VERSUS
“Everyone feels they’re on the same page now, and it feels good to see the team headed in the right direction.”
Sometimes in covering a team you want to interpret and put your own spin on things, but when a player sums it up so well, what else is there to say? These were the words of Wolf Pack (12-11-1-2) forward Greg Moore as he said to reporters after Friday night's 2-0 victory at the XL Center over the visiting Worcester Sharks (14-12-0-0).
“It’s probably our best back-to-back games of the season,” Moore said, speaking of course of Wednesday night's 2-0 shutout win over the Providence Bruins. “We’re kind of playing more the way we’ve been talking about playing, putting 60 minutes together. That’s what’s really big right now: our consistency and effort and sticking to our systems.
Moore, the game's second star, was only one of a number of Wolf Pack players who put solid performances on the ice. This game was clearly one of those, "from-the-net-out" kind of games. In net, Miika Wiikman followed his shut out performance Wednesday night with another superb night stopping 28 of the 29 he faced. The lone blemish on the night, a second period Riley Armstrong shorthanded breakaway goal. With the Pack on the power play, the Shark right wing picked off a telegraphed cross ice pass from Michael Sauer to Corey Potter and broke in alone on Wiikman. Armstrong won the battle beating Wiikman high after faking a forehand, getting the young netminder to bite on the fake and then roofing a backhander. The shorthanded goal was the fifth the Pack have surrendered this season.
Moving outward from the net, Rookie Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, who's play has steadily been improving of late, was the game's first star and earned it. The New Jersey native played inspired defense and was the kind of force offensively that led the parent New York Rangers to draft him with the 21st pick in the first round in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. After a face-off win in the offensive zone, it was Sanguinetti's pass that found an open Mike Ouellette who's drop pass sprung center Tommy Pyatt who ripped a great shot past Taylor Dakers (27 saves) at 6:59 for the game's first goal.
Moore made it a 2-0 lead on a power play just 1:57 later. With Andrew Desjardins in the box for a holding penalty, Artem Anisimov was stationed to Dakers left along the goal line. P.A. Parenteau, the game's Third Star, got his first of three assists , getting the Puck down low to his Russian linemate. Anisimov saw Moore completely abandoned on the right side and fed him perfectly. Moore then fired a shot that hit Dakers in the chest but dropped right in front of him and the second shot was the charm as Moore lifted it over the Shark netminder.
The game's turning point came early in the second period. After coming back from intermission, the Sharks picked up their intensity and began to press the Pack. As they have been prone to this point in the season, the Pack lost a bit of discipline and they took back to back penalties. First Anisimov went off for Tripping at 5:31 only to be followed up 46 seconds later by a Potter Delay of Game call giving the Sharks an extended 1:15 of five-on-three power play time. This time, the Pack's 22nd ranked penalty killers held tight and turned the threat aside.
The Pack could have lost faith after Armstrong's shorthanded goal at 10:12, but the team rallied and put pressure of their own on the team they entered the game going just 0-2-0-1 against this season. The pressure worked.
At 111:25 Ryan Verse took a Hooking call and then 21 seconds later P.J. Fenton lost his composure and blatantly slashed Anisimov's stick right in front of referee Mark Lemelin sending the Pack to their own five-on-three for 1:40.
The Pack power play, which has started to show some signs of life of late, made the Sharks pay just 13 seconds later. The Sharks' Mike Moore, no relation to the Pack's Greg Moore, got caught out of position chasing Anisimov with the puck which left Sanguinetti wide open high in the slot. The New Jersey native took full advantage stepping hard into a rocket of a shot that Dakers could do little more than wave at as it blew past him. It was 3-1.
The third period saw the Sharks come out very hard and Wiikman stood up to the challenge. At 1:20, Fenton took a rebound in front and saw a wide open net. By the time he looked down to find the puck, Wiikman recovered and set aside the shot. But they weren't through just yet. 1:15 later, ex-Pack Cory LaRose thought he would put the rubber in the twine only to be denied by Wiikman.
The Pack scored for their third time on the man advantage. At 16:32 Mike Moore went off for hooking. Rookie, David Urquhart, another of the team's rapidly improving young players, put a great shot from the left point that beat Dakers low to the glove side. Patrick Rissmiller, who's played the last two at center and looked very solid doing it, and Parenteau, who finished his hat trick on helpers, got the assists on the play.
“Every year we’re kind of known for having a lot of young guys to start the year because we’re about developing prospects," Greg Moore said. "It does take time for guys to get used to the league, but everyone seems to be adjusting well now. Team confidence is huge and we’ve had spurts, but in these two games, we could feel in the locker room that we’re a little more confident knowing we can play the way we want to play if we stick to our systems and do little things.
The effort and results have been noticed by the coaching staff, “We’re starting to get in that range where we're a little more comfortable as far as chances surrendered,” Head Coach Ken Gernander told reporters. “I think we’ve been more aggressive and committed and not allowing teams to attack and create offense. We’re working more in tandem after being a little disjointed. We’d have one or two guys going hard, and the other guys not necessarily filling in behind them. But now we’re a little more cohesive coming back."
Bruce Berlet gives you his perspective at HartfordWolfPack.com while Bill Ballou continues to audition for a Washington Political Spin Doctor job with his "fair and balanced" take on the game at the Worcester Telegram.
GAME SUMMARY and SCORERS SHEET are there for the viewing.
NOTES:
* 43-year old Claude Lemieux, who has won four Stanley Cups and played in 1,197 NHL games over 18 years with five different teams and is making a comeback after having been out of the NHL for five, that's right, five seasons, was a non factor in this one. He had one shot and was sent to the penalty box twice. His first trip was for hooking the second time for kneeing. We would have suggested a third time for counseling.
* The back-to-back wins is only the second time the Pack have won consecutive games all season. They did win three-in-a-row from October 23rd through the 29th beating Philadelphia, Manchester and Portland all at the XL Center by a combined 9-4 margin.
* Despite the fact that 46-year old Chris Chelios, 43-year old Lemieux and 37-year old Mike Sillinger, have all seen time in the AHL Howlings wonders if Gordie Howe might be considering lacing them up again to play for what, his ninth decade? Maybe the AHL has a good idea and we could see the beginning of a Senior hockey league? (Just a little humor, in case you weren't sure…)
* With the 4-1 win, the Pack improved thei
r record in three-goal plus margins to 2-4-0-0. What does that tell you? It means in games that are "blow-outs" the Pack have been on the short end too many times.
* The team is back to .500 in games where they out shoot their opponents at 6-6-0-1 and leading after two periods is just about money in the bank for Ken Gernander's group as they are now 9-1-0-0
* The Charlotte Checkers dropped their contest with the Dayton Bombers 4-3. Speaking of Charlotte, Howlings heard from prospect Tomas Zaborsky. The Checkers forward, who saw action with Hartford in two games last season and had an assist, was drafted in the 5th round, 137th overall by the Rangers in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Thus far this season, Zaborsky has notched 3 goals and 6 helpers for 9 points and is a minus-1 in 22 games played thus far, told Howlings, "My season can be better but I am working hard every game and trying to compete. I want to try to get to Hartford. I know it will take some time but I hope this year I can still climb up the ladder and play for The Wolf Pack." Zaborsky is a good young talent and a better person. We wish Zaborsky the best of luck.
LINES:
Dupont – RISSMILLER – PARENTEAU
Soryal – Anisimov – Weise
DiDiomete – MOORE – Owens
Sugden – Pyatt – Ouellette
Sanguinetti – Potter
Denisov – Nightingale
Urquhart – Sauer
Wiikman
(Alternate Captains in BOLD CAPS)
SCRATCHES:
Graham – Healthy
Stefanishion – Healthy
Byers – Knee – Season
Fahey – Concussion – Indefinitely
THREE STARS:
1. HFD – 21 Bobby Sanguinetti
2. HFD – 15 Greg Moore
3. HFD – 17 Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau
ON ICE OFFICIALS:
Mark Lemelin (84), Referee
Rich Patry (52), Linesman
Paul Simeon (66), Linesman
NEXT GAME:
Tonight is Miika Wiikman Bobblehead night at the XL Center as the Pack take on their I-91 rivals Springfield Falcons at 7pm
