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The grind of a long regular season has a way of wearing down bodies and causing fatigue, especially among older players.
But two Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin veterans have been immune to the toll of the regular season, posting their best months of the season down the stretch in March.
Captain Tom Kostopoulos, who leads the team with 41 points, finished March with four goals and 11 points in 12 games. Kostopoulos also had two game-winning goals in March as the Penguins jockeyed for playoff positioning. His previous high-point total in a month was nine.
For Kostopoulos, it’s all about leading by example, not slowing down.
“All the games are big right now and with the playoffs coming up, it brings that boost of energy,” he said. “As an older guy, you want to use that and produce, but for myself I want to lead by example first.”
Before he was recalled to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, defenseman Taylor Chorney had just come off his most productive month as well. The 27-year-old recorded seven points and a plus-9 in 12 games during March, which likely contributed to the recall to the parent club.
Chorney, who leads the AHL with a plus-26, acknowledged that the season does seem to drag at times, but March is a month when it’s simply fun to play.
“You work all year to put yourself in a position right now where the games really mean something,” he said. “For any player, that makes it more exciting to go out there and do your job every day.”
Head coach John Hynes isn’t surprised that his two veterans – Chorney and Kostopoulos, have been able to elevate their games so late in the season. He said their ability to avoid the wear and tear of a long season is a tribute to their training and work ethic in practice.
Hynes also said the leadership of Chorney and Kostopoulos on the ice sets the pace for the younger players on the team.
“They’re true professionals. It’s nice when you have the leaders of your team being able to drive the bus like that because it helps everyone come along,” Hynes said. “They’ve added to the accountability in the room and they push the other guys to match that level. It’s not a shock to us.”
Still, it takes work for veterans like Chorney and Kostopoulos to remain productive late in the season. Chorney admits he has to “dial it in a little more” when March rolls around, making sure to balance rest and work.
“It’s not necessarily about taking days off to get rest, but taking care of your body,” he said. “You’ve got to get what you need out of the day, and you have to get the right kind of rest to.”
Kostopoulos shifts his training program to focus more on skating and spending less time in the weight room. He says maintenance is the most important aspect of his late-season training program.
“I’m different than the younger guys because of my age, I’m not in the gym as much and I need to skate more,” Kostopoulos said. “The younger guys are still trying to develop strength, where I go a little bit easier in the gym and maintain what I worked on all year.”
But what Chorney and Kostopoulos – along with all their Penguin teammates, have really been working for all year is a long run in the postseason and a chance to win the Calder Cup.
That opportunity keeps them feeling young.
As a reminder of how fortunate he is to be playing important games in March and April, Chorney reflects back on the seasons when his team was out of playoff contention as early as January or February.
“You don’t really enjoy it as much,” Chorney said. “You still love playing, but you’re not playing for the same reasons.
“When the games are huge, like now, you don’t need to motivate yourself. You know it’s important.”