BACK ON TRACK 

   VERSUS   

If there was any doubt about whether or not Miika Wiikman would regain the form that gave the Rangers organization confidence to divorce themselves of former first round pick Al Montoya, this weekend games would certainly seemed to have answered that. Wiikman’s stellar job between the pipes rattled last night’s opponent, the Lowell Devils and led to a 5-2 win. Meanwhile this afternoon in a 3:00 matinee, Wiikman hard work took all the teeth out of the Worcester Sharks. Wiikman was given two goals apiece from P.A. Parenteau and rookie Evgeny Grachev as the three combined to lead the Pack to a 4-3 victory in the second of five straight XL Center home games.

“You have to be ready for anything and keep working because it doesn’t matter where you are,” Wiikman said to reporters in the locker room after the contest. “I feel about as good as I can, though there’s always something small. But I’m just trying to get used to it now.” His extended training camp while recovering from a groin strain certainly helped. “I feel like I’m in September while the other guys are almost in November,” he said.

As good as Wiikman was, Parenteau and Grachev were also equally outstanding. To say that Parenteau is hot would be equivalent to saying that the conflict the US has with Iran is just a minor disagreement. Parenteau has four goals and two assists in his last three games.

The Sharks jumped out on the Pack early scoring at 6:49 of the first on the power play. T.J. Trevelyan found a rebound of a Derek Joslin shot on the right doorstep and flipped it over Mathieu Dandenault in his second game of a Professional Try-Out contract, and over Wiikman.

The Pack answered back at 8:28 when excellent work by Dale Weise following up his own shot got a rebound took it to the left wing corner and fed Brodie Dupont in the slot. Dupont let rip a hard shot that hit Worcester netminder Tyson Sexsmith and rebounded in front. Grachev was there and slammed it home to know the score.

Literally as a power play expired, Grachev got his second of the game. Ilkka Heikkinen fired a short shot from the left circle that hit defenseman Joe Loprieno in the skate and came right to Grachev. The rookie from Khabarovsk, Russia immediately sent the puck right back on net and beat Sexsmith for the second time in just over six minutes.

Despite lots of pressure in the second period by Worcester that they dominated in virtually every aspect of the game, the Pack stood strong and with Wiikman keeping the puck out of the net, and no penalties, the Pack maintained their lead heading into the third period still leading by a goal.

The game opened up in the third with Parenteau getting his first on the power play when his shot from the left side circle beat Sexsmith to the stick side giving the Pack a two-goal lead, 3-1.

But Worcester was not giving up. They pulled back to within a marker when Andrew Desjardins took a centering pass from Dan DaSilva who was near the right wing half boards and beat Wiikman to the stick side. He really had no chance. It was just a terrific bang-bang play.

The Pack would get what would prove to be the game winner off of Parenteau’s stick when he took a magnificent pass from Corey Potter that sprung the right winger free. After settling the puck, Parenteau advanced on Sexsmith and put a laser beam into the stick side of the net.

At 16:30 Trevelyan would give the home fans a bit of a scare when he stuffed home a rebound past Wiikman after a scramble in front for the games final score.

Bruce Berlet takes a closer look at Evgeny Grachev and highlights his performance at HartfordWolfPack.com. Meanwhile in Worcester, Bill Ballou has the Sharks Tale at Telegram.com

GAME SUMMARY  and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

* You folks are going to have to cut me some slack on an abbreviated story. As I’m writing this I’m shaking terribly with an increasingly high fever and I’m more nauseous than I can ever remember being. Well, there was that time at the Michael Moore film festival; but that’s a different story.

* UPDATE…I just found out that I am the lucky recipient of a case of Swine Flu…and here I was thinking that I would have been immune having spent the better part of my life being kosher…just teasing…

LINES:

Grachev – Dupont –  Weise

Byers –  Locke – Parenteau

Soryal – Crowder – Owens

Hillier – Ambuhl

Potter – Sanguinetti

Heikkinen – Dandenault

Urquhart – Sauer

Henley

Wiikman

(Assistant Captains Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Devin DiDIomete – Broken Arm – Mid-November

Nigel Williams – Healthy

Tyler Arnason – Healthy

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – 19 Evgeny Grachev
2. HFD – 3 Corey Potter
3. HFD – 17 Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Mark Lemelin (84), Referee
Brent Colby (7), Linesman
Derek Wahl (46), Linesman

NEXT GAME:

Going for three in a row on Friday, October 30th in the XL Center at 7pm. Not exactly an easy task as defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears are on the docket. The big question is will the Bears have Keith Aucoin and ex-Pack Alexandre Giroux in their lineup? Both are currently in the NHL playing for the parent Washington Capitals. Their presence changes the entire complexion of the game.