WBS Update: Thiessen Continues to Shine as Pens Roll over Devils

I'm sorry I haven't been able to to get recaps up for every game (although it doesn't seem like they are completely necessary.)  Just a quick recap to get anyone who has been following along caught up to this point:

- The WBS Pens got off to a great 9-0 start before losing their first game, 4-3 on Nov. 6th at home to the Syracuse Crunch. John Curry was in goal. 

- The next night the Pens went back to Thiessen and got a hard earned road win over the Rochester Americans, their second win over the Americans in three days, this time 2-1. 

- Chris Conner was called up to Pittsburgh on Nov 10th..  He had been playing well at the time and was a top-six forward for WBS.

- Curry lost his second straight start, both at home, on Nov. 12th to the Binghamton Senators 5-1.  The only game that the Pens have not played very well in.

- Thiessen again got the bounce-back start the night after (11/13/10) and got a 38 save shutout, blanking the Worcester Ice Cats on the road.

- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (12-2-0-0) dominated the Albany Devils (6-9-0-0) last night in route to a 4-1 victory.  Brad Thiessen broke the rotation of alternating the starts between himself and John Curry and deservedly so, he has been the better of the two goaltenders thus far.  The Penguins are in the midst of their first major changes to the lineup due to the promotion of Chris Conner and the injuries to two other top six forwards.  A look after the jump at the lineup changes and the weekend ahead for our AHL Penguins.

Weekly Update:

- It's starting to become clearer why Conner was picked over some of the other top wingers on the WBS Pens.  Both Brett Sterling and Nick Johnson missed last night's game with day-to-day injuries.  The Pens as a team were banged up after the rough weekend they had.

- With Sterling and Johnson out of the lineup, the Pens recalled forward Joey Haddad from the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.  Haddad and WBS's usual healthy scratch, Bryan Lerg, took their injured counterparts spots in the lineup.

- Captain Ryan Craig is proving why he is the team's leader on the ice. He has scored the game winner for the Pens' last three wins.  Talk about being clutch.

- With Conner up in Pitt and Johnson and Sterling on the shelf, guys like Chris Collins, Geoff Walker, Keven Veilleux and Eric Tangradi have seen more ice time and in better offensive situations.  Collins has played the best out of those guys the last 4 games, registering a goal and three assists with a plus three.  Veilleux has added two assists in his last three games.

- Dustin Jeffrey has had five points (2G-3A) in the last four games and continues to lead the team with five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 14 games.  Tim Wallace leads the team with his six goals.  Andrew Hutchinson has been terrific in his nine games in Wilkes-Barre, registering three goals and seven assists leading the Pens blueliners in points.

- The Pens have a tough weekend ahead of them. 

- On Friday it's home against Norfolk (7-4-3-1). Former WBS/Oilers prospect Marc-Antoine Pouliot is tied for tenth in the AHL in scoring with four goals and 14 assists in just 12 games played. 

- On Saturday it's a trip to Hershey to take on the Bears (9-5-0-1).  Although the Pens are 3-0 on the season against the Bears so far this season, these two teams always get fired up to play each other and there's always an exciting, physical and close game between the teams.  The Bears have four of the top 13 scorers in the league to this point and it will be interesting to see who gets the start in goal.  I'm sure whoever goes on Friday night will not play Saturday night.

-  On Sunday the Pens come back home to play host to the Binghamton Senators (8-7-1-1).  The Pens need to prove that Nov. 12th's blowout at home against Bingo was a fluke.  A real tough test for the Pens with games Friday and Saturday night, then an afternoon game Sunday at 3 p.m.

-  Pittsburgh is off on Saturday and Sunday night this week so tune in and follow the WBS Pens this weekend.  I will be going home and hope to catch all three games live.  I have yet to make a WBS road game so far in the early season and hope to get a few in to show you guys some of the arena's that some AHL teams call home.  Lets Go Pens!