THE LEARNING CURVE

VERSUS 


In spite of building two one-goal leads over the first two periods, the Hartford Wolf Pack were unable to overcome a bad call and gave up a go-ahead power play goal by Jakub Kindl in the third period and dropped a 3-2 decision to the Grand Rapids Griffins at the Van Andel Arena in front of 7,179 Friday night.

Referee Ian Croft called Dale Weise for a Goaltender interference penalty at 9:07 in the third period. Weise argued vehemently with Croft that he was pushed into Griffin goaltender Jimmy Howard (20 saves) who was outside of the crease which the video on the play seemed to support. However, Weise argued a bit too much on the call and was also assessed an extra Unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for Disputing the decision  giving the AHL's fourth best power play team an extended man advantage.

On the resulting power play, the Griffins moved the puck quickly as Garrett Stafford found Ville Leino on the left point. Leino, found Kindl alone at the blueline at the top of the slot. Kindl then fired a bazooka of a shot past Wiikman who never saw it through a screen for the go ahead goal.

The Pack have struggled with their penalty killing entering the game 21st overall at an 82.3% success rate. It also hasn't helped that they have been shorthanded through twelve games, 79 times. For whatever reason Head Coach Ken Gernander, who was such a disciplined player on the ice himself, has got to get his team to stay out of shorthanded situations.

The Pack once again found themselves with penalty box problems and it cost them this game. They were a man short seven times and surrendered both the tying and game winning goals killing penalties.

Hartford scored the opening goal at 5:53 of the first period. P.A. Parenteau, who has points now in 5 straight games, was the beneficiary of excellent corner work by Patrick Rissmiller and Artem Anisimov. Parenteau ripped a laser of a shot from just outside the top of the circles.  Incidentally, Rissmiller is on loan to the Pack on a conditioning stint from the parent NY Rangers.

The Griffins got on the board at 18:28 when native New Yorker Tom Galvin took a shot from the right point at the blue line. His shot deflected off a number of Pack sticks on the way towards Wiikman (27 saves) before making a detour off the stick of Leino and squirted just past Wiikman, who was unable to get back in time.

The Pack got the lead back again early in the second period off a terrific give and go at the left side of the goal by Parenteau and Greg Moore, who took the puck and slid it in past Jimmy Howard who could not get back to his left fast enough to stop the Maine native.

Grand Rapids ties the score 5:26 later when, after two previously successful penalty kills, could not stop Darren Helm who unleashed what appeared to be the hardest shot Wiikman has faced all season from the right circle. Wiikman got a glove on it but it blew right in past him.

Overall, the Pack looked very solid in the first period and to start the second. However they did not play well after their initial outburst to start the second period. The team came apart after that and were dominated by the Red Wing's top AHL affiliate.

Bob Crawford relays his take on the game at Hartfordwolfpack.com while over at MLive.com Michael Zudiema has the Grand Rapids perspective.

For the stats lovers, as always the Game Summary and the Official Scorer's sheet.

NOTES
* Griffin Goaltender Jimmy Howard was Greg Moore's teammate at the University of Maine.

* Moore's has scored in back-to-back games and three of his last four after putting up a bagel in the year's first nine games.

* Grand Rapids is fourth in the AHL for attendance averaging 6,203 per game. Conversely the Wolf Pack average 3,810 over 9 meetings and are 19th. In case you're curious, Bridgeport which last season averaged less than the Pack, are drawing 4,252 over 8 home games good for 13th overall.

* The Pack's scoring leader is P.A. Parenteau (6g, 6a 12pts). The left wing is currently 36th in the league in scoring.

* Justin Soryal is fifth in the league with seven major penalties.

* Miika Wiikman, as well as he's played this season, is ranked just 19th overall with a 5-5-1 record 2.58 Goals-against-average and .941 save percentage and is fourth in minutes played at 675

* Other than Soryal's penalty minutes and majors, the Pack do not have a single rookie  showing up in any major offensive category.

* If the Pack's current win-one, lose-one streak continues, they should win Sunday at 3pm against Dale Purinton's former team The Lake Erie Monsters.

* The Pack have not one a game when trailing after either the first (0-2-0-1) or second (0-4-0-1) periods and are now 4-3-0-1 in one goal games.

LINES
Rissmiller – Anisimov – PARENTEAU
Dupont – MOORE  – Weise
Owens – Pyatt – Sugden
Soryal – Ouellette – Ford

POTTER – Sauer
Graham – Fahey
Denisov – Sanguinetti

Wiikman

(Assistant Captains in BOLD CAPS)

SCRATCHES
Byers – Knee – Season
Murray – Healthy
DiDiomete – Healthy
Urquhart – Healthy

THREE STARS
1. GR – 5 Jakub Kindl
2. GR – 15 Darren Helm
3. HFD – 17 Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau

OFFICIALS
Ian Croft (87), Referee
Jack McCoy (9), Linesman
Jared Hoffmeyer (91), Linesman

NEXT GAME
Sunday November 16th at Lake Erie versus the Monsters at 3:00 pm

(Greg Moore Photo courtesy of Dave Raczkowski via Mlive.com)