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By STEVE SEMBRAT steves@leader.net
Wednesday, March 19, 2003 Page: 2B
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hopes a little role reversal will
help change its fortunes.
The Penguins, who have lost four consecutive games at home, will try to
snap that streak tonight when they play host to Syracuse (7:05 p.m. faceoff,
First Union Arena).
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (30-30-5-5, 70 points) has been shut out in its last
three home games, and has surrendered 12 consecutive goals on home ice dating
back to a loss to Syracuse on March 10. The only win during the past five
games came Saturday at Hershey.
With the Penguins playing their fourth game in five nights, head coach
Glenn Patrick made practice on Tuesday an optional workout. More than half the
team decided to skate, including forward Colby Armstrong and goalie Robbie
Tallas. However, Armstrong came out wearing Tallas’ goalie gear, while Tallas
played forward as the players on the ice took part in a fun scrimmage.
“We just have to keep the spirits up in the dressing room,” Armstrong
said. “This was an optional fun day, so we decided to have some fun with
it.”
Armstrong and Tallas made a similar switch during an optional practice
around Christmas time, and decided to do it again to keep the mood upbeat.
“We’re having trouble scoring right now,” Armstrong said. “We’re not
playing bad. We’re just not burying our chances.”
The common thread through the recent struggles at home is that the Penguins
have been frustrated by teams with less talent but more structured defensive
systems. Syracuse (22-38-7-4, 55 points), which beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 10
days ago to start the current struggles at home, fits that mold.
“We played really well defensively the other night,” Armstrong said of a
3-0 loss to Philadelphia on Monday. “If we play that well defensively and
bury some goals, we’ll win a lot of games. We have to be patient with the
style of play from last night.”
The problem is the Penguins need to start winning now, or a Calder Cup
playoff berth could slip away. They are tied with Rochester and Milwaukee for
eighth place in the American Hockey League’s Western Conference, and the top
10 teams get a postseason berth. Philadelphia, with its win on Monday, moved
within three points of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the conference standings. The
Penguins have 10 games remaining in the regular season.
Tibbetts released
Billy Tibbetts, a former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin, was released on
Sunday by Hartford. The move came after he got into a shouting match with Wolf
Pack coach Ryan McGill on the bench Saturday during a game against Providence.
Tibbetts, who spent 3 1/2 years in prison, spent part of the previous two
seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Pittsburgh, which had signed him after he
got out of jail, traded him to Philadelphia last March. Philadelphia released
him less than one month later, as Tibbetts’ antics on and off the ice proved
to be as much of a distraction there as they were here.
Tibbetts signed with the New York Rangers on Dec. 16, which he acknowledged
was his last shot at playing professional hockey. He was scoreless with 12
penalty minutes in 11 games with the Rangers. He had seven goals, 10 assists,
172 penalty minutes and a team-worst minus-17 in 35 games with Hartford, the
Rangers’ AHL affiliate.
Team Record Pts GR
x-Grand Rapids 42-19-8-2 94 9
x-Houston 42-19-7-3 94 9
x-Norfolk 32-22-10-4 78 12
Chicago 35-24-7-4 81 10
San Antonio 33-25-10-3 79 9
Hershey 31-24-12-2 76 11
Utah 33-29-3-4 73 11
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 30-30-5-5 70 10
Rochester 26-28-14-4 70 8
Milwaukee 26-25-13-5 70 11
Philadelphia 28-29-5-6 67 12
Cincinnati 23-28-11-5 62 13
Syracuse 22-38-7-4 55 9
Cleveland 22-39-4-4 52 11
Top 10 teams make the Calder Cup playoffs.
x-denotes division leader. The three division leaders are guaranteed a
top-three seed for the playoffs.
Today’s Western Conference Games
Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.
Syracuse at Wilkes-Barre, 7:05 p.m.
Norfolk at Manchester, 7:05 p.m.
Manitoba at Milwaukee, 8:12 p.m.
Hershey at Utah, 9 p.m.
TODAY’S GAME
Syracuse Crunch vs.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Faceoff: 7:05 p.m., First Union Arena, Wilkes-Barre Township.
Tickets: There are a few remaining. Check the arena box office or
Ticketmaster for availability.
TV/Radio: The game will be televised on WNEP TV’s 24-hour news channel
available on Adelphia Cable channel 63. The game can be heard on Oldies 92 and
100 (FM). The radio broadcast is available over the Internet at the team’s Web
site (www.wbspenguins.com).