ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland, Canada - St. John's Ice Caps defenseman Jason DeSantis isn't going to mince words.

The season he spent in the Penguins organization last year turned out to be a waste of his time.

An Ohio State grad who played his rookie year with the Philadelphia Phantoms then spent the following season in the Czech republic, DeSantis returned to North America by signing with the Penguins in the summer of 2010.

He spent most of the season with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers, however, playing only 19 AHL games.

"That was a terrible year last year," DeSantis said. "Kind of a waste for me. This year's been great."

DeSantis signed with St. John's and responded with 43 points in 66 games. He finished eighth in the AHL defenseman scoring race.

Why didn't things work out with the Penguins?

"A combination of things," DeSantis said. "They had a lot of prospects, draft picks. You're kind of behind the 8 ball right there. If you play as good or better as one of those guys, they still might play them. It's just one of those things."

DeSantis said he remains friends with several Penguins players, including Bryan Lerg, with whom he played as a kid in the national team development program. He said the St. John's coaching staff hasn't turned to him much for inside info on the way the Penguins play.

"A little bit, but our scouts do a good job," he said.

TIME OFF

Because they're not playing again until Saturday, the Penguins will have as much down time between game 2 and game 3 against St. John's as they did between the first round of the playoffs.

The break doesn't bother Penguins defenseman Joey Mormina.

"I think the off days will do us some good," he said. "We're excited to come back home. We haven't preached momentum much all year. In the playoffs, momentum starts at the beginning of every game. We'll be ready to go. It'll be rocking at home. We know that. We're excited to get back."

SPECIAL GUESTS

The atmosphere at the Mohegan Sun Arena is sure to be rowdy Saturday night thanks to some special visitors.

A group of students from St. Gregory's Academy in Elmhurst, who have been leading cheers at playoff games this spring, will be back.

The Penguins have also invited Cy Clark, a Pittsburgh Penguins fan who has gained fame by attending games at the Consol Energy Center dressed like Hulk Hogan and reminding the crowd that Malkamania is running wild.

ROAD WARRIORS

St. John's lost its home-ice advantage by dropping Game 2, but that shouldn't bother the Ice Caps too much.

They went 23-10-5 on the road in the regular season (.671). Only Norfolk (.750) and the Penguins (.724) had better road winning percentages in the Eastern Conference.