re-assisgnments or other general actions which could be of interest.

Happy New Year to your and yours!

Postgamer

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