THE CURSE OF SUCCESS 

      VERSUS       

For the sixth time in seven tries this season, the Hartford Wolf Pack followed up a blowout victory with a shaky effort resulting in a loss to a team they should have beaten. This time, the opponent was the Lowell Devils who, before 5,404 at the XL Center Sunday afternoon, torpedoed the Pack’s chances in moving closer to clinching their first division title since the 2003-2004 season with a 4-3 road victory. Meanwhile it didn’t help the Pack any that up in Providence, the Bruins defeated the Pack’s next opponent, the Manchester Monarchs 3-2. The Pack’s magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division title remains at four.

Despite surrendering four goals and taking his first loss in his last six starts, this one can hardly be laid a the feet of Hartford starting netminder Matt Zaba (32 saves). Zaba was brilliant all game long making key stops including a magnificent stop on former Pack forward Pascal Rheaume late in the third period. But as they did in their previous game against Providence, the Pack could not stay out of the penalty box. Against Providence they were shorthanded ten times, but managed three shorthanded tallies that essentially gave them the game. Against Lowell they were shorthanded eight times including a full two minute five-on-three.

In his post game press conference, Head Coach Ken Gernander explained the loss. “It’s hard to make a big comeback when you’re wasting valuable time killing penalties and expending some energy when you’re a little short up front to begin with,” He said. “The start wasn’t what we wanted, but we gathered ourselves and came out with fire in the second period and righted the ship. But then we got ourselves into penalty trouble (again), and they cashed in.”

Gernander, who has been working wonders all season long with his squad, has taken his team from last place in December to first place in April. The second year head coach and former Wolf Pack team captain should get serious consideration for the 2008-2009 Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach. However, in this game, he could not overcome a team short staffed up front. The Pack only were able to dress eleven forwards. They also managed to lose another one, Brandon Sugden, to injury in the first period. As a result, things were so thin up front that defenseman David Urquhart was forced to play left wing for several shifts throughout the remainder of the contest.

The Pack fell behind early in the contest on the Devils first shot of the game. Just 2:27 into the first period, Vladimir Denisov, who made one of the poor decisions that he had been making that led to his being kept out of nine of fifteen games throughout January and early February, telegraphed a cross ice pass coming out of the defensive zone. The pass was picked off by Lowell right wing Vladimir Zharkov, who crossed the blue line and ripped a shot that may have been deflected slightly by Jared Nightingale , but beat Zaba high over the stick for the 1-0 lead.

Lowell almost had a second goal at 9:42 of the first period. With Nightingale in the penalty box on a hooking call, Barry Tallackson’s attempt to put the Devils up by two goals was disallowed by referee Jamie Koharski for hitting the puck with a high stick. Replays confirmed Koharski’s call, but getting in the penalty box and pucks winding in the net was a sign of things to come.

The team could not settle itself down in a fight filled first period. Fellow rookies Devin DiDiomete and Lowell’s Matt Corrente both got in two fights. They fought each other to a draw just after the Zharkov goal at 2:30. Then Corrente and Jordan Owens fought briefly after a big clean hit that the Devils’ defenseman took exception to by the Pack forward. Then as the first period buzzer sounded DiDiomete tangled with Oliver Magnan also to a draw.

Just 4:24 into the second frame, the Pack were able to knot the score. Bobby Sanguinetti made a hard outlet pass that went right to the tape of Paul Crowder. Crowder, playing in just his eighth game since signing with the Pack on an Amateur Try-out contract on March 19th, made a tremendous pass while speeding along the right wing boards right to the stick of Patrick Rissmiller. The Rangers June 2008 free agent signing, who’s played with the Pack since mid-November, then lifted a beautiful backhanded shot over the glove and into the corner of the short side of the cage to tie the score.

The Devils had their second goal of the game disallowed at 6:10 of the second period, although this one probably should have counted. Koharski ruled that Zaba was interfered with by Zharkov as Tyler Eckford blasted a rebound into the twine. Zharkov argued vehemently with Koharski and he had a good argument as replays showed pretty clearly that he was shoved by the recently signed David Stich into the Pack netminder.

Devils netminder Jeff Frazee (30 saves) was outstanding in keeping his team in the contest. At 6:55, Frazee came up big as he threw out his leg and managed to get a foot on the puck after a great move by fellow AHL All-Star, Artem Anisimov seemed to have him beaten. The save turned aside the second year Russian center’s breakaway attempt and deny the Pack their best chance of the game to take the lead.

“I don’t care what the percentages are, taking too many penalties eventually catches up to you,” Gernander said.

At 9:21 of the second it did.

With Crowder in the box for holding and the Pack running around in their own zone, Zaba could not get his glove on the puck as Corey Potter shoved a Devils attacker in front of him. With Potter occupied, and the puck loose in the crease, Rosario Ruggeri pinched in from his point position and tapped it in from Zaba’s right for the Devils second lead of the game.

On the ensuing face-off Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond had a moment of temporary insanity. The Devils center appeared to have said something at the center ice circle prior to the drop of the puck that caused Koharski to blow the whistle and send him to the penalty box for Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

The Pack took advantage of the mental gaffe 1:22 into the power play. Bobby Sanguinetti fired a hard shot from the right point and like a basketball player told to follow his shot, pinched down to retrieve the puck from behind the net. Sanguinetti found Crowder with a pass and in turn Crowder fed Potter who buried a shot from the right side much like his first NHL goal with the Rangers last week. The score was again tied at two.

It didn’t last long.

With Stich inside the box for an elbowing penalty, it only took the Devils 12 seconds to capitalize at 14:51. Connecticut native Jon DiSalvatore fired a hard wrister from the high slot and with traffic in front of Zaba, was able to get a stick on it and changed the trajectory of the shot sending it under the pads and through the five hole of the Pack goalkeeper. The Devils took a lead for the third time and this one they would not relinquish.

In the third period the Pack came out aggressive and had a strong shift in the Lowell zone drawing a power play. Rod Pelley took a tripping call just 35 seconds into the period, but the Pack could do nothing with it.

But moments later, Denisov’s gift puck to the fans in his own
zone put the Pack in their fifth shorthanded situation of the game and it would cost them.

At 3:51, the game’s First Star, DiSalvatore saw that he had both Rheaume and Tallackson screening in front of Zaba. The Lowell right winger then fired a blistering slapshot form the high slot that Zaba never saw and the Devils had what would prove to be the game winner.

Denisov, who had just an awful game, then took a totally unnecessary boarding major on Rheaume just in front of the penalty box which also resulted in a game misconduct for the defenseman from Belarus.

The Pack managed to get the game closer and would tally yet another shorthanded goal, their fifth in the last three games, when Mike Ouellette recovered a loose puck just inside the Hartford blueline and fed his partner Owens.  Owens then made a strong move bouncing the puck off the boards to escape Magnan and create a two-on-one odd man rush with Potter into the Lowell zone with just Tallackson back. The Pack right wing made a nice fake of a pass to Potter getting Frazee to move slightly and then fired it past the Lowell netminder from the right wing side for the games’ final tally.

With the Pack still killing off Denisov’s boarding call, Nightingale then took his fourth penalty of the game with a high sticking call at 10:46. The Pack penalty killers pulled together for one of the best penalty kills of the season killing off a full two minute five-on-three and the remainder of the major.

In the last two minutes of the game, DiSalvatore was being defended by Brian Fahey and was run into by Dale Weise and seemed to be unconscious on the ice. He was helped to the bench and did not come out for the announcement of his First Star status.

Bruce Berlet shares the press box perspective at Hartfordwolfpack.com. For the Lowell point of view, visit Lowelldevilshockey.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET.

NOTES:

* Even with the win, Lowell was eliminated from playoff contention when Portland beat Springfield.

* Lowell’s power play goal in the second period was their first in four games.

* With and assist on Rissmiller’s backhander in the first period and then his second on Potter’s goal, Crowder had the first multi-point game of his young career.

* Lowell won in Hartford for the third time in four visits to the XL Center.

* With the shorthanded goal, Owens now has two goals and four assists (six points) in his last three games.

* Being off the scoresheet in the Lowell game ended Artem Anisimov’s six game point streak (7g, 4a, 11pts).

* Greg Moore missed his eighth game since being hit by Lowell’s Mark Fraser on March 18th. At the time, Fraser was challenged to a fight by DiDiomete for the hit but refused to drop the gloves. Moore’s status is still uncertain as he is still having post-concussion symptoms and will not be reevaluated by the team until he is totally clear for 24 hours. It is only then, as Gernander told Howlings recently, “That we have a specific protocol that we follow to protect the player.”

* Brodie Dupont’s three game scoring streak (2g, 2a, 4pts) also ended.

* With his two assists in the game, Sanguinetti surpasses the 40 point mark in his rookie season. He’s now tallied five goals 36 assists for 41 points. His plus minus rating is now below negative double digits for the first time in a long time at minus-9. Michael Sauer leads the team in plus/minus with a plus-24.

* Inside the Numbers: The team’s record drops to 19-8-3-3 in one goal games. In games where the team is outshot, the record is now 20-15-2-2. When trailing after two periods 5-20-1-2 and 8-12-1-1 when trailing after one.

LINES:

Bell – Rissmiller @ – Crowder
Dupont – Anisimov – Weise 
DiDiomete – McBride – Owens 
Ouellette – Sugden

Sanguinetti – Potter @

Denisov – Nightingale

Urquhart – Fahey @

Stich

Zaba

SCRATCHES:

Pyatt – Personal

Parenteau – Undisclosed Injury – Day-to-Day

Sauer – Undisclosed Injury – Day-to-Day

Moore – Concussion – Indefinite

Zaborsky – Shoulder – Season

Soryal – Hand – Season

Byers – Knee – Undetermined

Loverock – Healthy

THREE STARS:

1. LOW – 14 Jon DiSalvatore
2. LOW – 21 Pascal Rheaume
3. HFD – 46 Jordan Owens

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Jamie Koharski (84), Referee
Chris Low (88), Linesman
Brent Colby (7), Linesman

SCOREBOARD WATCHING:

With the season now just three games long, the Pack look for a little help in closing out first place in the division by the team that beat them Sunday afternoon as Lowell will host second place Providence Wednesday night. Another HUGE game, which could determine the Pack’s opponent in the first round happens in Worcester with the Sharks being challenged by the Portland Pirates. The winner will sit in third place and the loser in fourth. Springfield has the night off.

STANDINGS:

Rank        Team                           GP    W      L     OTL   SOL   PTS

NEXT GAME:

If they can get some help from Lowell, the Pack can clinch first place in the Atlantic Division for the first time in five years as they travel to Manchester and look to rebound from a poor showing against Lowell. They should have Tommy Pyatt, and hopefully Michael Sauer, back in the lineup. Expect the Pack to do something about the shortage of forwards with a possible ATO or two.

COMPARATIVE REMAINING SCHEDULE:

Hartford                                                                                         Providence

Day          Date        Opponent          Position     Record Vs.           Day      Date             Opponent      Position   Record Vs.