web1_TTL092718PENS1.jpg

Garrett Wilson named captain for Penguins’ 2018-19 season

web1_TTL090118HSF-WVW-HazArea_2.jpg

WVC football: New district rating system differs little from PIAA method

<p>The last time Will O&#8217;Neill played with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins &#8212; during the 2015-16 season &#8212; he finished tied for second on the team with 20 power play points.</p><p>That&#8217;s a big reason why the 30-year-old defenseman was brought back to the Penguins after a two-year hiatus with Lehigh Valley.</p><p>Last year&#8217;s Penguin squad struggled mightily on the power play, converting at 13.8 percent &#8212; good for second-to-last in the league. In the postseason, the Penguins scored on the power play just once in seven opportunities while being swept by the Charlotte Checkers.</p><p>It was clear that the power play was a factor behind the early playoff exit, and the Penguins re-tooled this season&#8217;s roster so the man advantage isn&#8217;t a liability.</p><p>In addition to O&#8217;Neill, the Penguins also signed blueliner Stefan Elliott, who once scored 13 power play goals while playing with Cleveland in 2014-15. They also brought in veteran forward Jimmy Hayes, who at 6-5, 210 pounds can wreak havoc in front of the net. The same attribute is expected of captain Garrett Wilson, and the formula for this season&#8217;s power play is simple.</p><p>&#8220;We want to get a lot of shots through with a couple of big guys in front,&#8221; said head coach Clark Donatelli. &#8220;Last year was last year. This year is a clean slate.&#8221;</p><p>Wilson, who scored four power play goals last season, said last year&#8217;s poor production wasn&#8217;t a reflection of assistant coach Tim Army, who was in charge of the power play and has since departed to take over as head coach with the Iowa Wild.</p><p>The blame, according to Wilson, falls on the players.</p><p>&#8220;We just didn&#8217;t get it done for (Army). This year is a fresh start for the power play and we want to get things rolling early because a lot of it has to do with confidence and momentum,&#8221; Wilson said.</p><p>For his part, O&#8217;Neill is well aware that he was brought in partly to help turn the power play around. It&#8217;s a responsibility that he meagerly embraces.</p><p>&#8220;(Donatelli) has shown trust in me in the past to know I can get the puck through and down to those big, skilled forwards up front,&#8221; O&#8217;Neill said. &#8220;It&#8217;s similar to when (Tom Kostopoulos) was here. When those guys get in front of the net, all it takes is a shot to hit a stick, a leg and it goes in.&#8221;</p><p>Still, O&#8217;Neill isn&#8217;t over-thinking the process required for a successful power play. The approach this season is similar to when he was with the Penguins three years ago, aside from a couple of minor changes on the breakout.</p><p>&#8220;When we get it all sorted out, the main idea is to put pucks on the net,&#8221; O&#8217;Neill said. &#8220;If I have a lane, I&#8217;m going to try to put it there.&#8221;</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/2018/10/web1_Will-O-Neill.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Penguins hope Will O&#8217;Neill&#8217;s shot and presence at the top of the offensive zone leads to an improvement on the power play. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Will-O-Neill.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Penguins hope Will O&#8217;Neill&#8217;s shot and presence at the top of the offensive zone leads to an improvement on the power play. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams|for Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>WBS Pens hope new additions mean a better result on the power play</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

WBS Penguins hoping to avoid another power outage