The Wolf Pack nailed down their 11th Calder Cup playoff berth in 11 seasons this past week, by gaining five out of a possible six points in three games (2-0-0-1). The Pack stormed back from a 3-1 third-period deficit on Wednesday at home vs. Philadelphia, in a game they would go on to win in overtime by a score of 5-4. In a rematch on Friday night in Philadelphia, the Wolf Pack again wiped out a 3-1 Phantom lead in the third period, but this time would lose in a shootout, 5-4. In a Saturday-night visit to Springfield, the Pack knocked off the Falcons by a final of 4-1. Leading scorer P.A. Parenteau keyed the Wolf Pack offense during the week, upping his scoring totals on the year to 30 goals and 71 points with 4-3-7 in the three games.
This week:
The Wolf Pack face a busy four-game week this week, including a pair of weekend home contests. After a trip Wednesday night to Lowell (7:05 faceoff), the Pack will host the Worcester Sharks on Guida’s Family Value Night Friday (7:00). That game will also feature a special appearance, and in-game concert, by Drew Seeley, from the High School Musical Concert Tour, brought to you by Radio Disney and Coca-Cola. The Wolf Pack are also home on Saturday night (7:00), taking on Springfield, and then will head to Bridgeport Sunday (4:00) for a GEICO Connecticut Cup tangle with the Sound Tigers.
Tuesday, March 25th – “Wolf Pack Confidential”, on ESPN Radio 1410
This week’s edition of the Wolf Pack’s weekly Tuesday-night talk show features Wolf Pack defensemen Brad Brown and Ivan Baranka as scheduled guests. Wolf Pack Confidential airs live from the M&M Restaurant at the Hilton Hartford, located at 315 Trumbull St. in downtown Hartford, from 7:00-8:00 PM. Fans are welcome to be on hand at M&M for an exclusive opportunity to ask questions and speak one-on-one with the guests. Wolf Pack Confidential can be heard live on the radio home of the Wolf Pack, ESPN Radio 1410.
Wednesday, March 26th at Lowell (Paul E. Tsongas Arena), 7:05 p.m.
• The Devils (22-37-7-4, 55 pts.) trail the field in the Atlantic Division, 10 points behind sixth-place Worcester.
• The Wolf Pack are 4-1-0-1 in six games vs. Lowell this year, but the Devils have played them tight. All but one of the six contests have been decided by one goal. The Pack have two wins and a shootout loss in three previous visits to Lowell this season.
• Petr Vrana is the top scorer on the Devils’ club, with 15-36-51 in 70 games.
• Radio – live with Bob Crawford on ESPN Radio 1410, and on the web at: www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or watch on B2 Networks! Go to www.harfordwolfpack.com for details.
Friday, March 28th vs. Worcester at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m.
• This game will feature a special appearance by Drew Seeley, from the High School Musical Concert Tour, brought to you by Radio Disney and Coca-Cola. Seeley will perform an in-game concert during the game’s first intermission, and will also sing the National Anthem and drop the ceremonial first puck. Then, after the game, he will conduct a “meet and greet” session, to which fans are encouraged to bring their cameras. The meet and greet is open to all ticket-holders at the game.
• This night is also the last Friday Guida’s Family Value Night of the regular season. Family Value Night packages are available that include tickets, hot dogs or pizza slices, sodas and a Wolf Pack souvenir. Packages start as low as $39 per family. To purchase a Family Value Night package, call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000, or go on-line to Ticketmaster.com and use the promo code: TFAM.
• Some of the all-time favorite “Looney Tunes” characters will be on hand at this game.
• The Wolf Pack go for a season series sweep over the Sharks in this matchup. The Pack are a perfect 7-0-0-0 vs. the San Jose farmhands in 2007-08, 3-0-0-0 at home.
• Worcester currently stands eight points out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic, with a record of 27-31-5-6 for 65 points.
• Mike Iggulden leads Worcester in points, goals and assists, with 24-35-59 in 67 GP.
• For all Wolf Pack Wednesday, Friday and Sunday home games, college students and members of the military showing ID at the XL Center box office can purchase tickets at the special discount rate of $10 each (limit four tickets per ID).
• The Wolf Pack will be collecting new and gently-used children’s books to donate to the Community Renewal Team. Those books will be used to start classroom libraries for CRT’s Head Start program in Hartford.
• Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford at www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or watch on B2 Networks! Go to www.hartfordwolfpack.com for details.
Saturday, March 29th vs. Springfield at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m.
• The first 3,000 kids through the doors will receive a free Wolf Pack mini hockey stick.
• There will be a special “Comcast Fun Day” with the Wolf Pack in the XL Center atrium. Doors open at 5:00 PM, and you can enjoy laser tag, inflatables, and a chance to meet Jimmy Neutron.
• The Falcons are in a tooth-and-nail battle with Manchester for the fourth-and-final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Springfield trails the Monarchs by one point, as the Falcons’ slate shows 31-30-5-5 for 72 points.
• After Saturday night’s 4-1 win in Springfield, the Wolf Pack are 7-1-0-0 in the season series vs. their I-91 rivals. This is the Falcons’ last regular-season visit to Hartford, where the Pack have won the first four get-togethers between the two clubs.
• AHL rookie goaltender Devan Dubnyk came up with 41 saves in Saturday’s game, in his first start against the Wolf Pack, as the Pack outshot the Falcons by a margin of 45-16. That included a combined 35-8 over the last two periods.
• Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford at www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or watch on B2 Networks! Go to www.hartfordwolfpack.com for details.
Sunday, March 30th at Bridgeport (Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard), 4:00 p.m.
• The Wolf Pack won the last GEICO Connecticut Cup matchup between these two teams, 5-2 at the XL Center February 23rd, but are only 2-3-0-2 overall in the series, 1-2-0-0 in Bridgeport.
• The Sound Tigers are five games over the .500 mark, 35-30-1-2 for 73 points, but that is only good for sixth place in the East Division. They are three points behind fifth-place Binghamton and five points out of a playoff spot.
• Three of Bridgeport’s top four scorers are currently on recall to the parent New York Islanders. Ben Walter is the leading point-getter among players currently on the roster, with 16-32-48 in 56 GP.
• Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford at www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or watch on B2 Networks! Go to www.hartfordwolfpack.com for details.
Recent Transactions:
Ryan Constant – Returned on loan by the Wolf Pack to Charlotte (ECHL) March 19th.
Bruce Graham – Reassigned to the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers from Charlotte (ECHL) March 22nd.
Pack Tracks:
Sonar, the Wolf Pack’s lovable mascot, will be making a pair of appearances this weekend. This Saturday, May 29th, Sonar will join 96.5 TIC-FM air personality Damon Scott from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM at the Enfield Mall, 90 Elm St. in Enfield, CT, for Mall Madness Girl Scout Day 2008. And this Sunday, March 30th from 5:00-7:00 PM, the cuddly wolf will be on hand at the West Hartford Youth Hockey end of season banquet, which takes place at the New England Dodge Music Center, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford.
96.5 TIC’s Acoustic Café Volume 7, the proceeds from which benefit the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation, is on sale now at the Wolf Pack store at Hartford 21, Strawberries and FYE stores and on-line at www.965tic.com. Acoustic Café Volume 7 features exclusive performances by Daughtry, KT Tunstall, Lifehouse, Avril Lavigne, Mat Kearney, Bowling for Soup, The Fray, Collective Soul and Mandy Moore. The CD costs only $9.65, and each CD also includes a voucher redeemable for a free ticket to a Wednesday or Sunday Wolf Pack home game.
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