WBS Penguins Gameday: Penguins vs. Falcons

 

WBS Penguins Pregame Report: Penguins vs. Falcons

By: Ali Myers

Penguins’ Last Game Recap:

Hershey continues to make the rest of the AHL look bad and the Penguins were their next victim on that mission. The Bears scored four goals in the first period and in spite of goals from Mark Letestu and Chris Lee, the Penguins could not recover from the opening onslaught as Hershey coasted to a 7-2 victory.

Penguins Scratches:

Konstantin Pushkarev (flu)

Dustin Jeffrey (flu)

Lane Caffaro (healthy)

Aaron Boogaard (healthy)

Jesse Boulerice returned to the lineup after missing time due to a stiff back.

Three Stars:

3. Alexandre Giroux (Hershey): 2 goals, 1 assist

2. Keith Aucoin (Hershey): 1 goal, 3 assists

1. Patrick McNeill (Hershey): also had 1 goal, 3 assists

Extra Points:

Despite just getting over injuries, Zach Sill and Jesse Boulerice were very physical against the Bears. Sill was not afraid to throw big hits and Boulerice fought Patrick Wellar during the first in an attempt to spark the Penguins on a comeback effort.

Penalties:

Todd Reirden: What was Reirden thinking starting Brad Theissen again tonight? Although Theissen was impressive in his time for Wheeling before being recalled, there was no reason to put him in net after he was the losing goaltender against Binghamton last night.In Curry’s absence, Berkhoel is the number one goalie and should be treated as such. Berkhoel should have started tonight and although it is hard to say if he would have saved the game, it would not have been as controversial.

Penalties: Hershey was given nine power play opportunities in tonight’s game. Whether the calls were fair or unfair isn’t a point for discussion, but the Pens cannot take so many penalties against a dangerous Hershey team.

Today’s Matchup:

Who: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Springfield Falcons

When: Sunday, January 19, 2010 at 3:05 p.m.

Where: Mass Mutual Center (Springfield, MA)

About the Falcons:

The Falcons will come into Sunday’s game after defeating the Binghamton Senators by a score of 5-2 on Saturday. Although it is a nice victory, the Falcons sit at last place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 13-22-8-2. Their penalty kill is 26th ranked in the AHL working at only 80.3%; and their power play is 11th with an 18.2% success rate. They have given up the most goals in the Atlantic with 159 goals against.

The Penguin Connection:

Chris Minard, a top scorer for the WBS Penguins last season, signed with Edmonton in the offseason and made the Falcons squad. However, he has been sidelined for over a month with concussion like symptoms. He has attempted a comeback but still deals with vision problems and frequent headaches every time he tries skating or riding an exercise bike.

Marc-Antoine Pouliot; who played in Wilkes-Barre in 2006-2007 when the Penguins had a dual affiliation with Edmonton, is currently playing in Springfield on a conditioning assignment. Pouliot had three assists in the Binghamton game.

Andrew Penner, a goalie for the Penguins also during 2006-2007, recently signed a contract with Springfield and backed up Jean-Philippe Levasseur tonight.

Bill Thomas, a Pittsburgh native who played with both Pittsburgh and WBS last year, has played 32 games with the Falcons. He has 16 points this season.

Falcons to Watch:

Viacheslav Trukhno has three goals in Springfield’s two previous games: one in a loss to Syracuse on Friday night and two in the victory over Binghamton.

Charles Linglet has nine goals this season, but his 34 assists are enough to put him fourth in the AHL in points scored and give him the Falcons’ point lead. He has already doubled his point total from the 2008-2009 season (16 points).

Follow the Action:

AHL Live ($6 charge)

102.3 the Mountain (click on Listen Live)

Posted in: WBS Penguins