web1_PSD042416Tunk-V-Pitt3.jpg

There’s no easy road in D2 softball playoffs

web1_Urbanskiuntoned.jpg

Embroiled Ashley cop finds new home in Shickshinny

<p>During the first period of Game 7 against the Hershey Bears, an opponents&#8217; stick gashed Reid McNeill under his right eye.</p><p>McNeill finished his shift and immediately went to the locker room.</p><p>But he would return. After sitting out for five weeks with a lower body injury, McNeill wasn&#8217;t going to let a few stitches cut his return to the ice short.</p><p>Unfortunately for McNeill, the Bears cut short his return to the postseason, however.</p><p>&#8220;The one-and-done was kind of tough. I&#8217;ve never experienced a playoff run that short,&#8221; McNeill said. &#8220;Coming back for Game 7, to get a taste and for it to be done so quickly was tough.</p><p>&#8220;Mentally I&#8217;m a bit in limbo. It&#8217;s over too soon.&#8221;</p><p>But McNeill won&#8217;t dwell on the playoff exit for long. He&#8217;s taking a shorter break than usual this summer and then getting right back to training for next season.</p><p>McNeill also feels he made significant strides in his development this season, despite losing several weeks to injury. In his third full season with the Penguins, McNeill set a career-high with 11 assists in 64 games, which is also the most he has played in a season.</p><p>The 24-year-old didn&#8217;t stray from his trademark physical game but he said he has matured a bit as a player.</p><p>&#8220;The season was definitely a positive for myself and my career,&#8221; McNeill said. &#8220;I learned a lot about myself mentally and what I have to do to stay in the lineup, make a difference and get to the next level.&#8221;</p><p>While McNeill has yet to get an NHL game in his four-year pro career, he feels that he&#8217;s on the verge thanks to the other elements he&#8217;s added to his game.</p><p>But McNeill is fully aware that his physical style is what will get him to the NHL one day.</p><p>&#8220;I can bring more elements but (physical play) is still my foundation. I&#8217;m not straying from the player I am,&#8221; he said.</p><p>That foundation was defined under former head coach John Hynes, who McNeill played under for his first two seasons with the Penguins. In fact, McNeill, Harrison Ruopp, Carter Rowney and Dominik Uher were only players on the 2015-16 Penguins that spent the prior two seasons playing under Hynes.</p><p>How did these season&#8217;s Penguins team compare to those under Hynes?</p><p>&#8220;Looking back Hynes&#8217; teams were defensively sound. Comparing this year&#8217;s team there&#8217;s a little more offensively,&#8221; McNeill said. &#8220;We still had our defensive responsibilities, but when we played with Hynes we won from our structure and hard work.&#8221;</p><p>Work is what McNeill intends on doing this summer. He had enough time off with the injury, he said, and the short return in the postseason has made him more motivated for next season.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to take that hunger into the summer, come back and really try to prove a point here,&#8221; McNeill said.</p><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/2016/05/web1_pens_reid_mcneill_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Missing several weeks at the end of the season has made Reid McNeill hungrier to prove himself next season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_pens_reid_mcneill_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Missing several weeks at the end of the season has made Reid McNeill hungrier to prove himself next season. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>VIDEO</strong></p><p>To see video of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Reid McNeill talk to reporters after the end of the season, check out the online version of this story on timesleader.com</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> XBVRVpeTdaA&amp;feature=youtu.be</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBVRVpeTdaA&amp;feature=youtu.be</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> &lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/XBVRVpeTdaA&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">Reid McNeill interview on this past season</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Sean McKeag</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

McNeill not taking the summer off