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By STEVE SEMBRAT
[email protected]
Tuesday, April 20, 2004     Page: 6B

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Most of Ross Lupaschuk’s attention on Sunday was
directed toward his fiancee Jeanette, who was giving birth to the couple’s
first child.
   
As she delivered a daughter, named Sha Marie, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
defenseman did have one ear tuned to the radio and what was going on at
Wachovia Arena.
    “We were listening to the game,” said Lupaschuk, referring to the
Penguins’ 3-2 overtime victory over Bridgeport in Game 3 of a best-of-seven
Calder Cup East Division semifinal series. “It just so happened that she
started pushing just before we scored our first goal. She came out right
before we scored our second goal.”
   
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force
overtime, won it on Eric Meloche’s goal in overtime, making it a perfect
evening for Lupaschuk.
   
“If she was born earlier, I would have come and played,” Lupaschuk said,
“but I wouldn’t miss the birth of my daughter.”
   
Ironically, each team was without a regular for the same reason.
   
Bridgeport center Ryan Kraft was scratched from the lineup on Sunday and
went home to be with his wife, who gave birth to a daughter, Angie. Kraft will
be back in the lineup for the Sound Tigers for Game 4, set for 7:05 p.m. today
at Wachovia Arena. So will Lupaschuk, who took part in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s
optional practice on Monday despite not having had much sleep during the past
few days.
   
“When I was on the bus coming home from Bridgeport, (Jeanette) called me
and said she was having some contractions,” Lupaschuk said. “She called me
about one hour later and said she was going to the hospital. I went to the
hospital when I got home.”
   
Lupaschuk, who had two assists and nine penalty minutes in the first two
games of the series against Bridgeport, can now breathe a sigh of relief now
that the concerns of any expectant parent are gone.
   
“It was a little tough,” Lupaschuk said. “You want the baby to be
healthy and you think about that. It’s something you have to be mentally tough
about if you want to go far in the playoffs.
   
“I’m glad she was born OK. I’m going to be committed to her, but at the
same time I have a job to do. I want to play as well as I can so we can go as
far as we can in the playoffs.”