The Wolf Pack’s 2008-09 season came to an end this Saturday, in Game Six of their Atlantic Division Semifinal playoff series with the Worcester Sharks. The Sharks took a 5-3 decision in that game, completing a run of four straight victories and capturing the series, four-games-to-two. Worcester had pushed the Pack to the brink of elimination with a 3-1 win at the XL Center in Game Five Thursday, after a 6-0, Game-Four win at home on Wednesday. Dale Weise had a pair of goals in Saturday’s final game, to finish tied for the series goal-scoring lead with three (3-1-4). Dane Byers also logged 3-1-4 in the six games, and defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti led the Wolf Pack club in points, with 1-4-5.
2009 Atlantic Division Semifinal:
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Game One |
Thu., Apr. 16 |
Worcester 0 at Wolf Pack 2 |
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Game Two |
Sat., Apr. 18 |
Worcester 3 at Wolf Pack 5 |
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Game Three |
Mon., Apr. 20 |
Wolf Pack 2 at Worcester 3 (2 OT) |
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Game Four |
Wed., Apr. 22 |
Wolf Pack 0 at Worcester 6 |
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Game Five |
Thu., Apr. 23 |
Worcester 3 at Wolf Pack 1 |
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Game Six |
Sat., Apr. 25 |
Wolf Pack 3 at Worcester 5 |
(Worcester wins series, four-games-to-two)
2009-10 Wolf Pack season tickets are on sale now. Fans can receive 5% off their 2009-10 full-season ticket orders, by purchasing their seats by May 1. Call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-200 to talk with an account executive today for more information. The Wolf Pack is offering “Knockout Season Ticket Prices” for 2009-10, with across-the-board price reductions of 8-13% depending on the seat location. To learn more, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
Recent Transactions:
Maxime Daigneault – recalled by the Wolf Pack from Charlotte (ECHL) April 24.
Andrew Loverock – released from Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement by the Wolf Pack April 24.
Mitch Gaulton – released from Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement by the Wolf Pack April 25.
Pack Tracks:
Fans are invited to log on to www.hartfordwolfpack.com and submit a design for the Wolf Pack’s Specialty Jersey Design Contest. The winner of this year’s contest will receive a personalized jersey of their design, as well as tickets to see them worn by the team. The deadline for entries is May 1. During the specialty-jersey game, the jerseys will be auctioned right off the player’s backs. This year’s auction raised over $10,000, which benefited the March of Dimes organization.
The Wolf Pack soon will be hosting its second annual Equipment Sale and Open House. Professional hockey gear in great condition will be available for purchase, for unbelievably low prices. Stay tuned to www.hartfordwolfpack.com for the event-date announcement and more details.
TRACK THE PACK AT WWW.HARTFORDWOLFPACK.COM
Hi Mitch!
Quick question: What are the odd P.A. Parenteau will be back next season? I completely agree he deserves a shot at the NHL and would love for him to get his shot with the Rangers. If he is not with the Rangers, where do you think he might end up?
Brenda,
I didn’t get a chance to talk with P.A. before he left for the summer. I’m hopeful I’ll be able to hear from him over the off season.
I can tell you from the conversations that I had over the course of the season with him, that I don’t think P.A. wants to be in the AHL anymore. To tell you the truth, I was surprised that he didn’t make the Rangers out of camp. I thought he played well enough to make the team. The things that I’ve heard was that there was some disagreement about it among the coaches and scouts and that ultimately the decision was made to send him back to Hartford. If I were guessing, and that’s all I would be doing is guessing, is that while P.A. is a decent defender, he’s not exactly Blair Betts in that department and that was why under the Renney regime he was sent down. I think the foolishness of that decision was that P.A. is primarily a playmaking forward and showed that in camp.
Now, to answer your question, if after seeing the strong season that Parenteau had with Hartford, the Rangers think there would be a spot for him in New York, and given their lack of scoring and money, how could there not be, and they offered P.A. a two way deal and a legit opportunity to play in NY then I think he would come back. Otherwise I think P.A. will sign with a team willing to give him a real shot at the NHL, which he’s earned, or he’ll play in Europe or the KHL.
Now if you ask me, and you didn’t, but I’ll answer it anyway, I would rather see P.A. in NY than say Zherdev who to me is nothing more than a more talented version of Jozef Balej.
Keep the great questions coming.
Thanks for the insight. The fact that he led the Pack in scoring for the last two seasons (let’s face it–he would have led the team this season had he not been injured the last two weeks) would make the Rangers utterly foolish to let him sign elsewhere. The one area that could be problematic is the amount of penalities he took, many of which were unnecessary. While I know hockey is an emotional game, he put the team in some precarious positions that he didn’t need to. The one area he improved was his defensive game. I think at one point during the season he was a -10 but was able to finish -1. He was also the quarterback of the PP–that’s evident when the Pack missed him during the playoffs. The Rangers are definately in serious need of someone who could do that on a consistent basis. If it were me, he’d be the player I’d build the PP around. Not only is he gifted offensively, he’s also a good set-up man and seems to elevate the other players around him. I’d love to see him play RW with either Gomez/Drury/Artie in NY. He has certainly earned his shot in the NHL. I’m just surprised that he’s only played five NHL games since 2007. With Torts as head coach (I loved Renney), P.A. has a much better chance of making the Rangers next season.
Keep up the great work Mitch!