Chirps from Center Ice

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

GAMEDAY: vs. Binghamton 2/8

Comments Off on GAMEDAY: vs. Binghamton 2/8 Posted by on February 8, 2021

vs. 

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Who: Binghamton Devils

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena

When: 5:00 p.m.

Last Game: This is the first game for both teams.

Record: For WBS: this is their first game // For BNG: this is their first game. This game was supposed to be played on Saturday.

Referees: Rob Hennessey / Dan Kelly

Linesmen: Tyler Loftus / Michael Magee

Why You Should Care: First game of the season, no matter when it is, is always fun right?

Listen: Nick Hart on the call on WILK.

Watch: AHLTV

Next Five Games: vs. HER 2/11, @ SYR 2/13, @ HER 2/20, vs. HER 2/24, vs. LV 2/26

Gameday

Pens / Devils Postponed to Monday…A Rant

Comments Off on Pens / Devils Postponed to Monday…A Rant Posted by on February 5, 2021

The 85th AHL season stated Friday. It’s off to a flying start already…

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COVID protocols, and all that. Devils / Bears, scheduled for Friday, moved to February 17. Pens / Devils, scheduled for this Saturday, moved to Monday at 5.

Listen, this is an awful idea that they are forcing upon us. With major league sports, you can make it happen because of unlimited financial resources, among other reasons. The American Hockey League is the first minor league operation to attempt this. It isn’t going well. It’s not going to go well. It isn’t the first delay of a scheduled regular season game which has been canned. So far, you have:

  • Tucson and San Jose, scheduled for Friday, straight up cancelled. No make up date.
  • Tucson and San Jose, scheduled for Saturday, moved to Sunday.

I don’t want to hear it form anyone that says that this sorry attempt of a season is, “different” or “unique” or “challenging.” I think it’s bad, stupid, dangerous and selfish. It isn’t good for the League as a whole moving forward. It just isn’t. Three teams already (Charlotte, Milwaukee and Springfield) are not playing, and a host of others (Belleville, Toronto, Manitoba, Laval and Stockton (who will play their games out of Calgary) haven’t even started yet because their local Canadian governments won’t let them. Smart, if you ask me.

Anyone who sees it differently is either a team or league rep who wants to brainwash you into thinking otherwise or someone else too far into the forest to see the trees.

This isn’t the last postponement that the League is going to see, and certainly not the last postponement that Coal Street will make jointly with whatever team is on the schedule that day, weekend or coming week.

At some point there are too many holes in the boat for it to remain a safe sailing vessel. Eventually it will sink.

Maybe I am wrong, but there is a pattern here. And it isn’t a good one.

Out the door, Josh Currie was named Penguins captain Friday.

The AHL, WBS

2021 Preseason Game #2 – Penguins 0, Phantoms 2

Comments Off on 2021 Preseason Game #2 – Penguins 0, Phantoms 2 Posted by on February 4, 2021

The final dress rehearsal before they do this for real was held at the PPL Center Thursday night after a delay from snow pushed the game back a few days. Emil Larmi went the distance again for the Penguins in goal, stopping 29 shots in a 2-0 Phantoms win Thursday night. Some of Larmi’s saves were highlight reel saves. 

But the Penguins couldn’t get anything going offensively and would get shut out. 

Here’s how they lined up….

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Lineup Notes: Why don’t we just worry about this when the regular season starts for real, yeah?

First Period: Ten saves for Larmi in the period, teams trade power plays.

Second Period: Phantoms strike first after a penalty kill. Chris Bigras pounces on a rebound and scores to give the Phantoms a 1-0 lead. Penguins had two chances at a power play.

Third Period: Larmi gets screened and Tyler Wotherspoon shoots and scores to give the Phantoms a 2-0 lead. Seems like they stepped in something great in Newark a few nights ago against the Devils and no matter what they could do, tonight just wasn’t the Penguins night. 

Wilkes-Barre did kill a five on three against, so there is a bit of a silver lining. 

That’s pretty much it. Not really much to write home about for this one. They do it for real in some cities as early as Friday. 

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So that will do it for preseason. The Pens get going for real Saturday at 5 at home against Binghamton, who will have played the night before at home against Hershey. Gameday setup will be here at 1. I don’t have anything for you in the way of league previews because I really haven’t put too much effort into it if I am being honest. Binghamton will be looking to recapture the hot run they were on when last season got canned, Hershey got Pheonix Copley back from Washington to play goal. Lehigh Valley may be a bit of a mystery and Syracuse will contend. I’m not paying attention to Rochester or Utica because the Penguins don’t play them. So boom, there is your 30 second, four team preview. 

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

Postgamer

Tuesday’s Preseason Game Postponed to Thursday

Comments Off on Tuesday’s Preseason Game Postponed to Thursday Posted by on February 2, 2021

 

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It’s not like the teams don’t play each other ten plus times in the regular season and the regular seasons starts for both teams 48 hours later. You’re telling me that a preseason game is THAT important that it must be played? Please.

This is just silly, and probably not the last time that there is going to be an announcement that there is some alteration to the Penguins schedule this season.

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

Not AHL, WBS

2021 Preseason Game #1 – Penguins 5, Devils 1

Comments Off on 2021 Preseason Game #1 – Penguins 5, Devils 1 Posted by on January 31, 2021

They were originally slated to play this game on Monday, but because of the snow, moved it to Sunday. Hey, at least it wasn’t because of a COVID related something.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins traveled to Newark, NJ where the Binghamton Devils will play their 2021 home campaign from this season and win 5-1. Not bad for a team together for about 72 hours, having opened training camp this past Friday.

Here’s how they lined up for the game, just their third game together as training camp started Friday:

Hashtag overload.

Devils didn’t post lines, or else I would have added them here. Evan Cormier started for Binghamton in goal. Both goalies played the entire game.

Again, with this being preseason, and the first one to boot, regular names like Jordan Nolan and others weren’t involved in the contest. Expect that to change when they do this for real, or as real as it can get in the middle of a pandemic, this Saturday.

First Period: They withstood an early push from the Devils to start, then Tim Schaller, in camp on a PTO, scored on the Penguins first shot of the game.

Thank you again to Taylor for allowing me to embed the goals and stuff in the blog pieces. It is appreciated.

Pens had a power play which looked about as good as you would expect from a team who are historically bad at them, just three days together as a unit.

Scare later in the period where Binghamton found itself on :31 of five on three. Emil Larmi made a save through a pile of bodies and the penalty killing unit made it out unscathed.

Second Period: Josh Maniscalco’s shot from the point beats Evan Cormier which extended the Penguins lead to two.

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Evan Cormier was really keeping his team in the game, stopping Justin Almeida and Michael Joly on breakaway attempts. The Penguins killed off two more penalties in the period.

Third Period: Chase Berger sets up Zach Nastasiuk who beats Cormier five hole and the Penguins went ahead 3-0.

Binghamton gets on the board when Riley Walsh picks off Emil Larmi out of his net and scores to make it 3-1.

Cormier vacated for the extra attacker and Tim Schaller hit a post but Jordy Bellerive was there to push the puck into the empty net.

Pens get a gaol from John Gruden who grinds one past Cormier to make it 5-1 Penguins for good measure.

Thoughts: The feed was horrible. They are playing in a practice rink so there are nets everywhere. They are not going to take the net down for games so expect that when you play Binghamton in Newark this year. Jon Lizotte played a solid game. They looked good, Larmi played well and Binghamton was chasing the game from the very beginning. Nice way to clamp down and not let the Devils back into the game, killing off those early penalties and the like.

They are back at it again Tuesday down in Allentown, suspect weather permitting. I did not see any place where the Phantoms would be doing a Facebook Live, so it will probably be radio only, so that means I will drop in and do my best to recap what I can for you here Tuesday. They get going for real on Saturday.

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

Postgamer

Delayed Already

Comments Off on Delayed Already Posted by on January 25, 2021

Tyler had some news on Sunday afternoon.

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I’m not going to publicly play the speculation game on which player / staff member tested positive.

Tyler followed it up with a story in today’s Citizen’s Voice on the delayed start to the season, speculating on if the delay would have any bearing on the exhibition game the Penguins were scheduled to play in Allentown against Lehigh Valley.

Coal Street with a Monday afternoon announcement confirming the doubts.

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This, coupled with….

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Makes for cluster bleep of an attempt of a season, and what’s setting up to be a total disaster on all fronts. Just give it time.

The idea of a forced season, especially in the way you have it constructed presently, with taxi squads, three teams sitting out and the way you have your divisions drawn up and the opponents you will play (i.e. Hershey plays Wilkes-Barre, Lehigh Valley and Binghamton and that’s it) makes for a terrible, asinine idea.

But, they are going to make it work, damn the torpedoes!

The AHL, WBS

2021 AHL Schedule Released

Comments Off on 2021 AHL Schedule Released Posted by on January 22, 2021

They are hell bent on making this work, so two weeks before the season begins, a schedule was announced for said season.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins will play 32 games in the abbreviated attempt of a season. Normally what I do in seasons past is a question and answer session, so in keeping with the silly tradition, I offer the following:

Penguins release here. League release here.

1) What does the opponent matrix look like?

Well, you know that the division is changed this season because of the pandemic. Charlotte and Springfield aren’t playing, Hartford, Bridgeport and Providence are playing in a separate three team division which leaves the Penguins, Lehigh Valley, Hershey, Binghamton, Utica, Syracuse and Rochester in a division all to their own called the North Division. Binghamton is playing their home games out of Newark, NJ. There was talk that no team would travel more than 250 miles one way to avoid having to stay in a hotel so that rules out Rochester and Utica. That leaves 10 games with Hershey and Lehigh Valley and six games with Syracuse and Binghamton.

2) Longest road trip? Longest home stand? Three in threes? And will fans be allowed at all?

Well, again, the Penguins aren’t staying in any hotels this season, no team in the division is, really, but since you asked it’s no more than two in a row at home and three straight on the road March 28, 31 and April 3. Zero three in threes. Five back to back games.

No fans to start. The Penguins did mention they would like to allow fans, “at a later date” but if you want my advice, do so at your own risk.

3) Any workday games?

No. The games that the Pens will be playing on the weekdays will be played at home but for April 30 (a Friday) at 7 against Binghamton. All the other weekday games start at 5 but for an April 28 game against Lehigh Valley which starts at 7 and a May 12 game against Syracuse which starts at 7.

I would actually prefer this if there aren’t going to be fans, it frees up my evenings for other things.

4) Is there an All-Star Classic?

Not this year. Laval was supposed to get it under normal circumstances, they just moved it out one year.

5) I didn’t get my free AHL TV code yet.

Neither did I. Don’t fret, just periodically check the e-mail the Penguins have on you. If push comes to shove, call or e-mail your ticket rep.

6) Playoffs?

Don’t know yet. Players want them, team front offices haven’t thought that far out. I don’t see it happening, personally.

7) Any wiggle room for inevitable COVID related delays?

With the concept of playing behind closed doors and teams playing teams only a bus ride away, you would think that there is room for that, but with players wanting playoffs, I honestly don’t think if a weekend set of games for one team gets canned, it’s highly unlikely that those games get added to the tail end or wedged into the schedule.

8) So how are they going to rank teams in the division? Don’t say by points percentage!

Okay, so that question may have been asked by the section in my mind which is bad at math. It looks like yes, they will be ranking teams by points percentage this season because of the amount of games that all the teams are going to be playing and how each differs across the geographic spectrum which is today’s American Hockey League. It’s (sadly) the only fair way to do it.

9) I think this is stupid.

So do I, friend, so do I.

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Penguins also announced their training camp roster. Link to that here.

Preseason game next Friday.

Stay safe.

The AHL, WBS

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