A GAME OF FIRSTS… 

   VERSUS   

The Hartford Wolf Pack returned to the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts Saturday night for their first game against the Sharks since they were eliminated in six games in the first round of last season’s playoffs. They came. They saw; and they shut them out. The Pack knocked off the Sharks in impressive style with a 4-0 victory.

The win lifted the Pack three games over the .500 mark for the first time in the 2009 – 2010 season. The night also produced forward Ryan Garlock’s first goal in a Wolf Pack uniform. There was something else? What was it again? Oh yeah, goaltender Chad Johnson registered the first back-to-back shutouts for the Pack in over four years. The last Pack netminder to put doughnuts on back-to-back occasions in the scorer’s sheet was Steve Valiquette. The current Ranger backup netminder shut out the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Jan. 15, 2005 with a 33 save effort and a 4-0 win. “Valli” followed up that performance four nights later (January 19, 2005) in Springfield erasing 21 Falcon shots en route to a 5-0 win.

On this night however, Johnson (35 saves 8-4-0) was simply magnificent. This was an incredibly up tempo game that required the 6’3” 200-pound goaltender to be on his toes and stay focused. And he was! Both teams came out from the opening drop of the puck and treated the event more like a track meet than a hockey game. It certainly seemed at the pace this game was taking that by the third period whichever team still had the legs to skate would pull this one out.

At the end of the scoreless first period, the Pack’s Derek Couture and Andrew Desjardins of the Sharks got into a tussle and both would start the second period in the sin bin with both teams skating four aside.

With lots of open space on the ice, Illka Heikkinen put the Pack on the scoreboard just 49 seconds into the second period. The Pack defenseman fired a hard, direct shot while completely surrounded by Benn Ferriero, Joe Callahan and Michael Wilson. They were all over him, but somehow, the Rauma, Finland native found enough space to beat Shark starting goalie Alex Stalock (20 saves, 6-4-1) over the left shoulder. It appeared Stalock reacted late as the defense surrounding Heikkinen might have screened the goaltender and caused him to pick up the puck late allowing for the tally.

As the second period was winding down, referee Ghislain Hebert became a factor. He called Jordan Owens for tripping at 11:03 and then returned the favor to the Pack at 17:29 sending Desjardins off for two minutes of isolation for the same offense. With 50.2 ticks to go on the close, Hebert put the Sharks down two men for 19 seconds when he issued a warrant to Nick Petrecki for an obvious cross check. That advantage would go sour just five seconds in when Hebert blew his whistle again calling Dale Weise for a phantom hooking call. With the chance to break the game open and given, based upon the replay, that the Pack right wing did nothing, Weise lost his temper and wound up picking up an extra two minute infraction for Unsportsmanlike Conduct. The four minutes in penalties meant the two teams would start the second period skating four aside and then Worcester would have another man-advantage, their fifth, for 1:53.

But while the Pack were being outshot as they entered the second intermission, 28-18, they led the game 1-0.

(Mathieu Dandenault advances the puck out of the Pack defensive zone just ahead of center Corey Locke.

Ex-Pack Dwight Helminen watches from ice level)

It was Johnson who would pull them out of the fire on the penalty kill. The defender of the Pack net turned sure goals into just shots on net, wiping out golden opportunities by Kevin Henderson and Branson Mashinter from dead red.

The Pack penalty kill has been suspect all season currently

With the Pack penalty killers rising to the occasion, currently 24th in the league at 78.3%, the team was able to find a way to double their lead. As the Shark power play was coming to a close, Owens took a loose puck away from Steven Zalewski in the neutral zone and using his speed along the right wing got wide around the Shark center. When Owens turned left and headed toward the net for a jam in attempt, Stalock stayed with him and they collided sending booth went down to the ice. Brodie Dupont was “Mr. Johnny-On-The-Spot” and corralled the puck and discovered he was all by himself with an empty net in front of him. Dupont immediately took advantage putting the biscuit in the basket from the left side and depositing it in the right corner of the net for the 2-0 lead just two seconds after Weise completed his sentence.

Just 2:11 later it was Garlock’s first goal as a representative of the Connecticut capital as he redirected a white hot shot from the right point by Corey Potter past Stalock who had no chance. It was 3-0.

The league best Pack power play had not scored since P.A. Parenteau’s tally on the 11th in the second period against Manchester and was on an 0-8 run when they finally got back on the board.

Mashinter and McLaren were both in the box 1:23 apart giving the Pack their second two man advantage. This time for 47 seconds. Bobby Sanguinetti, who is having a tremendous season, crushed a shot from the left circle off a nice feed from Weise. Dane Byers, who had given Weise the puck, distracted Stalock in front enough to allow Sanguinetti’s missile to find it’s target behind the Shark netminder.

The helper on the goal gave Byers points in both games since coming back from New York and extended his personal point streak to five games (3g, 3a, 6pts).

But this was the Chad Johnson show from start to finish. The Calgary born goaltender made incredible stops throughout the contest, but was strongest in the first period. With Worcester outplaying the Pack in every facet of the game. If he had put anything less than a Lundqvist-ian performance, the Pack could easily have been blown out of this one early. He simply robbed Frazer McLaren, and Dennis McCauley on their bids for a marker. Johnson stopped ex-Wolf Pack center Dwight “Dewey” Helminen and slammed the door on Joe Callahan and John McCarthy. His best save of the contest also came in the first period. The 6’3” 200 pounder flashed the glove and swiped a ferocious shot from in tight off the sick of Benn Ferriero right out of the air. Afterwards the Shark center could do little more than skate away staring at the ceiling.

For the Sharks, who’ve now lost three consecutive games by four goals, it was that kind of night.

The Pack have now won eight of their last ten and six of their last seven. After a real slow start, the team now sits alone in third place four points behind first place Manchester and three behind Lowell…though the Pack do hold a game in hand.

Bob Crawford shares his insights from the press box at Hartfordwolfpack.com. For coverage of the Worcester Sharks, there’s Bill Ballou at Telegram.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

* P.A. Parenteau certainly is making a case for himself to stay in New York. The Hull, Quebec native looked good. Sure he made a mistake on his back check on the one Ottawa goal, but he was active and involved and oh yeah, he scored the game winner on a shoot out goal beating Brian Elliot with a sweet move that he’s used before in the AHL. Parenteau is 10-37 in his career shoot out attempts and has 4 shoot out game winners on his resume.

* Johnson has continually improved throughout the course of the season. He now has a 2.17GAA and an impressive .923% along with three shutouts. Johnson ranks 12th overall and leas the AHL with 3 shutouts.

* The Pack last won eight of ten last season from March 18th through April 8th. In that streak they outscored their opponents 40 –21. Over this streak, they are outscoring their opposition 35-19. This streak includes three shut outs. Last season’s had two.

* The Pack power play is still tops in the AHL. While they were at a blistering pace earlier, close to 30% (you knew that wouldn’t last), they are still at 26.5% just ahead of Rochester’s 24.1%.  Both teams have had 83 man advantage situations and the Pack have capitalized 23 times while Rochester only 20. One interesting difference is that Rochester has surrendered 4 shorthanded goals while the Pack only 1.

* The Pack are 8-1-0-0 when leading after two and 6-1-0-0 when outshot by their opponents.
* With two assists, Corey Locke has had points in six of his last seven games (3g, 11a, 14 pts) and is still the top point earner in the AHL just 3 points ahead of ex-Pack Alexandre Giroux who has played in four less games. Bobby Sanguinetti is 8th overall with 18 points and second only to Andy Wozniewski who has 19 among defenseman.

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE

    Versus   

 CHECKERS FALL TO STINGRAYS IN SHOOTOUT 

The Charlotte Checkers dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the South Carolina Stingrays on Saturday night. Matt Schepke netted his fifth goal in five games and goaltender Miika Wiikman put aside 24 of 26 shots in a losing cause.

Charlotte got on the board first for the third game in a row on a goal by Matt Schepke. Codey Burki, assigned by Lake Erie (AHL) before the game, started the play by dropping a pass back to Tyler Doig. Doig dished it to Schepke on the right-wing who then one-timed it home past South Carolina netminder Braden Holtby.

 The Stingrays would answer back on a shorthanded breakaway by Keith Johnson, his fifth goal and 14^th point of the season. The goal came at the 10:56 mark of the first period.

Less than six minutes later, South Carolina took the lead on another breakaway. Rookie forward Nikita Kashirsky broke in all alone and faked both ways before beating Wiikman between the legs for his team-leading ninth goal of the season.

The game would remain 2-1 until fifteen minutes into the second period when rookie winger Andrew Carroll tied it up with his third tally of the season. Ryan Hillier picked up the assist on the goal.

Despite several chances in the third period for either team, the game remained tied and went to overtime. South Carolina was assessed a late penalty in overtime but the Checkers were unable to capitalize and the two teams prepared for the shootout.

Each team needed seven shooters in the shootout and Ketih Johnson netted the eventual game winner for the Stingrays.

 The Checkers (5-3-2-0) will host Elmira tomorrow at Time Warner Cable Arena. Game time is 5pm and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com.

 Notes: Head Coach Derek Wilkinson (199-164-36) needs one more win for 200 career coaching victories…Matt Schepke now has five goals in five games…Michel Leveille leads the team in scoring with 11 pts (6g, 5a) in 10 games… Matt Ford remains with Lake Erie (AHL) and defenseman Ethan Graham is with Norfolk (AHL)…Ryan Munce, Trevor Glass and Randy Rowe are all on the 21-day injured reserve.

LINES:

Byers – Locke – Owens

Grachev – Dupont – Weise

Soryal – Crowder – Couture

Chappell – Garlock – Ambϋhl

Heikkinen – Sanguinetti

Dandenault – Urquhart

Potter – Williams

Johnson

(Assistant Captains Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

P.A. Parenteau – Recall with NY Rangers

Devin DiDiomete – Conditioning in Charlotte

Michael Sauer – Upper Body, Day-to-Day

Brent Henley – Healthy

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – 29 Chad Johnson
2. HFD – 49 Ilkka Heikkinen
3. HFD – 9 Brodie Dupont

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Ghislain Hebert (49), Referee
Bob Paquette (18), Linesman
Brian MacDonald (72), Linesman

NEXT GAME:

The Rangers top farm club is back at home on Wednesday night November 18th when they look to do to Binghamton what the parent club did to Ottawa…of course in regulation not in a shoot out…

SCORE-SHEET:

Hartford 0 1 3 – 4

Worcester 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Groulx Wor (slashing), 4:31; Locke Hfd (slashing), 5:16; Williams Hfd (hooking), 16:40; Couture Hfd (roughing), 20:00; Desjardins Wor (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period-1, Hartford, Heikkinen 4 (Locke, Dupont), 0:49. Penalties-Weise Hfd (hooking), 6:52; Owens Hfd (tripping), 11:03; Desjardins Wor (tripping), 17:29; Petrecki Wor (cross-checking), 19:09; Weise Hfd (hooking, unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:14.

3rd Period-2, Hartford, Dupont 4 (Owens), 3:16. 3, Hartford, Garlock 1 (Potter, Byers), 5:27. 4, Hartford, Sanguinetti 6 (Weise, Locke), 17:15 (pp). Penalties-Stalock Wor (delay of game), 10:35; Couture Hfd (tripping), 13:16; Mashinter Wor (hooking), 15:13; McLaren Wor (high-sticking), 16:36; Groulx Wor (hooking), 18:30.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 8-10-6-24. Worcester 14-14-7-35.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 of 7; Worcester 0 of 6.

Goalies-Hartford, Johnson 7-4-0 (35 shots-35 saves). Worcester, Stalock 6-3-1 (24 shots-20 saves).

A-5,107

(Photo courtesy of Telegram.com)