Battling for playoff position, the Pittsburgh Penguins (31-21-8) came out with all cylinders firing against the Arizona Coyotes (27-29-6) this evening at Consol Energy Center. The offense played fast all night and dominated the Coyotes shooting the puck 33 times and threading the needle on precise passes. Patric Hornqvist scored his first career hat trick this evening scoring three of the Penguins six total goals. Marc-Andre Fleury was able to put together his second straight win allowing no ... Read More
Archives for February 2016
Duquesne forward Powell announces plans to transfer
Sophomore forward TySean Powell announced Monday his intent to transfer from Duquesne University. Powell will not play for the rest of the season. Powell cited personal reasons for his departure, saying in a Twitter statement, “I would like to thank the Duquesne basketball program for allowing me to pursue my dream of playing college basketball, but at this stage in my career I feel that it is best to move on to different opportunities that fit me as a player and as the family oriented person ... Read More
Pirates play Black-Gold Scrimmage
The Pittsburgh Pirates held its Black-Gold intrasquad game Monday afternoon and it was the gold team which won by a 4-3 score. This game served as the first time many fans have seen Jameson Taillon on a mound since he underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2014. His outing was a mixed bag as he faced nine batters, striking out three of them, but also allowing a run. Taillon's mound opponent in this game was Tyler Glasnow, the Pirates top prospect pitcher who many fans wanted to see as a ... Read More
Rutherford plays it safe during NHL trade deadline
After years of dealing away young talent for expensive and often over-hyped rentals, the front office decided to approach this year more conservatively. With limited cap space and attractive assets, Pittsburgh may not have had much of a choice, but it is a good choice nonetheless. Mortgaging the future for the "win now" mentality has backfired on the Penguins in the past. Trading for Jarome Iginla, Douglas Murray and Brenden Morrow proved to stagnate the building and development of fresh ... Read More
Penguins trade Plotnikov to Coyotes
The Pittsburgh Penguins started off Trade Deadline Day by shipping offseason acquisition Sergei Plotnikov to the Arizona Coyotes for prospect Matthias Plactha and a seventh-round draft pick in 2017. The Penguins signed Plotnikov in July after the Russian forward scored 15 goals and finished with 36 points in 56 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL last season. In 32 NHL games with the Penguins, Plotnikov managed only two assists and last played on Jan. 6. Touted as a physical ... Read More
Pirates have options with remaining bench spots
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bench is different than previous seasons. In the past, the bench typically provided good defense, but little on offense. In 2014, for example, the bench had three of its members – Jayson Nix, Michael Martinez and Brent Morel – batting under .200 on it. Pinch hitters were usually easy outs, and instead just good defensive substitutions. Now, the script has been flipped. Three spots on the five-man bench are secured by Sean Rodriguez, Chris Stewart and whoever in ... Read More
PSAC West Men’s Notebook: Clarion upsets Edinboro in the first round
Most PSAC fans thought the Clarion Golden Eagles men’s basketball team was lucky to be in the playoffs. These same doubters thought they would get hammered on the road by the high-powered Edinboro Fighting Scots. They could not have been more wrong Saturday afternoon. Clarion (14-15) used an immaculate second half effort to overcome an eight-point halftime deficit, winning going away by a score of 83-69. In their first PSAC playoffs since the 2009-10 season, the Golden Eagles turned up the ... Read More
Pitt gets signature win; crushes No. 15 Duke
The Pitt Panthers basketball team has spent all season looking for a signature win, having gone 0-6 against ranked teams prior. Sunday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center they got one against No. 15 Duke and they got it in a big way. Led by Jamel Artis with 17, five Panthers players scored in double figures as Pitt led wire-to-wire in a 76-62 rout of the defending national champions. “We may have had our two best practices of the year the past couple of days,” said Artis. “We knew ... Read More
Kunitz, Plotnikov, Zatkoff among names in trade deadline rumors
In the next 24 hours, general manager Jim Rutherford will be under pressure to ensure his team comes out of the trade deadline without sacrificing the future and bringing fresh talent to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After Saturday's trade for Justin Schultz, Rutherford made it clear that they were not done searching for other options on the market. "We're still in business," said following the trade yesterday hinting that he will continue searching for additions to the Penguins. What's for ... Read More
PSAC West Women’s Notebook: Gannon advances past Seton Hill
Midway through the first quarter, Gannon fans thought it was the same script all over again. Their Lady Knights found themselves down 11-4 to Seton Hill at home, seemingly destined for a fourth-straight loss, and an end to a once promising season. Then the Lady Knights of old showed up. Gannon obliterated Seton Hill in the second quarter by out-scoring the Lady Griffins 21-5, and held on from there to win 64-58, advancing to the PSAC quarterfinals. These were the Lady Knights everyone in ... Read More