The new college activists: Local professors join forces

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Class-action lawsuit accuses Benco Dental of flexing market muscle to stifle competition

<p>Sahir Gill wasn&#8217;t interested in taking a tentative, cautious approach when he was recalled from Wheeling to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in December.</p><p>While an adjustment period is usually needed for players coming to the AHL from the ECHL, Gill figured he had already adjusted. A successful training camp with the Penguins kept Gill on the radar as he started the season in Wheeling, and it also gave him a boost of confidence that he could produce at the AHL level.</p><p>And lately, that&#8217;s exactly what Gill has been doing while riding a five-game point streak.</p><p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t want to go through the adjustment period that sometimes happens when you come up,&#8221; Gill said. &#8220;I wanted to start right where I left off in training camp and fit in right away.&#8221;</p><p>Gill steadily built up to that pace. In his first 13 games, he tallied three goals and five points. But as players got called up to Pittsburgh and others went down with injuries, the Penguins needed Gill to do more and he responded.</p><p>In his last five games, Gill recorded three goals and six points, including a two-point effort during Sunday&#8217;s game against Portland.</p><p>With the forward ranks remaining shallow, the Penguins needed a player to step up and produce. Gill was happy to assume that role.</p><p>&#8220;Things have changed since I first came up. There&#8217;s a little more opportunity, and as a player that&#8217;s what you want,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a good feeling when you have a role like that where you&#8217;re looked upon. It gives you confidence knowing you&#8217;re counted on to contribute offensively.&#8221;</p><p>Gill&#8217;s penchant for offense made him one of the Penguins&#8217; last cuts in training camp. He signed an AHL deal with the Penguins and started the season in Wheeling where, according to head coach Clark Donatelli, Gill refined his game.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a perfect example of a player that came up, made an impact and then went back to Wheeling and had to work on some things,&#8221; Donatelli said. &#8220;He had two or three stints before he figured it out. It wasn&#8217;t overnight. He went through some ups and downs.&#8221;</p><p>Gill said the fact that the same system is applied throughout the Pittsburgh organization, from the NHL to Wheeling, helped make for a seamless transition when he got called up this season. He knew the pace would be faster at the AHL and positioning would be crucial, and Gill was ready to put it all to the test.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s more of a mindset. To be an offensive player here you have to play with pace and make plays at higher speeds,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Every game and every day you try to push the envelope as far as the pace you play with.&#8221;</p><p>NOTES</p><p>- On Wednesday, the Penguins reassigned forward Ty Loney and defenseman Clark Seymour to Wheeling.</p><p>Loney, in his rookie season of pro hockey, has earned five assists and registered 28 shots on goal in 23 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.</p><p>The Valencia native had 12 points (5G-7A) in 17 games with Wheeling, including a two-goal performance in his Nailers debut on Oct. 16, 2015.</p><p>Seymour set AHL career highs in goals (3), assists (2), and points (5) in his 15 games with the Penguins this season. The second-year pro scored his first AHL goal on Dec. 16, 2015 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.</p><p>Seymour has appeared in 17 games for Wheeling this season, earning four goals and five assists for nine points, as well as, 28 penalty minutes in that time.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Gill </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Gill.jpg</photo0><caption0>Gill </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Sahir Gill ready to produce for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins