JOHNSTOWN —
James van Riemsdyk scored twice, James Reimer stopped 28 shots and the Toronto Maple Leafs raced past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Wednesday night.
Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski and Tyler Bozak also scored for the Maple Leafs. Nikolai Kulemin added three assists as Toronto spoiled Pittsburgh’s home opener.
Sidney Crosby and reigning NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin scored their first goals of the season for Pittsburgh, but the Penguins struggled with Toronto’s speed and failed to play with the kind of discipline that highlighted opening weekend wins.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 19 shots for the Penguins.
Malkin ended his drought – such as it is for a player who scored 23 goals while playing in Russia as the lockout dragged on – late in the first period when he stuffed a pass from Crosby in between Reimer’s legs to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
For the first time this season, it didn’t hold up.
Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma spoke openly about the problems Toronto’s quickness provides, saying his team gave the Maple Leafs a little too much room to operate last season.
Any attempts by the Penguins to tighten up, however, came up woefully short. Even with Bylsma experimenting with his lines – on a couple of occasions he paired Crosby and Malkin in even-strength situations – Pittsburgh looked a step slow.
Toronto scored twice early in the second period to jump in front, including van Riemsdyk’s first goal for Toronto after being acquired in an offseason trade with the Flyers. Crosby needed just 25 seconds to tie it, beating Reimer between the legs on a breakaway.
The speedy Maple Leafs just kept coming, with van Riemsdyk collecting his second goal of the night after intercepting a sloppy clearing attempt by Malkin and firing the puck over Fleury’s glove to give Toronto a 3-2 lead.
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Maple Leafs spoil Pens’ home debut
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Reds nip Bucs in 13th inning
Jay Bruce ended Jason Grilli's saves streak with a solo homer in the ninth, and Brandon Philips singled with the bases loaded in the 13th inning on Wednesday night, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Derrick Robinson and Shin-Soo Choo singled off Vin Mazzaro (3-2) with one out in the 13th and Joey Votto was walked intentionally. Phillips singled up the middle to end it. -
Patton rebounds with win over Portage
Patton manager Ray Eckenrode was concerned about the hangover from Tuesday night’s tough 1-0 loss at Ebensburg.
After a slow start on Wednesday night, the host Red Men started swinging the bat, producing 11 hits in a 6-1 win over Portage in Cambria League American Legion action. -
MIKE MASTOVICH| Rookie manager righting Laurel Auto Group ship
Casey Craig is new to his role as GM of the Laurel Auto Group franchise in the AAABA League.
But Craig has seen enough of Mark Thomchick to realize the first-year manager has brought instant respectability to a team that finished eight games under .500 last season. - Local baseball in brief 6/20/2013
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Martella's Pharmacy fashions six-inning victory over Rail Birds
Through three scoreless innings at Point Stadium, the Altoona Rail Birds held their own against Martella’s Pharmacy in a AAABA League interleague contest.
But Martella’s patience at the plate and aggressiveness on the base paths turned a close game into a 10-run mercy rule affair on Tuesday. -
Pirates ruin Latos’ winning streak
Pedro Alvarez singled home a pair of runs in the first inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended Mat Latos’ streak of 21 regular-season starts without a loss, beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Tuesday night.
Latos (6-1) hadn’t lost a regular-season game since last August, setting a club-record streak of avoiding defeat. He couldn’t overcome Pittsburgh’s three-run first inning. -
Checkered flag falls at Dog Hollow
There will be no more howling in the hollow.
Through social media, Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown - located close to the Indiana/Cambria county line - announced on Monday evening that it would no longer be in operation. - Local baseball in brief 6/19/2013
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Four solo home runs lead Reds past Pirates
Todd Frazier wasn’t going to let left-hander Francisco Liriano get another fastball by him. He guessed right and hit one a long way.
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Laurel Auto belts way to victory
Zach Heide’s two-run home run cleared the Screen Monster in left field at Point Stadium and kick-started Laurel Auto Group’s scoring in its 8-2 victory over Ketrow Insurance Monday night in a AAABA league game.
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