WHEN THE “G-OWENS” GET TOUGH… 

After a 10-1 blow-out victory against a division opponent, there was bound to be a little let down. For the Hartford Wolf Pack it lasted sixty seconds as they gave up two quick goals to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the first minute and then came from behind again in the shootout for a 4-3 victory before the largest crowd of the season in the Arena At Harbor Yard, 8,191 Sunday afternoon.

An in-state and franchise rival and some good-old-fashioned playoff desperation had the Sound Tigers motivated. While the Wolf Pack have already had their playoff ticket punched and an iron grip on second place, the Sound Tigers, (37-31-1-3) on the other hand, entered Sunday’s game fighting trailing fourth place Hershey for the final playoff spot by five points. The Tigers needed to jump on the Pack (46-19-2-7) early and put this one away. They almost succeeded.

Wolf Pack netminder, Miika Wiikman, playing in his first game after sitting the previous three, was outstanding, especially on a Jeff Tambellini breakaway attempt with just 9.2 seconds remaining in overtime. Wiikman’s save sent the game to a shootout.

Ben Walter, who had put the Tigers on the scoreboard just 21 seconds into the game, beat Wiikman (33 saves) in his shootout attempt high over the stick side. After being unable to solve Tiger goaltender Joey MacDonald with their first four shooters, put the game on the line in the hands of Jordan Owens. Making his first AHL shootout attempt, Owens came in fast, made a tremendous fake that MacDonald bit on lifted the puck over the fallen netminder, giving the Pack new life. After Wiikman made a pad save on Steve Regier, Lauri Korpikoski gave the Pack the lead on a strong fake that beat MacDonald. Wiikman then stopped Walter with a stick save giving the Pack only their third win in ten shootout contests.

The Tigers jumped all over Wiikman to start the game. After the Walter goal at :21 seconds, they capitalized again just 39 seconds later. A turnover in the offensive zone put the puck in Regier’s hands. Regier then made a great outlet pass that sent Trevor Smith on a 2-on-1 breakaway with recent call-up Peter MacArthur against defensemen Brad Brown. Smith fired a shot that beat Wiikman high.

The Pack got back into it exactly nine minutes later when Jaime Fraser turned the puck over on a clearing attempt that P.A. Parenteau knocked down. Parenteau’s shot rebounded in the slot. Greg Moore then bounced one off MacDonald that fell to Korpikoski in the slot and he knocked it in.

In the second period the Pack tied the score at :33 seconds when an Andrew Hutchinson shot rebounded to Parenteau low on the right side. Parenteau found MacDonald in the slot and Moore fired high to the glove side for the score tying marker.

Referee Jamie Koharski then decided to get more involved in the game after calling only three penalties in the first called nine in the second. Midway through the period the Pack had an abbreviated 5-on-3 for :35 seconds that came up empty. The Pack’s second rated power play finally tallied on their second two man advantage when Parenteau took a pass from Thomas Pock circled on the low left side and beat MacDonald high to the stick side for the 3-2 lead.

Mitch Fritz, in his third game back from a serious shoulder injury, took a holding call at 2:02 sending the 19th ranked Tiger power play onto the ice. :41 seconds into the kill, a great pass from Tambellini across the ice found the pinching Fraser who beat Wiikman for the game knotting goal.

Bruce Berlet has reaction from inside the locker room in his remarkable way in the Hartford Courant. Michael Fornabaio has the Sound Tiger perspective in the Connecticut Post.

For game stats there is always the Game Summary and the Official Scorer’s Sheet.

*****NOTES*****
* The two teams continue to battle for the GEICO Cup which has been won both times by the Wolf Pack. The Sound Tigers are 5-2-0-1 against the Pack while the Pack have a 3-3-0-2 record. The Pack will need to win the two remaining games to win it a third straight in state title.

* The Wolf Pack are 38-0-1-3 when leading after two periods.

* The Pack improved their record in one-goal games to 19-11-2-7 and 28-15-1-4 when outshooting their opponents.

* The Pack have won five-in-a-row for the third time this season and go for their only six game winning streak against first place Providence Friday. The Pack trail the Bruins by six points with six games remaining.

* The Pack’s magic number to clinch second place is two and they hold a game in hand on the third place Portland Pirates.

* P.A. Parenteau is now third in the AHL in scoring with 32 goals and 46 assists for 78 points just 5 points behind Martin St. Pierre (20 goals, 63 assists for 83 points) of the Rockford IceHogs. He’ll never catch former NY Ranger Jason Krog has 35 gaols and 65 assists for 100 points.

* Miika Wiikman (20-7-3 2.32 GAA .918%) is 9th in the AHL amongst goaltenders while David LeNeveu (5-3-1 1.77GAA and .922% since joining the Pack at the trade deadline) is 12th. In case you’re curious Al Montoya is 4-4-0 2.38GAA .919% since heading to San Antonio.

*****LINES*****
Korpikoski – Moore – Parenteau
Byers – Anisimov – Gratton
Fritz – Ouellette – Jessiman
Owens – M. Taylor

Hutchinson – Potter
Taylor – Pock
Brown – Sauer

Wiikman

*****SCRATCHES*****
Mark Lee – Healthy
Ivan Baranka – Undisclosed – Day-to-Day
Alex Bourret – Concussion – Indefinite
Francis Lessard – Knee – Season
Dave Liffiton – Concussion – Season

*****THREE STARS*****
1. HFD – 46 Jordan Owens
2. HFD – 17 Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau
3. BRI – 7 Jeff Tambellini

*****OFFICIALS*****
Jamie Koharski (84), Referee
Kevin Redding (16), Linesman
Derek Wahl (46), Linesman

(Jordan Owens photo courtesy of Rich Zacher via hartfordwolfpack.com)