The Wolf Pack (22-17-2-3, 49 pts.) started the second half of their season by moving into second place in the Atlantic Division, and to within two points of first place, with wins in three of their four games last week. Wednesday at home vs. Bridgeport, the Pack scored a 4-2 GEICO Connecticut Cup victory over the Sound Tigers, and followed that up with a 3-1 triumph over Springfield Friday in Hartford. The division-leading Providence Bruins came into the XL Center on Saturday and took a 5-2 decision from the Wolf Pack, but the Pack rebounded in a holiday matinee Monday at Portland, defeating the Pirates by a score of 3-1. Wolf Pack scoring leaders P.A. Parenteau (19-29-48 in 44 GP) and Artem Anisimov (20-26-46 in 44 GP) continued to pace the offense with big weeks. Parenteau had a goal and an assist in each of the four games, for a total of 4-4-8, and Anisimov chipped in with 2-5-7.
This week:
The Wolf Pack’s last action before the AHL All-Star break consists of a pair of home games. The Lowell Devils come into the XL Center for an Atlantic Division contest Friday (7:00 faceoff), on Guida’s Family Value Night, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins make their only Hartford appearance of the season Saturday night (7:00). That game features the Wolf Pack’s annual “Scout Sleepover”.
Friday, January 23rd vs. Lowell at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m.
· Being a Friday night, this is a Guida’s Family Value Night. Family Value packages start at $39 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Wolf Pack souvenir. To order your Family Value Night pack, visit the XL Center box office, or go on-line to www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
· This is the third meeting of the season between the Wolf Pack and Devils, and the Pack are 0-1-0-1 in the season series thus far, after going 6-1-0-1 in eight games vs. Lowell last year. In the only previous encounter in Hartford, the Wolf Pack suffered a 4-3 shootout loss November 21st.
· The Devils have lost three straight to fall back to the .500 mark, 19-19-1-3 for 42 points, and are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division.
· South Windsor, CT’s Jon DiSalvatore has been by far the top threat in the Lowell attack this season. With 14-24-38 in 41 games, he has 15 more points than the next highest-scoring Devil.
· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com.
Saturday, January 24th vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m.
· This is the Wolf Pack’s annual “Scout Sleepover” game. All scouts, family and friends are invited to the post-game sleepover. The special Scout Sleepover offer includes a ticket to the game, a post-game skate (bring your own skates), a post-game movie and the special Wolf Pack scout patch, and costs only $14 per person. To order Scout Sleepover tickets, call the Wolf Pack ticket office at 
860-548-2000
.
· The Penguins, Calder Cup finalists last season, are playing .616 hockey through the first 43 games of this season (25-15-1-2, 53 pts.), but that is only good for third place in the deep East Division. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton trails second-place Bridgeport by one point and is three points up on Binghamton and Philadelphia.
· Third in the AHL in goals-scored-per-game (3.56), the Penguins are led by former Wolf Pack Jeff Taffe (18-28-46 in 38), who is tied with the Pack’s Artem Anisimov for fourth in the league in points.
· This is the first of two meetings on the season between the Wolf Pack and Penguins, after the two teams did not see one another last year. The Pack are 8(w)-5(l)-1(t) in 14 all-time meetings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com.
Sunday, January 25th and Monday, January 26th – The 2009 AHL All-Star Classic, presented by
Charter Communications, at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA
Bobby Sanguinetti will be representing the Wolf Pack on the Planet USA team for the AHL’s annual All-Star showcase. The excitement starts with the 2009 AHL All-Star Skills Competition Sunday at 4:00, and the 2009 AHL All-Star Game faces off at 7:00 on Monday. The venue for the All-Star Classic is the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, and the event will be televised by NESN and MSG Plus. A live audio cybercast of the All-Star Game can be accessed at theahl.com, and a broadband video webcast is available on AHL Live (www.ahllive.com).
Recent Transactions:
Matthew Ford – signed to Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement by the Wolf Pack January 18th.
Mike Taylor – recalled by the Wolf Pack from loan to Charlotte (ECHL) January 18th.
Pack Tracks:
Adult tickets for Wolf Pack home games can be purchased for as low as $10 each for the rest of the regular season, sponsored by Click It or Ticket. Individual tickets for Wolf Pack games are on sale now at the XL Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations including Macy's at the Buckland Hills Mall and at the Westfarms Mall. Tickets may also be charged by phone at 1-800-745-3000, and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com. Season tickets, six and 10-game packages, coupon books and group tickets are also available. Contact 860-548-2000 for more details.
Friday, January 30th, when the Wolf Pack host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, is Girl Scout Night at the XL Center. $25 tickets are available to Girl Scouts for only $14 each. Order by calling the Wolf Pack ticket office at 860…, and the first 1,500 Girl Scouts will receive a free Wolf Pack beanie hat.
The Wolf Pack’s Kids Club Day is coming up Sunday, February 1st from 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM at the XL Center. Kids Club Day gives Kids Club members a chance to watch a narrated Wolf Pack practice and get player autographs. Kids 16 or younger can join the Kids Club by registering on the Wolf Pack’s official website, www.hartfordwolfpack.com. Membership is free.
The Wolf Pack has a new broadcast partnership this season with WTIC NewsTalk 1080 and WTIC-FM. All of the Wolf Pack’s regular-season and playoff games will air on 96.5 WTIC-FM’s HD 2 channel and will be streamed on-line at www.wtic.com . Select games will be carried live on the 50,000-watt AM powerhouse, WTIC NewsTalk 1080. And, as part of the partnership, all Wolf Pack full season ticket accounts will receive a free HD car radio, with installation from JoDi’s Sound Center, courtesy of the two stations and the Wolf Pack. To purchase your season seats, contact the Wolf Pack ticket office at 860-548-2000.
