“WE DON’T NEED NO 60 MINUTES…” 

   VERSUS  

Overcoming adversity has been a trademark of all winning teams. This season’s version of the Hartford Wolf Pack have been demonstrating that all season long. Whether it was from a lack of scoring, inexperienced players, an injury to a key player or players, this team has found ways to win. In Portland at the Cumberland County Civic Center with 6,982 in attendance Saturday night, the Pack did all of that rallying from a three goal third period deficit to winning it in a shootout 4-3.

P.A. Parenteau was a last minute scratch when in warm-ups, a shot ricocheted off the crossbar and caught the former Pirate in the back of the head, just below the helmet, causing the Pack’s Assistant Captain and leading scorer to black out. He was held out of the game as a precaution. His presence out of the lineup was obvious as the team struggled to establish themselves offensively.

Matt Zaba (29 saves), who has been absolutely brilliant over the last seven games, was fighting the puck at the start of the game. At 5:05 of the first period, with the Pack playing shorthanded with Jordan Owens in the box on a hooking call, Zaba stopped an initial shot from the left circle off the stick of Marc-Andre Gragnani, but he couldn’t control the rebound which popped out in front where rookie sensation Tim Kennedy was waiting right there to tap it in to the right corner of the net.

The Pack failed to must much on a 1:37 five-on-three, but what they did generate was snuffed by Portland’s Jeff Jakaitis (29 saves). The Pirates have had a very difficult time keeping netminders healthy. Jakaitis is the ninth netminder this season for the Pirates and was signed from the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL. The Checkers are the Pack’s ECHL affiliate and Jakaitis was actually in training camp with the Pack in September. Jakaitis is able to be “loaned” to Portland because he is not under contract to the Rangers.

On the two-man advantage, Jakaitis stopped two Sean Avery bids and then made a huge stop on Mike Ouellette and the goaltender’s best friend, the crossbar, deflected away a Greg Moore shot into the corner and not the net.

Ten minutes and nine seconds after putting their first tally onto the score sheet, the Pirates struck again. With the Pack unable to secure the rubber and get it out of their own zone, the puck found it’s way to center Marek Zagrapan who fired a shot from the right circle. Zaba got a solid piece of the shot with his shoulder but the puck got airborne and went over the Yorkton, Saskatchewan native and fell into the back of the net.

Despite the score sheet showing both teams with 13 shoots on net, the Pack were totally dominated in the period as most of the play for the visitors was played in their own zone.

Just 1:23 into the second the Pirates would extend their lead to three goals when Tyler Bouck found himself completely alone in the left circle. Aaron Slattengren saw the Pirate captain from behind the net and fed him the puck. Bouck rifled the shot over the glove of Zaba for the 3-0 lead.

The Pack penalty killers were able to work off consecutive penalties to Avery. At 3:00 the former Dallas Star took a tripping call and just 37 seconds after attaining his freedom took a very foolish cross checking call right in front of the referee. If that weren’t enough, Corey Potter didn’t help matter any when he slashed the stick right out of a Pirate opponent literally right in front of the referee putting the Pack down two men for 1:11. Zaba was spectacular on the short handed situation keeping the puck out of the net especially solid on denying Nathan Gerbe’s dead red shot right in front of the crease.

The Pack dominated shot wise in the second frame with an 11-5 edge but still had not put anything behind Jakaitis in his first AHL game.

The team that came out of the locker room for the third period for the Pack was not the same group who headed in. This group came out with speed and determination unlike Portland had seen in the first two periods. Right out of the gate, Jakaitis had to make big stops on scoring chances for Patrick Rissmiller and Moore. Jakaitis however was not able to slow the tsunami that was overcoming the Pirate defenders.

At 1:47 the Pack broke through when Ouellette found last minute addition, Tomas Zaborsky, in for Parenteau, who sent a backhanded pass from the left side of the crease over to Pyatt on the right for the easy tally. The Pack trailed 3-1.

Just as the midway point of the third period passed by, the Pack struck again. At 10:12 David Urquhart fed from the left point to Rissmiller who was all alone in the right circle. Rissmiller fired a low hard shot that hit Jakaitis in the pads. Avery, crashing the net, saw the puck squirt through the Pirate goaltender and reached over him and pushed it over the line for his second goal since joining the Pack on February 10th.

38 seconds after pulling within a goal, the Pack found the back of the net again. This time Ouellette was the beneficiary of a tremendous Zaborsky pass. Ouellette came into the left circle and took the Zaborsky pass saw an opening over Jakaitis’ stick and ripped a bee-bee through the opening to tie the score.

The excitement from this one was far from over as the Pack did not let up even after tying the score. At 17:28, Zaborsky, who was brilliant in this one, had a great scoring chance from the slot that Jakaitis stopped.

After a VERY questionable call for elbowing against Avery with 1:05 left in the contest, Zaba insured the extra time with a great stop on Mathieu Darche with just 40 seconds left robbing the left wing in close.

In overtime, Avery drew a penalty by controlling the puck and spinning around the defenders. He sent Bouck to the sin bin on a hooking call. With just 52.1 left, Jakaitis came up big on a Rissmiller bid and then Avery lost a puck on a semi breakaway chance. At the end of OT, both teams had 3 tallies on the board and 32 shots apiece.

So the game went to the skills competition after a ten minute delay as the ice crew could not get the ice prepared properly and even did more to repair the Portland attacking ice than they did their opponents end, but it would be of no consequence as Zaba once again stood tall.

Artem Anisimov, who played dispute being banged up in the third period of Friday night’s game with Manchester, came out and made a world class deke that fooled Jakaitis and flipped a backhander over the fallen netminder. Zaba held off Mark Mancari, Gerbe and Kennedy while Jakaitis stopped Moore, Pyatt and Sanguinetti. Kevin Dineen then sent out Colton Fretter for his shot, but his backhander went wide. Rissmiller then came up ice with a chance to win it for Hartford. The exiled NHL’er came in very slowly and just waited out Jakaitis who went down and Rissmiller lifted it over his glove and just under the crossbar to bring the team all the way and give the Pack a huge win.

After having lost three consecutive shootouts and not even having participated in one in 32 games, winning their second straight shootout and earning their sixth victory in a row for the first time in nearly two years is something that Head Coach Ken Gernander and his staff can build on.

With the two points, the Pack (33-23-2-3) are within two points of first place Providenc
e in the Atlantic Division. Providence dropped a shootout in Philadelphia to the Phantoms, 4-3. The Bruins do hold a game in hand on the Rangers’ top prospect team.

Bob Crawford has his summary at Hartfordwolfpack.com and for the Portland perspective, Paul Betit once again acts as the Portland apologist. Betit dismisses a great Hartford comeback as a Portland giveaway in the Portland Press Herald.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET.

SHOOT OUT RESULTS:

Portland Shootout                                                                                        Hartford Shootout

25 Mark Mancari          No Goal (Pad save)                                                     42 Artem Anisimov      Goal (Backhander)

19 Nathan Gerbe         No Goal (Lost the puck)                                             15 Greg Moore            No Goal (Backhander) stick save

10 Tim Kennedy          No Goal (Pad save)                                                     47 Tommy Pyatt          No Goal (Pad save)

11 Colin Murphy         Goal (Five hole…just snuck through)                          21 Bobby Sanguinetti  No Goal (Backhander)

27 Colton Fretter       No Goal (Backhander – wide)                                      18 Patrick Rissmiller    Goal (Backhander)

NOTES:

* From the sore loser department, how’s this quote from Portland coach Kevin Dineen as told to Paul Betit. "They didn't steal a win, we put it on a platter and served it up for dinner."

* Hartford has not won seven in a row since the first nine games of the 2004-05 season, October 16 – November 7, 2004.

* The Pack’s 1/9 performance on the Penalty Kill was a key to their victory and moved them up to 14th in the AHL.

* The Power Play meanwhile maintained its place at 10th in the AHL.

* Trailing after two periods has not been good to the Wolf Pack., but this win improved their record in such cases to 4-17-1-2.

* The Rangers top farm club improved their 1-goal game record to 17-7-2-3.

* Portland fell to 22-3-0-2 when leading after two.

* Potter’s three games points streak ended with 1 goal and 3 assists

* If Avery’s AHL run is over, it ends with two goals, one assist for three points in eight games with a minus-2.

* Rookie Tomas Zaborsky posted his first career multiple-point game in the AHL with two assists.

* The Pack are ten games over .500 for the first time this season.

LINES:

Dupont – Anisimov – Moore ©

Avery – Rissmiller – Weise

Owens – Ouellette – Pyatt

Zaborsky/DiDiomete – (Rotated) – Sugden

Sanguinetti – Potter @

Urquhart – Sauer

Denisov – Fahey

Zaba

SCRATCHES:

Parenteau – Head injury – Day-to-Day

Ford – Healthy

Nightingale – Healthy

Soryal – Hand – Month

Byers – Knee – Season

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – 18 Patrick Rissmiller
2. POR – 12 Tyler Bouck
3. HFD – 44 Mike Ouellette

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Shaun Davis (31), Referee
David Spannaus (8), Linesman
Luke Galvin (2), Linesman

SCOREBOARD WATCHING:

Manchester won an afternoon contest in the shootout 2-1 over Lowell. Meanwhile Providence dropped a shootout to Philly and Worcester ripped Springfield apart 7-3.

On Sunday’s schedule, Portland goes right at it again at 4 against the visiting Devils, while Manchester visits Springfield. Providence finished their swing through Pennsylvania with a 5pm start against Hershey making up their game in hand on the Pack.

STANDINGS:

Rank          Team                     GP     W      L      OTL   SOL   PTS

NEXT GAME:

The Pack look to get their seventh straight Wednesday night with a win at home against Worcester.

REMINDER:

The Pack Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival is on Sunday afternoon. Tickets can be purchased at the door. It might be your best chance to meet Sean Avery.