With the sixth meeting in the books for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton against the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears, we are starting to get a sense of what the games will be like for the rest of the match-ups. Here are some takeaways from tonight’s game, a 7-5 loss for the Penguins.
Joel Blomqvist
The Penguins netminder is having a fantastic start to his rookie season. Having played 12 games thus far, he is 12th in the AHL with a 2.37 GAA and 20th with a .914 Save Percentage.
Goaltenders, by far, have the roughest job on the ice, but they are not the only person out there. There are nights when no goalie can stop shots when their defense isn’t blocking or helping to prevent a screen.
Penalties
Both teams’ penalties throughout the night were enough to make your head want to spin. There were ten penalties between the teams, with five being on Hershey’s bench and five on Wilkes-Barre. Six of those penalties were in the first period.
The Penguins are currently in fourth place overall in the AHL for their penalty kill and ninth for their power play, but they need to tighten up on the number of penalties they take, or this will not bode well for the team as they hunker down into the meat of the season.
Losing the Game
No team wants to lose. The goal is always to win. The point of hockey, and any other team sport, is one team has to win, and the other has to lose. One key to not losing games is not taking as many penalties. More important for the Penguins is not losing control of the game in the second period.
When Wilkes-Barre loses close games, it tends to be because of poor second periods. Last night, the Penguins were up 3-1 after the first period, and by the end of the second period, they were down 5-3.
Highlight of the Game:
Sam Houde, recently back from injury, had a multi-point night. He scored two goals and was assisted both times by newcomer Peter Abbandonato. Houde is consistently a team player, a playmaker, and watches for his teammates on the ice. He has an incredible hockey sense and IQ, which makes him a great asset on any forward line he is put on.
“It feels nice, [but the] main thing we wanted was a win. It feels good for me but not for the team.”
Sam Houde on his multi-point night and the loss agaisnt Hershey
The next game between these two teams is December 27, 2023, at the Giant Center in Hershey.
