Pens Start Hot But Lose To Crunch

By TODD CROSS Special to the Times Leader
Saturday, October 20, 2001 Page: 1B

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It was an opening 20 minutes of near perfection.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took only a single minor penalty and killed it with
ease. The power play clicked to the tune of two successes on four attempts.
Martin Sonnenberg was a player possessed as he drew penalties which led to
both goals, one his own and another from Tom Kostopoulos. Robbie Tallas faced
seven shots and turned them all away.
And with a rebound, a poke, and a pass it all came crashing down again.

The Syracuse Crunch worked a three-goal second period to knock off a
two-goal deficit, and with a solid third disposed of the Penguins, 5-2.

“We had our best period of the year in the first period and then mistakes
cost us,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Glenn Patrick said. “But at least
they were honest mistakes. You hope you don’t get them but they’re still
mistakes. It was discouraging but not totally disappointing.”

Mathieu Darche scored the first and last goals of the second period for
Syracuse. His first, a Tallas rebound, slid in at 10:28. Tallas ended the
night with 21 saves.

The lead still stood at 2-1 until a concerted jam session at the Pens’
crease by Jody Shelley and Kent McDonell. The grinders evened the contest and
lowered some Penguins’ spirits. McDonell’s poke-in goal, his first of the
year, came at 14:34.

“I thought Tallas had it underneath him and the ref should have blown the
whistle because he couldn’t see the puck either,” Sonnenberg said. “It
looked like he had it for awhile.”

Darche’s second goal came as he took a Matt Davidson pass in the slot
between the legs of defenseman Brandon Buckley and flipped it past Tallas at


“I guess we came in here and went out in the second period and just
expected it to happen,” Sonnenberg said. “We didn’t work hard and we let
them take the momentum and we just couldn’t get it back. We were feeling good
(after the first) and we wanted to go out there and do the same thing we were
doing but it just didn’t happen.”

Trailing 3-2 entering the final period, the odds were stacked against
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from the start. A malfunctioning zamboni meant no
resurfaced ice and a final skate on the equivalent of sandpaper.

“They had the same ice as we did,” Patrick said. “We tried to be
optimistic with it (but) it’s harder on the team that’s down” to come back.

Sonnenberg said: “I think the guys were thinking about the ice being bad
and were a little tentative. We didn’t get off to a good start and they got
the momentum again. I’ve played here in Syracuse before and I knew the ice
isn’t good to begin with.”

With Philadelphia (6-1-0-0, 12 point) in town tonight, it won’t take good
ice or a quick whistle on a goal-mouth scramble to challenge the Southern
Division leaders. Just an effort like Friday night – minus the mistakes.

“We just have to take the body on them,” Sonnenberg said. “They’re older
players and they want an easy game. If we just go out and bang them, we can
edge them out.”

It was the second loss of the season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1-5-1-0,
three points) at Syracuse.

“I’m very happy with the effort,” Patrick said. “`We have to give the
same effort and just hope we eliminate some of the turnovers.”