Pens Fall to Bears 3-2

The Penguins came out and took it to the Bears in the first five minutes before a Simon Despres penalty gave the Bears the momentum surge. The Penguins failed on two power play attempts and the first period ended in a scoreless tie. Shots were 8 apiece.

The Bears broke the scoreless game :14 into the second period on a Mike Carman backhander. Alex Grant and Brian Dumoulin couldn't connect on a cross ice pass at the point and Zach Hamill made the Penguins pay, shooting a puck into the top corner. The Bears took a 2-0 lead with that shorthanded goal.

Adam Payerl cut the lead in half with his first pro goal late in the  second period.

The Pens appeared to have tied the game in the third period when Phillipe Dupuis beat Sabourin. But after review they deemed the puck was kicked in. Ryan Stoa scored 1:47 after the overturned goal and the Bears took a 3-1 lead. That was your game in a nutshell.

Eric Tangradi scored a power play goal late in the third to bring the Penguins within one. Benn Ferriero and Beau Bennett got the assists on the power play goal. That was Tangradi's 5th goal of the season and 4th of the weekend.

The Pens pulled the goalie in the last minute but were unable to find the equalizer and fall to the Bears by a score of 3-2. 

Look for the next update to come on Tuesday when the Penguins get back to work at the Coal Street Rink. 

Lineup Notes

Brian Dumoulin and Joe Morrow, who were scratched last night, returned to the lineup tonight. Adam Payerl also played tonight. Philip Sameulsson, Steve MacIntyre and Tom Kuhnhackl were scratched to make room. The Penguins went with seven defensemen and 11 forwards.

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net after stopping 34 of 35 shots last night in Syracuse. 

Zatkoff, Tangradi Lead Pens to 4-1 Win

For the second night in a row, the Penguins dug themselves in an early hole. The Pens gave up a goal in the first minute and it was :38 into the game. Again.

Some confusion arose midway through the first period as the penalty clock on the scoreboard was not accurately counting down the remaining time on penalties.

Eric Tangradi tied the game at one at 14:10. Alex Grant got the lone assist.

From there the Penguins took control. Riley Holzapfel slapped home a bad angle shot and Beau Bennett tallied his first pro goal in the second period to give the Pens a 3-1 lead.

Jeff Zatkoff stood on his head tonight, stopping 34 of 35 shots. Tangradi added an empty netter for the 4-1 final score.

Does Jeff Zatkoff get the start again tomorrow night after tonight's performance?

Three lineup changes we made for tonight as Joe Morrow, Brian Dumoulin and Adam Payerl were scratched for Alex Grant, Philip Samuelsson and Tom Kuhnhackl.

So after an 0-4 start to the season, the Penguins have won their last two and look for the weekend sweep when they battle the Hershey Bears at Giant Center tomorrow evening. 

Pens Win OT Thriller 5-4

After letting a two goal lead slip away in the last 1:08 of regulation, the Penguins needed someone to step up in overtime and lead the team to their first victory of the season. Paul Thompson scored a power play goal in the first period but will be remembered tonight for what he did in the final seconds of overtime.

In the last 30 seconds of the extra session, Thompson was leveled with an open ice hit by T.J. Brennan. Instead of heading to the bench for a line change, Thompson stayed out and received a beautiful pass from Simon Despres and with a defender on his back, beat David Leggio and sent the fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena into a frenzy. The team's first win, and a good start to the weekend.

I spoke with Thompson after the game and he said the team "got a big win that we needed". He also mentioned that with the way the Pens played most of the night that they "deserved an outcome like that."


Eric Tangradi broke a tie game open in the third period, smacking home a rebound of a Thompson shot to give the Pens a 3-2 lead.  Brian Gibbons added what everyone thought was an insurance goal with 4:55 to play. 

When asked about the importance of tonight's game, Tangradi was quick to say that it "felt like a playoff game, a must win." 

Brad Thiessen got the start in net tonight, allowing four goals on 34 shots. The first goal came just 38 seconds into the game. The last two came 44 seconds apart in the final 1:08 of regulation. Head coach John Hynes didn't seem impressed by Thiessen's performance tonight, saying he could be better. Look for Jeff Zatkoff to get the start in net tomorrow in Syracuse.

All around exciting night at the arena  as I was invited to the press box for the game, got to live tweet the second period taking over the Penguins Twitter feed and even got to head downstairs to the locker room after the game. Look for live tweets from @H_P_Hockey tomorrow in Syracuse! 

Wednesday's WBS Practice UPDATE 10/24

The Penguins were back at it this morning at the Coal Street Rink in Wilkes-Barre.

The lines remained the same from yesterday. Robert Bortuzzo skated in a regular practice jersey today but did not participate in contact drills.

Denver Manderson was wearing the red no-contact jersey today.

Jayson Megna did some off ice shooting while the Penguins were starting up their practice on the ice. Megna hasn't started skating yet.

Lines:

Tangradi-Ferriero-Bennett
Gibbons-Smith-Thompson
Dupuis-Peters-Holzapfel
Kuhnhackl-Payerl-Uher
MacIntyre-Manderson-Veilleux

Strait-Reese/Bortuzzo
Mormina-Despres-Morrow
Sneep-Dumoulin
Grant-Samuelsson-Morrow

Closed practice tomorrow then a home game against the Rochester Americans on Friday. Saturday is a road trip to Syracuse and Sunday sees the Penguins playing the Hershey Bears at the Giant Center.

Spoke to head coach John Hynes after the roughly 90 minute session and he said his team was ready for this weekend's games. Sounds like they're ready to get back at it and hopefully get in the W column this weekend.

WBS Tuesday Practice UPDATE 10/23

 Some updates from Coal Street Rink after Tuesday's practice:

• Denver Manderson skated in a regular practice jersey.
• Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) skated wearing the red no-contact jersey.
• Kevin Veilleux is practicing in full contact but stayed after for some extra skating with Bortuzzo.
• Jayson Megna did some off ice shooting before heading back into the locker room area.
• The Penguins used some new line combinations up front today that looked something like this:

Tangradi-Ferriero-Bennett
Gibbons-Smith-Thompson
Dupuis-Peters-Holzapfel
Kuhnhackl-Payerl-Uher
MacIntyre-Manderson-Veilleux

Reese-Strait
Morrow-Mormina-Samuelsson
Despres-Grant-Samuelsson
Sneep-Dumoulin

Back at it again tomorrow morning with another practice at the Coal Street Rink. Live updates again on Twitter @H_P_Hockey

Pens Lose Fourth Straight Game

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins start the 2012-13 season with an 0-4 start after falling behind early to the Syracuse Crunch.

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net. Carl Sneep and Steve MacIntyre made their season debuts, while Joey Mormina and Philip Samuelsson were scratched to make room. The Pens went with 12 forwards and six defensemen for the first time this season.

The Pens fell behind just 3:38 into the game and trailed 3-0 after the first period on two late power play goals by the Crunch. Joe Morrow was assessed a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct, and the Penguins played the rest of the game with five defensemen. Go figure that the first night the Pens use six defensemen they lose one in the first period.

The teams skated a scoreless second period and a mostly quiet third period until the Pens ended Dustin Tokarski's shutout bid with 1:57 to play. Phillipe Dupuis unleashed a heavy one-timer from the point and got the Pens on the board. Brian Dumoulin and Dylan Reese got the lone assists.

The Pens next game is Friday night at home against the Rochester Americans. They'll look to get their first win of the season at home before finishing the weekend on the road against these same Crunch on Saturday and the Hershey Bears on Sunday.

Pens Drop Home Opener 3-2

The Penguins fall 3-2 to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers tonight and fall to 0-3 on the season.

The Pens dug themselves in another 2-0 hole to start after two bad bounces ended up in Thiessen's net. They battled back and got within one goal twice, but couldn't find the equalizer.

Down 3-2 with 3:04 to play, the Penguins got their chance but were unsuccessful on a late power play. They will host the Syracuse Crunch tomorrow afternoon and look for their first win of the season.

Riley Holzapfel got the Penguins on the board 7:48 into the second period, stuffing a rebound past Kevin Poulin. Paul Thompson and Beau Bennett got the assists. Thompson has been crashing the net so far this season, while Bennett has been starting to create more offense this weekend.

Eric Tangradi smacked home a tough angle rebound of a Simon Despres shot for the Pens' other goal. That came with four minutes left in the game.

Brad Thiessen got his first start of the season in net and stopped 19 of 22 shots he faced. Zach Sill was out of the lineup after blocking a shot and never returning last night in Springfield. Adam Payerl was scratched. Dominik Uher and Tom Kuhnhackl replaced those two and made their WBS debuts.

Dylan Reese also made his WBS debut on defense tonight. Alex Grant was scratched to make room for Reese.

Penguins lose another tight game. Not 0-3 on the season because of a lack of effort, just one or two big plays from having things go their way. Hopefully the losing skid ends tomorrow.

DeFazio & McDonald Return 10/20

DeFazio and Thompson can re-unite the bromance from last season.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins home opener tonight against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers will have some more familiar faces on the opposing bench, like Ryan Craig last night in Springfield. Brandon DeFazio and Colin McDonald return to Wilkes-Barre as members of the Sound Tigers as the Pens try to avoid an 0-3 start. 

For The Penguins

Zach Sill left last night's game after blocking a shot in the first period and never returned. Coach Hynes said Sill was going to be re-evaluated in Wilkes-Barre. He won't play tonight. 

With Sill's upper body injury and Megna (lower body), Veilleux (knee) and MacIntyre not ready a recall from Wheeling was needed. The Pens called up Dominik Uher and Tom Kuhnhackl.

Dylan Reese didn't play last night. Maybe he makes his WBS debut tonight? Carl Sneep was the healthy scratch last night. Robert Bortuzzo isn't ready to play. 

Expect Brad Thiessen to get the start in net after Jeff Zatkoff played last night. I would also except to still see 11 forwards and seven defensemen. 

Penguins Fall to Falcons 4-2

The Penguins rallied in the third period to tie the game at 2 but the Falcons answered right back and take the game 4-2.

Penalties plagued the Pens in the first period. The Falcons took a 1-0 lead 5:43 into the game on a power play blast from Jonathan Audy- (JAM). John Moore added to the Falcons lead at 15:07, making it 2-0.

The Penguins gave the Falcons four power plays in the first period, including the brief 5x3 power play that JAM scored on. After jumping out on the Falcons early, registering the game's first three shots, the Pens played most of the opening period in their own zone. The shots were 10-6 Falcons after 20 minutes of play.

Bad news to start the second period as Zach Sill never returned after blocking a shot during a first period penalty kill. The Penguins got off to a good start in the second period but were unable to put one past Curtis McElhinney. The Penguins managed 15 shots in the middle frame.

The Penguins got a pair of power play goals in the first 8:41 of the third frame. The first was a point blast from Joe Morrow. Ben Ferriero and Trevor Smith got the assists. Phillipe Dupuis tied it at two with a nice deflection past McElhinney. Rookies Beau Bennett and Brian Dumoulin got the assists.

But from there the Falcons answered back with two goals from Cam Atkinson and Ryan Johansen to seal the deal. The Falcons improve to 3-0 on the season while the Penguins fall to 0-2. The Penguins return home for their home opener tomorrow night against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

WBS Penguins Travel to Springfield

Beau Bennett looks on during warmups of the season opener in Binghamton.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins look to get on the right track and rebound from a 2-1 season opening loss against the Springfield Falcons tonight at the Mass Mutual Center. We'll be live from Springfield, Massachusetts with updates of all the action.

Stats after a 2-1 season opening loss aren't always earth shattering but here's a few:

• Trevor Smith had the Penguins goal in the opener. It was an unassisted goal on a nice steal and transition by Smith.

• Paul Thompson registered a game-high six shots on net.

• Eric Tangradi and Adam Payerl each picked up fighting majors in the opener.

For the Penguins, Jayson Megna (lower body) and Robert Bortuzzo didn't skate in Thursday's practice and are most likely out for tonight.  Dylan Reese skated and appears ready to make his Penguins debut. Steve MacIntyre and Keven Veilleux are getting closer to game shape and back to full speed. I'd say they don't play tonight but with Veilleux's return nearing, you'd like to have him in the lineup. 

So a projected lineup would look something like this...

Scratches: Bortuzzo, MacIntyre, Manderson, Megna, Veilleux

Bennett - Smith - Ferriero
Tangradi - Peters - Dupuis
Gibbons - Holzapfel - Thompson
Sill - Payerl

Strait - Reese
Dumoulin - Despres
Morrow - Grant

The seventh defenseman would come down to Mormina, Samuelsson and Sneep. With three games in three nights you might see a rotation of the six and seventh defensemen spots on the depth chart.

Haven't heard anything definitive on who the starter in net will be but I would expect to see both Jeff Zatkoff and Brad Thiessen play this weekend. For those who missed the season opener, Zatkoff was in net for the Pens up in Binghamton.

Know Your Opponent
The Falcons enter tonight's game 2-0 on the season and look to continue their streak.  Former WBS captain Ryan Craig is the current captain of Springfield. Craig is tied for the team lead in points with two goals and an assist.

The Falcons have a talented forward core with former Connecticut Whale standout Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (JAM) as well as Matt Calvert, Cam Atkinson and Tomas Kubalik.

Curtis McElhinney has picked up both Falcons' wins in net stopping 54 of 56 shots with one shutout as well through two games.

For those wondering, Paul Dainton is on the Falcons roster. For those who don't recognize the name might remember the last meeting between the two teams at the Mass Mutual Center.

Pens Let Opener Slip Away 10/13

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins start the 2012-13 season with a disappointing 2-1 loss to the Binghamton Senators tonight. 

Trevor Smith gave the Pens a 1-0 lead with 6:52 left in the second period, but two third period goals by the Senators and a waved off goal in the last minute by the Penguins is the difference tonight.

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net for the Penguins and played pretty well stopping 23 of 25 shots he faced. Robin Lehner stopped 35 of 36 shots for the win.

All in all a pretty good showing by the Penguins, minus the first half of the third period.  Joe Morrow looked good, as did Adam Payerl, Zach Sill and the top line of Benn Ferriero, Trevor Smith and Beau Bennett.

The Penguins went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight. Dylan Reese, Robert Bortuzzo and Jayson Megna are out with injuries. Steve MacIntyre didn't take the warmups. Carl Sneep was the last scratch. The lineup looked like this:

Bennett - Smith - Ferriero
Tangradi - Peters - Dupuis
Gibbons - Holzapfel - Thompson
Sill - Payerl

Strait - Samuelsson
Morrow - Mormina
Despres - Dumoulin
Grant

The Penguins don't play again until Friday when they travel up to Springfield to take on the Falcons at the Mass Mutual Center.

WBS Penguins Open Season In Binghamton 10/13

After a week of prospect camp in Pittsburgh in July, a week of AHL training camp and four preseason games, the time has come. The journey begins tonight.

The Penguins kick off their 14th season in the AHL tonight on the road against the Binghamton Senators and what better way than to be at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena and provide live in-game updates on Twitter as well a recap of the night's action.

Our look at the defensemen and goaltenders in Part 1 of our Previewing The Penguins Series.

A look at the forwards in Part 2 for those who might have missed them.

Be sure to follow along on Twitter for all the latest! Let's Go Pens!

I'm having troubles uploading the video on the blog currently, but here's a link to something that will get you ready for the 2012-13 season

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od6oDWrE040&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Previewing the 2012-13 Season (Part 2)

There's a lot of new faces up front for the Penguins this season.

Yesterday, we took a look at the defensemen and goalies. Today we look at the forwards. There's a few familiar faces, but a lot of new ones to learn as well as some promising rookies that have a chance to make an impact right away.

The Penguins recalled forward Adam Payerl from the Wheeling Nailers, just a few days after being sent there. The recall was necessary after Jayson Megna left Wednesday night's practice. Also, Steve MacIntyre is still working to get into game shape so an extra forward was needed.

If you missed the preview of the blue liners and and netminders you can scroll down to Part 1 or click here.

So without further ado, let's get on with it! They play for keeps starting tomorrow night..

Evening Practice 10/10

A special thanks to @ItsJacki for this photo of tonight's practice.

The Penguins held a rare evening practice that was open to the public tonight at the Coal Street Rink and while I wasn't there to attend, a few friends gathered up enough information from their own observations as well as a few questions for head coach John Hynes to keep Highland Park Hockey ahead of the game.

Some quick notes:

• Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) did not skate tonight during the session. When coach Hynes was asked about his status for this weekend's season opener his response was that he might be ready for this weekend but they're not sure yet.

• Keven Veilleux (knee) participated in full tonight and when he was asked about his condition he said he's feeling good and although he won't be playing Saturday, his return to the Penguins lineup will be coming soon. Whether or not that means next weekend in Springfield remains to be seen.

• Jayson Megna appeared to have suffered a lower body injury after a collision with Joey Mormina. Megna left the ice and didn't return. No update on his condition. 

• Defenseman Dylan Reese also left the ice early this evening. He didn't return either and I haven't heard anything on his status. 

Look for Part 2 of our Previewing the Penguins Series, which will take a look at the forwards on the roster, sometime Thursday afternoon. Season starts Saturday!

Previewing the 2012-13 Season (Part 1)

The 2012-13 season is quickly approaching. This will be the second full season of daily coverage of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) on Highland Park Hockey and the hopes are it will be the best yet.

In addition to being able to bring live in-game updates on Twitter at all home games, the goal is to make Highland Park Hockey your source for road coverage of the WBS Penguins as I plan to make a lot more road trips than in seasons past. For example, I already traveled 680 miles to bring live coverage of the two road preseason games. Not something you are going to find anywhere else.

I got my first AHL Media Credential in Rochester last Wednesday, and hope to continue to be able to bring you as close as I can possibly get to the Penguins this season. Alright, enough about me and onto the hockey!

This season is different than in years past. The NHL Lockout still has no end in sight and AHL teams are fully loaded for the start of the season. After the jump, a look at the Penguins roster heading into the season opener on Saturday with close detail to the defensemen and goaltenders.

Pens Finish Preseason with 3-1 Loss

From a fan perspective this was definitely the most exciting preseason game the Penguins played. The rivalry combined with a last chance for guys on the bubble to show what they have created a much better game environment at the Giant Center in Hershey tonight. 

Those who stood out to me tonight include Jayson Megna, Dominik Uher and Adam Payerl. Megna, in my opinion, was hands down the most impressive rookie for the Penguins this preseason. Also have to mention Uher and Payerl for stepping up and taking on the two Bears tough guys Olesky and Clackson. Head coach John Hynes was very impressed with both guys, coming up to them and giving them both pats on the back for a job well done.

The teams skated to a scoreless tie after twenty minutes before Brett Flemming broke open the scoring in the second period.

A rough start to the third period saw Hershey score 26 seconds in and another goal while shorthanded in the first two minutes. Jayson Megna finished off a play by Brian Gibbons to break Braden Holtby's shutout bid and that did it for the preseason.

Lineup tonight looked like this:

Zatkoff

Thompson-Holzapfel-Bennett

Kuhnhackl-Megna-Gibbons

Chupp-Sill-Payerl

Uher-Manderson

Defensemen - Dumoulin, Sneep, Samuelsson, Morrow, Grant, McNeill and Despres

Pens Fall to Bears 3-2

The Penguins drop another close preseason battle, tonight to the Hershey Bears, in their final home preseason game. The Pens finish their preseason schedule with a trip to the Giant Center tomorrow evening.

The Pens took the lead 9:05 into the contest while on the power play on a rifle blast point shot from Joe Morrow. Benn Ferriero and Trevor Smith got the assists.

Jayson Megna gave the Pens a 2-0 lead with a nice deflection of an Alex Grant point shot. Philippe Dupuis also got an assist on another power play goal.

From there the Bears really seemed to take control. They cut the lead in half before the first intermission, tied it in the second period and took the lead in the third. 

Tonight also showcased the first fights of the preseason for the Pens and by two guys you wouldn't think would drop the gloves. Benn Ferriero and Philip Samuelsson got involved in fisticuffs. Ferriero took a few good shots from his dance partner and Samuelsson slipped and fell before much of a fight broke out.

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net and played the full game. He stopped 14 of 17 shots he faced. I've been really impressed with Jayson Megna this preseason. He scored a goal tonight and one on Wednesday, while flying all over the place on the ice.

Last preseason game tomorrow in Hershey. Went to the first three so why not make it a clean sweep and provide live in-game updates for all four preseason games. Then the real fun begins.

Pens Split Preseason Series With Amerks

Tonight, the Penguins fielded a much stronger lineup in terms of talent up front with Trevor Smith, Benn Ferriero, Phillipe Dupuis and Eric Tangradi all dressing. Unfortunately the end result was a shootout loss to the Rochester Americans. 

In the shootout, Smith scored for the Penguins while Ferriero, Beau Bennett and Tom Kuhnhackl failed to convert.

Tangradi tied the game at one late in the first period. Dupuis and Warren Peters got the assists at 14:40.

The Amerks took back the lead in the second just as a Penguins penalty had expired. But another late goal by the Penguins, this one by Dupuis with 26.3 remaining, sent the two teams to the locker room tied at two heading into the third period. Peters and Tangradi got the assists.

Smith gave the Penguins their first lead of the night with 8:01 left in the third period with a nice spin and shoot move in the slot. Brian Dumoulin and Beau Bennett assisted on the power play tally.

The Amerks tied it with an unassisted goal with just over five minutes to play to send it to overtime, where the teams traded chances but needed the shootout to decide it.

Brad Thiessen got the start in net. He stopped 12 of 14 shots was replaced by Patrick Killeen for the third period. Killeen stopped 5 of 6 shots he faced in regulation and overtime.

Tonight's lineup looked like this:

Ferriero - Smith - Bennett
Tangradi - Peters - Dupuis
Zurevinski - Sill - Payerl
Kuhnhackl - Chupp - Manderson

Strait - Reese
Bortuzzo - Dumoulin
Despres - Mormina

The only troubling news from tonight is that of Robert Bortuzzo, who left the ice in the first period and never returned. I didn't see the play that caused Bortuzzo to leave the game. I just remember asking myself where he was in the second and third periods.

The Penguins host the Hershey Bears tomorrow night and conclude the preseason on Sunday down in Hershey at the Giant Center.

Preseason Home Opener 10/5

The Penguins rematch the Rochester Americans tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. 

Look for a much more loaded Pens lineup tonight in front of the home crowd. I would expect those guys who were scratched on Wednesday will play tonight as head coach John Hynes said he plans to rotate guys in and out of the lineup this weekend. Makes sense to play the top guns at home in front of the hometown fans.

As always we will have live in-game updates on Twitter. Follow us @H_P_Hockey if you aren't already. Look for the post game recap shortly after tonight's game.

Pens Open Preseason With Win

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins traveled to Monroe Community College in Brighton, New York to take on the Rochester Americans tonight at the Sports Centre at MCC.

The Pens fielded a lineup without the big name stars such as Brad Thiessen, Eric Tangradi and Simon Despres (among others) but the effort was still there. Adam Payerl broke a 2-2 tie with 1:52 to play to give the Pens the win and Brian Gibbons added an empty net goal with :44 to play to put the icing on the cake. The Amerks would score as time expired so Gibbons goal proved to be the actual game winner.

The Pens got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Paul Thompson and Jayson Megna but the Amerks tied it with back-to-back power play goals in the second period.

Jeff Zatkoff made his WBS debut and looked impressive. He gave up two goals through two periods. Patrick Killeen came on in relief in the third and gave up the goal as the game ended.

First impressions I got tonight watching the young defensemen is that mistakes will be made but the potential guys like Joe Morrow and Brian Dumoulin have makes them exciting to watch. I thought both played well. Reid McNeill played with a physical edge and looked good too.

Up front, I really liked the hustle and forechecking by guys like Holzapfel, Payerl, Megna and Dominik Uher. Beau Bennett created some offense and had some nice plays as well. Thompson and Gibbons look to be improving from last season also.

The Penguins lineup tonight:

Thompson - Holzapfel - Bennett
Gibbons - Megna - Kuhnhackl
Payerl - Chupp - Uher
Neal - Manderson - Zurevinski 

Sneep - Dumoulin 
Morrow - Samuelsson
Grant - McNeill

Zatkoff - Killeen

Expect the big guns to play Friday night in front of the home crowd.

And So It Begins 10/3

The Penguins are on their way to western New York this afternoon to open their preseason schedule on the road against the Rochester Americans at the Sports Centre at MCC at 7:05 p.m.

There will be NO RADIO BROADCAST of tonight's game so it looks like the only way to stay caught up on the action is to follow our live updates on Twitter as Highland Park Hockey will be making the trip!

Not sure what to expect in terms of a lineup at this point but I'll re-post the lines I saw in yesterdays scrimmage at Coal Street:

Tangradi - Smith - Bennett
Dupuis - Megna - Ferriero
Gibbons - Peters - Thompson
Uher - Sill - Holzapfel
Zurevinski - Chupp - Neal

Veilleux, Kuhnhackl, Manderson, Payerl

Despres - Reese
Strait - Samuelsson
Morrow - Bortuzzo
Mormina - Grant

Dumoulin, Sneep, McNeill

Thiessen - Zatkoff - Killeen

WBS Penguins Training Camp 10/2

I got to see a lot of free hockey today!

The Penguins had a long day at the Coal Street this morning and afternoon in preparation for tomorrow night's first preseason game up in Rochester, New York. Still deciding on whether or not to make my first trip to western New York for tomorrow's game. There will be no radio broadcast of the game so it looks to be a Twitter-exclusive event.

Back to practice. The day began with a one hour practice session for the first group, and ended with an hour session with the second group. But in between practices the team held an intrasquad scrimmage.

There were actually some goals scored this time, as Keven Veilleux pounced on a defensive zone turnover to give Team Black a 1-0 lead. Benn Ferriero later tied the scrimmage at 1. The tied scrimmage went into a shootout, where Team Black prevailed over Team White with shootout goals from Brian Gibbons and Adam Payerl. Jayson Megna scored in the shootout for Team White.

Here's the lines I jotted down during the scrimmage:

Tangradi - Smith - Bennett
Dupuis - Megna - Ferriero
Thompson - Peters - Gibbons
Uher - Sill - Holzapfel
Zurevinski - Chupp - Neal
Manderson - Payerl - Kuhnhackl - Veilleux

Despres - Reese
Strait - Samuelsson
Morrow - Bortuzzo
Grant - Mormina
Sneep - Dumoulin - McNeill