Uh…we might need to hold the phone a bit before we start anointing some of our kids as sure bets.
To say things haven’t exactly gone as planned for our farm clubs in the minor-league playoffs to date would be an understatement of the highest magnitude.
Sans top guns Rutger McGroarty and Emil Bemström, the Baby Pens got trampled by arch-rival Lehigh Valley at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre last night by a score of 5-2 in their best-of-three Calder Cup series opener.
The visitors methodically rolled out to a 3-0 lead through two periods. Adding injury to insult, Baby Pens netminder Joel Blomqvist, who stopped 23 of the 26 shots that came his way, didn’t return for the third period due to an undisclosed ailment.
His replacement, Taylor Gauthier, who’d shutout Cleveland in the regular-season finale, yielded two more goals to the Phantoms before Avery Hayes and Gabe Klassen popped a pair of late tallies for the Baby Pens.
Afterward, Tristan Broz, who assisted on Hayes’ goal and unleashed team-high five shots on goal, offered a rather blunt assessment of the proceedings to Tony Androckitis.
“It was EXPLETIVE embarrassing.”
As for the Nailers?
Things haven’t gone any better for our East Coast Hockey League affiliate in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Worse, in fact.
The Nailers are down, 3-0, to Norfolk and have been thoroughly outclassed to the tune of a lone goal for and 13 against.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Sergei Murashov, regarded by many as a franchise goalie in waiting, has been strafed to the tune of 11 goals against on 77 shots for a Jarry-esque save percentage of .857. A complete reversal of form for a kid who only a few months back had recorded a franchise record 13-game winning streak for the Nailers, then topped it off by winning 11 starts in a row with the Baby Pens.
Don’t know if he’s struggling to embrace a late-season (and practical if undeserved) demotion to the Nailers, or if the team has been that bad in front of him. Or a little of both.
Whatever the reasons, it ain’t lookin’ good at the present for Sergei…and our kids in general.
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Hey Rick,
Before I would start getting down on the Penguins prospects, I would look a little closer top see who really were the goats last night; the wrong Aho (-3), Clurman (-2), Koppanen (-2), and Calvert (-2). Koppanen and Aho are not prospects. Clurman does have a Contract with the big Penguins but no one is accusing him of being a top prospect. Calvert is only with the Baby Penguins, he does not have a contract with the parent club.
Aho was on the ice for the first 4 GA, he single-handedly sunk this team - thanks Dubas for that signing.
It is really hard to play catch-up when your saddled with Aho.
Rick,
Did you see, the wrong Aho was -3 again last night, destroying the Baby Penguins in their Series against LV? Stupidity seems to run up and down this organization. They keep playing has been s and never was s even in their farm system rather than giving a prospect a break.
Wonder what Free Agent bums Dubas is going to sign this summer?
Also, Wheeling kept their Kelly Cup hopes alive by winning last night. Only one Player under contract to the parent club was dressed for the Nailers, a true prospect and not some FA clown, Belliveau.