Hoyt Friends hosting annual book sale

Patriots lock up No. 2 seed for duals

First Posted: 10/8/2014 WILKES-BARRE &#8212; When it comes to explaining the reason why he&#8217;s still in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins training camp, rookie defenseman Alex Boak doesn&#8217;t pull any punches.
He throws them.
Boak, 25, spent the last four years playing college hockey for Clarkson University. When he got the invite to attend training camp with the Penguins, he knew he had to show the physical side of his game.
With three fights in the preseason plus a number of jarring hits, Boak has shown his strength.
&#8220;That&#8217;s my game. I&#8217;m not the most skilled guy and I like playing with an edge,&#8221; he said after Wednesday&#8217;s practice at the Toyota Sportsplex. &#8220;I play physical, I play hard and I don&#8217;t back down from anybody.&#8221;
Sunday was a good example of that as Boak fought twice in a preseason game against the Hershey Bears. He earned a game misconduct because of the pair of fights, but he also made a big impression on Penguins coach John Hynes.
&#8220;When camp opened we said we want someone to surprise us and make an impact. You have to leave an impression,&#8221; Hynes said. &#8220;There&#8217;s been no question what Alex&#8217;s strength was and that has earned him an opportunity to stay here.&#8221;
While Boak posted a decent number of penalty minutes in college, he admitted playing physical at that level and in the AHL comes with a big difference.
&#8220;In college you can run around and nothing much is going to happen,&#8221; Boak said. &#8220;When you play physical like that here, you&#8217;re going to have some consequences. I knew coming in that the way I play I&#8217;m going to have to (fight).&#8221;
Whether that entails fighting on the ice or fighting for a roster spot, Boak has shown a penchant for both this preseason. But he still has more to accomplish.
&#8220;My preseason isn&#8217;t done. I haven&#8217;t made that opening lineup yet,&#8221; Boak said.
NOTES
&#8226; The Penguins split into three groups for Wednesday&#8217;s practice &#8212; two forward groups and the defensemen, for a session on skills training. A special instructor, Finland native Pertti Hasanen, was brought in to run the session, which focused on stick skills, hands and position-specific shooting.
Hynes said he intends to bring Hasanen in twice a month during the season.
&#8220;We think the shots, stick strength and hands will get better over the year,&#8221; Hynes said.

Pens’ Boak battles for roster spot