Penguins Goalie Caron Looks For Improvement Wilkes-barre/scranton Netminder Will Get An Opportunity When He Starts This Week Against Utah.

By STEVE SEMBRAT [email protected]
Monday, October 22, 2001 Page: 6D

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Sebastian Caron wants to leave so much behind him: the
shaky performances, the horrible numbers, the personal problems.

The second-year goalie will get a chance to make all that a memory on
Wednesday or Thursday when he gets his next start for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Penguins play at Utah both nights (9 p.m. Eastern faceoff for each
contest, The E Center), and coach Glenn Patrick said that Caron will start one
of those games.

“He had some personal things that were on his mind,” Patrick said of
Caron. “He wanted to straighten those out. Hopefully he has.”

Caron didn’t want to discuss the problems, only to say “It’s behind me.
That’s the best thing I can say of that.”

Now it’s on to take care of the nightmarish numbers: he is currently 0-2
with a 10.00 goals-against average and a .645 save percentage.

“I didn’t play well the first two games,” Caron said. “I’ve forgotten
that. I want to go out and have fun playing.”

Neither of his first two appearances were anything near enjoyable. He gave
up seven goals in two periods in a 7-1 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 7.
He gave up four soft goals on 12 shots in a 7-3 loss at Cleveland on Saturday,
Oct. 13. In both cases, he didn’t finish the game and was replaced by Robbie
Tallas.

“When you come back after games like that, you have to focus,” Caron
said. “I took a rest and I think I’m ready now.”

The recent performances are completely out of character for Caron, who had
a good rookie season and was sharp during training camp. He earned an extended
stay in Pittsburgh’s camp, and got a win during a National Hockey League
preseason game.

Now, he’ll try to recapture that form as the young Penguins (1-6-1-0, three
points) try to shake off early setbacks.

“We need to go out and play a full game,” Caron said. “We need to play
well for 60 minutes, not just 30 or 40.”

That is especially true of the goalies, as their mistakes tend to be
glaring.

Take Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Philadelphia as an example. Many fans at the
game would probably be hard pressed to remember who committed the turnovers
that led to the Phantoms’ first two goals. However, almost everyone remembers
that Robbie Tallas had a shaky third period, letting in three soft goals.

In a way, it creates a critical situation for the team’s goaltending, as
both Tallas and Caron are coming off forgettable performances.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton needs solid goaltending, with five of their seven
defensemen being rookies and prone to first-year mistakes.

A couple of strong performances in Utah, especially by Caron, can change
all that.

“We have to have our goalies playing well to win,” Patrick said. “We’re
staying in their corner.”