SWEET AND SAUER 

     VERSUS    

On Wednesday night in Bridgeport the Sound Tigers embarrassed the Hartford Wolf Pack 6-3 and the game wasn’t that close. When the season series concluded at the XL Center Saturday night the Pack, led by a three point night (2 goals and an assist) by Michael Sauer, the first two-goal night of his career. Brodie Dupont and Greg Moore also had a goal and an assist each with the Pack returning the big loss to the Tigers  by the same 6-3 score in front of 7,003 at the XL Center.

Right off the opening face off, the Pack came out with a different attitude than they had Wednesday night. Head Coach Ken Gernander wasn’t going to allow that again. The Pack came out and jumped all over the Tigers defenseman. At 1:04 it would pay its first dividend. First Greg Moore creamed defenseman Joe Callahan in the left wing corner causing the defenseman to cough up the puck. When the Pack could not control it, the puck again found Callahan’s stick. His clearing attempt was picked off at the right point by Brian Fahey. The six year veteran blasted a shot from the point that was deflected by a crossing the crease Moore and the puck got by Bridgeport starter Kris Mayotte

Sauer, who was named the game’s First Star, seemed to be there for the Pack at every turn. The sophomore defenseman got the Pack’s second goal after the Pack were once again suffocating the Tigers with the forecheck. Bridgeport defenseman Mark Wotten put the puck out of play in a unique manner. The Tiger’s Captain lifted it and hit the scoreboard causing an offensive zone draw for the Pack to the left of Mayotte.

Mike Ouellette won the draw back to Dave Urquhart. The rookie defenseman fed the puck to his partner in the high slot. Meanwhile, Ouellette made his way to the front of the net drawing the attention of three, yes THREE, Tigers defenders, both defenseman, Chris Lee and Jon Gleed and forward James Sixsmith, all screening Mayotte. Sauer saw the traffic in front of the net and unloaded a rising slap-shot that flew right past the outstretched glove of Mayotte. It was 2-0.

But things took a giant step backwards for the home team after forward Devin DiDiomete took a very foolish elbowing penalty right off the ensuing faceoff. It’s penalties like that that can swing the momentum and this one surely did, as less than a minute and a half the game would be tied.

At 18:26, while on the man-advantage, Ben Walter, coming into the contest Bridgeport’s leading scorer against the Pack (3g, 4a in 8 games), walked the puck in uncontested from the right wing corner and put a shot on Wiikman (26 saves). The Pack netminder got a pad on it but was unable to cover it up and as he pulled his leg away from the corner iron, Walter tapped the puck and it squirted in under the Finish goaltender.

Just 47 seconds later the Pack would surrender their 2-1 lead on sloppy play getting the puck out of their own zone only to be topped by even worse defensive play responding to the turnover. With the puck along the right wing boards, both Tommy Pyatt and Patrick Rissmiller were unable to get it as the puck entered the neutral zone. Junior Lessard did and came back into the zone. Fahey had come all the way up the line and just took a swipe at Lessard which he went through like a car at a tollgate. Lessard lifted his head and saw Walter coming into the zone with speed and fed the center the puck. Walter stepped into the shot and fired it on Wiikman, who initially got a glove on it but it bounced off him and went in. It was certainly a shot Wiikman should have had, and the score was tied at two. 

“It was a pretty intense game, and we reacted well to losing the two-goal lead,” Gernander told reporters afterwards. “Instead of maybe getting rattled or frustrated, they stayed the course. And Miika battled as well. Just like everyone else, he might have got frustrated in the first period, but he stayed with it and did his job.”

After taking what at least should have been an interference call on former Pack forward Mitch Fritz, a fired up Rissmiller advanced the puck with an intensity he hasn’t shown all season long and drew three Tiger defenders to him. He then fed off to Vladimir Denisov along the right wing. Denisov drew two defenders to him and and spotted Sauer joining in on the rush and fed the St. Cloud, Minnesota native the puck in perfect position. Sauer saw P.A. Parenteau and Pyatt in front of the net and fired a white hot low blast from the same spot, just the other end of the ice, as his first goal and this one got past Mayotte (26 saves) as well and the Pack led once again going into the third period 3-2. Coming into the game, the Pack were 21-1-1-1 when entering the third period with the lead.

The lead didn’t last long into the third period. Mark Bell for some reason went after the head of Sixsmith and was called for an elbowing penalty after shaking up the Tigers left winger. On the power play, Trevor Smith got his second assist of the game when his cross slot pass from the right corner made it just past the outstretched stick of Sauer and found Lessard. The Tiger winger then fired a shot into the net past Wiikman who valiantly tried to get back across in time to cover that side of the net but could not and it was 3-3.

The Tigers had an incredible chance at 3:59 as Jesse Joensuu was dead red in the crease only to see Wiikman deny his fellow Finn with a sprawling blocker stop.

Intensity rose to it’s height at after Sim took his second penalty of the game. The Pack were buzzing the tower and Mayotte stood strong against it. First a blast by Rissmiller was turned aside. Then seconds later a Sauer point shot bounced to Mayotte’s right where a deserted Artem Anisimov awaited. Mayotte somehow got a stick on the Anisimov bid and play continued until Anisimov got another whack at it with Mayotte well out of the crease, Ansimov's shot at 6:00 hit the post and bounced out to where Mayotte was able to cover it up.

Dale Weise would score what would prove to be the game winner at 8:12. Bridgeport’s Jaime Fraser went end to end with the puck and attempted a pass to the left wing. When there was nobody home, Greg Moore retrieved the puck and saw Weise darting up the left wing and fed the puck to him right on the tape allowing the Winnipeg, Alberta  Canada native to gain sped coming into the offensive zone. Weise blew right past Lessard and beat Mayotte right between the legs.

“It’s nice to finally score some goals in the second half,” Weise told reporters afterwards.  “When I got the puck from (Greg) Moore, I was flying and got it in the right spot. As soon as I got it, I knew I had (Junior Lessard) beat. Usually I like to pull the puck across and go five-hole.”

After Parenteau threw his hardest check of the season into Andrew MacDonald along the far boards, the puck got free setting up a two-on-one odd man rush going back the other way between Rissmiller on the right side and Parenteau all alone on the left against defenseman Joe Callahan. Callahan committed to sticking with Rissmiller and the Pack forward obliged the mistake by feeding Parenteau, who waited too long allowing Mayotte to get back in time. Parenteau got his own rebound and fed Brodie Dupont who slid the puck over to Corey Potte
r high above the right circle. Potter slid a relatively easy shot on goal that found Mayotte’s five hole and slid right through for the goal that would put this one away for the home team with just 57 seconds remaining.

But the Pack were not done with their in state rivals just yet. Just 18 seconds later Jordan Owens got past Lee and with Fraser sliding in his face fed a great pass over to Dupont, who had nobody near him, and beat Mayotte, who had no chance, past the glove side for the final tally.

This is one of those games where you get great coverage from two extraordinary writers. Bruce Berlet writes it up for the Wolf Pack at Hartfordwolfpack.com and Mike Fornabaio has the reaction from inside the Tigers locker room at connpost.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET.

NOTES:

* The Pack can tie an AHL record with just three victories in their remaining thirteen for a sixth straight 40-win season.

* Despite winning in regulation, the Pack lost the GEICO Cup to Bridgeport on points given two of the Pack’s wins came outside of regulation. While the GEICO Cup in and of itself is no big deal, losing a season series for the first time since the 2003-2004 series is worth mentioning.

* Weise’s goal gave him 3 points in the last four games (2g, 1a).

* The Pack are 10-1-1 in their last 12 and beat a Bridgeport team that was on a 13-1-0-3 run. The Pack finished the season 5-5-0-0 against their in state rivals.

LINES:

Pyatt – Rissmiller – Parenteau @

Bell – Moore © – Weise

DiDiomete – Ouellette – Sugden

Dupont – Anisimov – Owens

Sanguinetti – Potter

Denisov – Fahey

Urquhart – Sauer

Wiikman

SCRATCHES:

Zaba – Finger – One to Two weeks

Zaborsky – Shoulder – Season

Soryal – Hand – 2 weeks

Byers – Knee – Season

Nightingale – Healthy

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – 4 Michael Sauer
2. BRI – 9 Ben Walter
3. HFD – 23 Dale Weise

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Shaun Davis (31), Referee
Luke Galvin (2), Linesman
Paul Simeon (66), Linesman

SCOREBOARD WATCHING:

In the most important game outside of Hartford last night, Springfield was almost able to do the Pack a favor but succumbed to the Providence Bruins in a shootout losing 2-1 at home. Meanwhile third place Manchester got doubled up on at home by fifth place Worcester with the Sharks prevailing 4-2. Portland got back into the win column destroying All-Star netminder Jeff Frazee, who allowed five goals, beating the Devils 6-1.

From the “In-case-You-Were-Wondering-Department” ex-Pack Jed Ortmeyer and Hugh Jessiman, playing together in Milwaukee both had assists in the Admirals 5-4 loss to Chicago which has one time Ranger draft pick Joey Crabb on it’s roster.

On the Sunday schedule, the game the Pack will be checking out will see the Devils looking to rebound in a road match in Providence against the Bruins. The rest of the Atlantic Division is off.

In another contest that will be of interest to AHL fans is the first place battle in Hershey between the Bears and the Sound Tigers.

STANDINGS:

Rank          Team                        GP    W      L     OTL   SOL   PTS

NEXT GAME:

The Pack don’t have much time to relish the victory and go for their third straight victory as they return to Worcester for their final meeting of the year with the Sharks at 4:05.