Former Coughlin teacher seeks permission to file late appeal

web1_Mark-Ciavarella-2011.jpg

Kids for Cash ex-judge Ciavarella wants corruption conviction overturned

<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_Conor-Sheary1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Sheary </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_Conor-Sheary1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sheary </caption0></div></div>
<p>Conor Sheary admits the NHL dream seems a bit more real now.</p><p>More attainable.</p><p>An NHL contract has a tendency to do that.</p><p>Sheary, 23, signed a two-year entry level deal with Pittsburgh on Wednesday, accomplishing a goal he set out to achieve at the start of last season.</p><p>As a rookie last year, Sheary led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with 45 points, including 20 goals, in 58 games while on an AHL deal. He kept the production going in the playoffs, leading the team with 12 points in eight contests.</p><p>But Sheary&#8217;s success actually began during the 2014 postseason when he finished college and joined the Penguins to score 11 points in 15 playoff games.</p><p>All along, Sheary felt he was making his case for an NHL deal.</p><p>&#8220;It feels really good. A little bit of a relief,&#8221; Sheary said of his new contract. &#8220;But I know I have to keep working hard and use this as a stepping stone for the next level.&#8221;</p><p>Sheay&#8217;s success with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton didn&#8217;t go unnoticed with Pittsburgh or other clubs. His agent talked to a few other teams who expressed interest, Sheary said, but his first choice all along was Pittsburgh.</p><p>&#8220;We knew this would be the right spot for me. It was the right decision,&#8221; he said.</p><p>An added benefit of the new contract is the second year, which gives Sheary the security of knowing where he&#8217;ll be for two years after spending last season on a one-year contract.</p><p>&#8220;There is a weight off my shoulders and the two years does give you some peace of mind,&#8221; Sheary said. &#8220;It kind of allows (you) to play more freer knowing where you&#8217;re going to be.&#8221;</p><p>Now, with the job security in place, Sheary said he will spend the rest of the summer working to get stronger and faster for training camp where he hopes to make a bid for an NHL job.</p><p>It&#8217;s a dream he&#8217;s been striving for since he made a big splash in the 2014 postseason.</p><p>&#8220;It does become a little more real once you sign that NHL deal,&#8221; Sheary said. &#8220;But it&#8217;s still going to take a lot of hard work to get there.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Sheary on Sullivan</strong></p><p>Sheary said he was happy former head coach John Hynes and assistant Alain Nasreddine got their NHL break with New Jersey, and he admitted that a new coaching staff will change the dynamic in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. It&#8217;s a change that Sheary is excited to be a part of this season, especially considering new head coach Mike Sullivan was a forward in the NHL for 11 seasons.</p><p>&#8220;Sometimes change is good and I think coach Sullivan will do well,&#8221; Sheary said. &#8220;Hopefully with him being a former forward it will help a player like me.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Biggs doesn&#8217;t mind golf game interruption</strong></p><p>Tyler Biggs was on the golf course - the fourth hole, when his phone began ringing. As he tried to finish the round, Biggs fielded calls informing him he had just been traded to Pittsburgh from Toronto in the Phil Kessel deal.</p><p>&#8220;The focus wasn&#8217;t there, I can tell you that,&#8221; Biggs said.</p><p>Biggs is one of several new additions from Wednesday that could see time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. The former first round pick by Toronto in 2011, Biggs spent his first two pro seasons in the AHL, along with stints in the ECHL last year and never really got going. An Achilles injury didn&#8217;t help last season, but now Biggs is looking forward to a fresh start with the Pittsburgh organization.</p><p>&#8220;Maybe like a weight lifted off shoulders, that kind of thing. I think people don&#8217;t understand, the media attention in a Toronto or Montreal, you don&#8217;t know what you&#8217;re going to get,&#8221; Biggs said. &#8220;It can change dramatically. It has nothing to do with the fans. It&#8217;s a great city, a great organization. I was super excited to be a part of it. It&#8217;s just for any young kid, that&#8217;s a lot of pressure to take.&#8221;</p><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Penguins sign defensemanPittsburgh signed high-scoring defenseman Will O&#8217;Neill from the St. John&#8217;s Ice Caps late Thursday.</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</shirttailMeta></div>

Conor Sheary a step closer to NHL dream