PIERRO-ZABOTEL REASSIGNED TO WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON

The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned left wing Casey Pierro-Zabotel from the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, it was announced on Wednesday.

Pierro-Zabotel, 21, recorded one assist and a plus-one rating in seven games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His first AHL assist was recorded on January 31 against the Manitoba Moose.

The 6-2, 202-lb. left wing has posted 39 points (12+27) in 45 games with the Nailers this season. He posted a season-high nine-game point streak from December 26-January 15, and has registered six points (3+3) in seven games prior to his recall.

The native of Ashcroft, British Columbia entered his first year of professional hockey having come off of a banner year with the Vancouver Giants (WHL), where he posted a league-best 115 points (36+79) in 72 regular-season games. His 115 points shattered the Giants’ single-season point record, an achievement which earned him Vancouver’s first-ever recipient of the Bob Clarke Trophy awarded to the WHL’s leading scorer. In 294 games over five seasons split between the Merritt Centennials (BCHL) and the Vancouver Giants, Pierro-Zabotel has recorded 346 points (132+214).

Pierro-Zabotel was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (80th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Penguins Get Back to Work

By Sam Kasan

After an extended break away from hockey, the rested Penguins returned to the ice Wednesday night for the start of their final regular-season push heading into postseason play.

“It was good,” Jordan Staal said. “It was a nice, well-needed rest for the mind and the body. I’m excited to be back and finish off this season and hopefully the playoffs.”

“I could have used a couple more days,” veteran Bill Guerin joked. “But seriously, it was good. It was fun and it’s always good to come back and see everybody again after a layoff.”

Wednesday’s practice was the first time in nine days that the team had seen each other (not including those participating in the Olympics, of course). The NHL enforced a mandatory shutdown of team operations from Feb. 15 – 23. During that period, players were not permitted to workout or skate at their team’s facility.

Many of the players used the break to get away from hockey, relax, heal some wounds and recharge their batteries for the final 20-game stretch.

“You try not to think about hockey,” head coach Dan Bylsma said. “You try not to be involved in hockey for a few days. In the summer time, it’s a month maybe, but then your brain starts wandering back to hockey and the team and where you’re at – those types of situations. I did take a break, and I did rest a little bit from the grind of everyday hockey, but it didn’t take too long for me to start thinking and working again.”

“I think anytime you have a long break like that – I think it had been nine days since we had been on the ice – you just try to get your legs back under you,” Mark Eaton said. “You have to get your timing back and get a sweat.”

The current week of non-games in some ways constitutes a “second training camp” of sorts, with a six-day period before they get back into action against the Buffalo Sabres on March 2. During that stretch the team is starting to work on the fundamentals and building towards the kickoff of the final 20 games.

“It will be much like the training camp practice with some of the same objectives,” Bylsma said. “It’s going to be a lot like a training camp. We had 15-16 guys on the ice for our 45-minute sessions in training camp.”

The Penguins’ practices are lacking manpower with Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Brooks Orpik, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar away for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Because of that, the coaching staff had to tweak the practices.

“There is an adjustment that has to be made to the drills due to the fact that there are 15 guys,” Bylsma said. “We pay attention to the reps every game, every practice. A drill that we would do with 22 guys is much different. We’re going to get to a workday (Thursday), and we’re going to have to modify some of the drills based on the fact that they’re going once every three times. That’s something that we pay attention to when there’s 22 men out there, and especially when there’s 15.”

With the break officially over, the time has come for the players to get back to work and back into practice/game rhythm. It’s time to get back to business.

“My lungs burned a little bit, but that’s expected with nine days off,” Alex Goligoski said with a smile. “It might be like that for a day or two, but it should come back pretty quick.”

“You would like a couple more (days off),” Ruslan Fedotenko said. “It’s never enough. On the other hand you don’t want too many of them because you’ll get sluggish. It was probably a good amount. It was great to have some time off and now it’s back to work.”

WHEELING WINS WEEKEND WRAP-UP 5-3

A pair of 3rd period power play goals broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Nailers to a 5-3 victory over the Trenton Devils Sunday afternoon in WesBanco Arena. Aaron Clarke led the Nailers with a goal and three assists while T.J. Fox scored two goals and one assist and defenseman Mitch Ganzak had three assists increasing his season total to 36, tops among ECHL blue-liners.

Wheeling’s record improves to 28-28-6 while the Trenton Devils fall to 25-26-9. With only 10 games left in the regular season, the Nailers stayed within two points of the 8th place Reading Royals who also won Sunday afternoon in a 6-5 overtime triumph against Kalamazoo.

The Nailers came away with a 1-0 lead after a very energetic first period. 5 minutes in, the Nailers forward TJ Fox picked up the rebound of an Aaron Clarke shot from the slot. Fox fired it home five-hole from the right-wing circle for his 21st goal of the year. Clarke and Ganzak got the assists on the play.

The second period saw the scoreboard light up quickly when Brett Wilson received a pass from Jack Combs on a 2-on-1. Wilson one-timed it past Michael-Lee Teslak’s stretched out left leg to tie the score at 1-1.

Just 77 seconds later, Wheeling came right back. The Nailers saw a 2 on 1 develop and Aaron Clarke blasted the puck past Caruso to put the Nailers back up by one, 2-1. T.J. Fox had tipped the puck from the Wheeling line up to Casey Pierro-Zabotel racing up the left-wing who connected with Clarke across the ice. It was Clarke’s 18th goal of the season and 2nd of the weekend.

After the quick early goals both goalies settled down and made some key saves until Devils’ Tony Zancanaro jammed the puck past Teslak for his first score of the game. The late 2nd period tally came after Teslak had turned aside Jeff Prough’s attempt at a wrap-around but Zancanaro was there to shove in the rebound.

The third period started just as fast as the second. Just 25 seconds into the period T.J. Fox blasted in his 2nd goal of the afternoon and 22nd of the year on a Nailers power play to give Wheeling a 3-2 lead. The play was set up by a big check in the corner by Aaron Clarke to take out one of the Devils defenders thus momentarily creating a 5-on-3 advantage. Clarke and Ganzak assisted on the go-ahead goal.

Minutes later the Nailers scored another power play goal when John D’Aversa blasted his 3rd goal of the season past an impeded Caruso giving Wheeling a 4-2 lead.

The Devils still had some fight in them and with 8:35 left in the game Jeff Prough added his third goal of the weekend when he rattled the puck in off the left post to cut the Wheeling lead to 4-3.

A late empty net goal by Billy Ryan with a minute and change left sealed the victory for the Nailers for the 5-3 final result. It was Billy Ryan’s 3rd goal of the year.

The Nailers have the week off before they travel to Johnstown on Saturday March 13th beginning at 7:05 pm. That game will be the last for the Nailers against the Chiefs in the longest rivalry in ECHL history.

The Nailers begin a 5 game series with the Kalamazoo Wings at WesBanco Arena on Sunday March 14th at 3:05 that will feature a post-game open skate with Nailers players as part of every Sunday home game. Be sure to bring your skates and gloves…and don’t forget your camera! Wheeling will travel to Kalamazoo for a pair of games on Wednesday, March 17 and Friday, March 19.

Nailers Notes:

Aaron Clarke returned to the lineup Sunday after missing Saturday’s game with a minor injury. Clarke made a big impact with one goal and three assists and earned #1 star of the game honors.

Ryan Schnell and Aaron Boogaard were the scratches for the Nailers in the game as well as goalie Adam Berkhoel who continues to recover from his lower body injury. The time-line on Berkhoel’s return remains uncertain.

The Wheeling Nailers will have a team appearance at a Meet-and-Greet this Tuesday from 6-8pm at the Perkins on National Road. Come out and meet your favorite Wheeling Nailers!

Call the Nailers at 304-234-GOAL or toll-free at 1-877-NAIL-TIX. Get your tickets online at the team’s website at wheelingnailers.com.