A TALE OF TWO NIGHTS… 

VERSUS

“We’re always look to play our top game in all aspects and (Thursday) we were very effective,” Hartford Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander said in his post-game press conference. With 33 shots and five making it past the goaltender; a three-for-six night on the power play and three-for-three on the penalty kill certainly qualify as “effective.” As a result, the Wolf Pack got back to their winning ways after dropping a 2-1 shootout the previous night to Binghamton, by knocking off the injury and call-up depleted Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-3 on a rare Thursday night contest at the XL Center.

The Pack benefited greatly from an outstanding First Star performance from the AHL’s top scorer. Corey Locke had a magnificent four-point night scoring two key goals and helping out on two others, including what would prove to be the game winner.

Dale Weise also was incredibly effective. The Winnipeg native and former Rangers fourth round pick (111th overall) had a big night. Weise posted a “Gordie Howe Hat-Trick.” The right winger scored the games first goal, assisted on another and won a decision in his first period fight with Alex Grant by landing the better, harder blows. Weise has been very effective and solid defensively all year, but has just not been able to break through on the tally sheet of late. Obviously that’s by the wayside.

The injury bug has bitten pretty deeply into the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins who were fortunate to receive Mark Letestu back from recall by the parent Penguins in Pittsburgh. But the team was forced to add two players to their lineup, Joey Haddad and Alex Grant, from their ECHL farm team in Wheeling. The Penguins are currently battling injury and not playing for the Pens were Nick Johnson, Aaron Boogaard, Kevin Veilleux and Ryan Bayda, all with various ailments keeping them from playing. Conversely, the only injury facing the Pack right now is Michael Sauer who’s been out with what is being described as an “upper body injury” since the Bridgeport game back on November 7th.

The Pack came out fast to start the game, but Weise took a holding call just 24 seconds into the contest and the Pack went to work on the PK. The Pack entered the contest playing very well on the PK, only allowing two tallies in their last 23 short handed opportunities. The Pack easily repelled the Penguin power play and that seemed to pump up the team.

A steady stream of sustained offensive zone pressure eventually led to a five on three man advantage for 1:09 with Brian Strait and Joe Vitale in the sin bin. The Pack would get on the board 45 seconds later.

With Dane Byers in the crease wrecking havoc and tying up the stick of defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, Locke made a tremendous cross the crease pass from the right side that found Weise all alone on the left doorstep for the easy tap in. Bobby Sanguinetti continued his effective play notching his 14th assist and 20th point on the season. Sanguinetti now ranks fifth overall in the AHL and tops among defenseman in scoring.

“Anytime you can get a power-play goal, you’re doing well,” Gernander said. “We’re good [on the power-play] and they were dangerous tonight.”

Just 30 seconds later, the Pack proved their coach right by striking again.

Paul Crowder beat Mitch Ganzak to the net to redirect a Brodie Dupont pass and it hit someone in front of the net and changed directions fooling John Curry (28 saves, 7-5-1-1) and wound up in the back of the 4×6. It’s to be noted that Dupont’s play has noticeably improved since making the switch from Wing to Center since the departure of Tyler Arnason on November 9th. Dupont’s defensive work has been stellar and he’s been winning a large majority of his face-offs as well as setting up his teammates to advance the play.

The Penguins were not about to roll over and play dead. The Penguins pressed the play after Jordan Owens took an interference call at 10:49 and just four seconds after he got freed from solitary, a shot from the left point off the stick of Strait knuckled and hit a Pack defender and somehow found the stick of Johnny-on-the-spot, Tim Wallace who beat Nigel Williams, faked starting goaltender Matt Zaba (21 saves, 1-1-0-0) and put it past him on the right side.

The Penguins were within one.

But the Pack just were relentless on the puck and 2:41 later answered back.

While putting pressure in the Penguin zone, Owens got hold of the puck and fed Byers who advanced deeper into the zone. With Owens keeping Luca Caputi engaged in the front of the net, that created a lane for Byers to find Locke. The Pack’s first line center was all alone in the right wing circle. He received the pass from Byers and uncorked a blast that blew right by Curry and the Pack were back up by two, 3-1.

After the Weise Grant battle at 15:44, the Pack would find pay dirt again and stretch their lead to three goals 1:46 later.

After Justin Soryal’s stick broke in the offensive zone, Lane Caffaro recovered the puck on the left side of the defensive zone. Owens pressured Caffaro like The Biggest Loser’s Jillian Michaels on a bloated contest in a Last Chance Work Out (there’s a reference for you) and sprung the puck free. Locke picked up the loose puck and handed off to Owens. The versatile right winger then moved across the ice and drew Jon D’Aversa with him to the left side of the ice. Byers then found open ice on the right and Owens hit him with a nice tape-to-tape pass that Byers blasted past Curry over the glove.

The multi point night for Byers extended his scoring streak to all four games since coming back from the Rangers on the 13th (2g, 3a, 5pts) and gives him a seven game streak over all (4g, 5a, 9pts).

But again, the Penguins were not going to quit.

Despite burying themselves in another extended two player shorthanded position to start the second period, (1:14) with D’Aversa and Bortuzzo in the penalty box, the Penguins had a sensational penalty kill, despite an Ilkka Heikkinen shot off the crossbar, and gained momentum off of it.

Matt Zaba, in his first game since being receiving a concussion from a dirty hit to the head by Liam Reddox against the Springfield Falcons on October 10th, was strong between the pipes for the Wolf Pack. Zaba stoned Letestu from in front of the net at 2:02. it was the first of what would be 8 other saves in the period.

However, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton did turn on the red light just 53 seconds later when Bortuzzo used Mathieu Dandenault as a screen off a terrific pass from Caputi and beat Zaba over the shoulder to cut the lead to two tallies.

With the three goal lead, the Pack were flat for most of the play in the second period and it cost them. That same flat play spilled over into the first half of the third period and it would cost them again.

Midway through the final frame, the Pack got exceptionally sloppy in their own zone and could not get the puck out. Owens, who had been working so hard to get control of the puck once he did made a very careless pass to clear the zone that didn’t and wound up on the stick of Jesse Boulerice who fed it over to Dustin Jeffrey. Jeffrey fired on Zaba and the puck rebounded to the center. Wade Brookbank beat Dandenault to the puck and shot it past Zaba, low to the glove side and just like that the Penguins were within a goal with 10:12 to play.

But the Penguins would get themselves in trouble right away. Just 28 seconds later Letestu took a slashing call and the Pack went back to work on the power play.

Crowder had a chance early in the man advantage but with Curry down and out, he couldn’t lift the puck over him for what would have been his second of the night. With just 25 ticks left for Letestu to serve in solitary, Evgeny Grachev took a Weise pass down low on the left side and drew D’Aversa to him. Grachev was patient as D’Aversa went down to the ice. The Russian rookie, who by now was just below the goal line then put a perfect pass that got by Jeffrey down low and right to the stick of Locke who was all by himself on the right side. Locke took the puck and blasted it right past the defenseless Curry for what would prove to be the final tally.

“We got back to basics tonight,” Byers said perfectly summing up his team’s performance. “We got more shots to the net and we were able to get a couple.”

Brian Ring once again recaps the game for Bruce Berlet who will receive treatment for his ailing back on Friday. Get well soon Bruce. You’ll find the story at Hartfordwolfpack.com. The recap from the Wilkes-Barre POV is handled by Matthew Conyers at timesleader.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

* Former NY Ranger draft pick “Nasty” Nate Guerin of Wilkes-Barre did not play as he was on recall with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

* The Pack have now won four straight against the Penguins and will next see them on December 5th (my birthday in case you were thinking of sending gifts…teasing) in Wilkes-Barre. Howlings will be making that road trip with the team for that game and the following night against Hershey.

* The win put the Pack four games over .500 for the first time this season and moved them into second place with 23 points. They are tied with Lowell in terms of points, but hold second by virtue of more wins (11 versus 10).

* The Pack also have the best differential in goals for versus goals against at plus-13 (63-50 in 19 games) in the Atlantic and third overall in the Eastern Conference. Hershey is an ungodly plus-25 after just 17 games and Norfolk is a plus-15 also in 19 games.

* Manchester leads the Pack by just a pair of points but hold a game in hand on first place.

* Inside the numbers:

– 6-0-0-0 when leading after one period

– 9-1-0-0 when leading after two

– 5-6-0-0 when outshooting their opponents

– 3-2-0-0 in two-goal games differentials

* The four goal outburst in the first period was their best in a first period this season eclipsing the three they rang up October 10th against Springfield. It also tied the most they’ve scored in any period with the four they tallied against Providence in the third period of their game on October 31st.

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE:

Checkers had the night off

LINES:

Grachev – Dupont – Weise

Byers – Locke – Owens

Soryal – Crowder – Couture

Garlock – Ambϋhl

Potter – Williams

Heikkinen – Sanguinetti

Dandenault – Urquhart

Henley

Zaba

(Assistant Captains Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

P.A. Parenteau – Recall with NY Rangers

Devin DiDiomete – Conditioning in Charlotte

Michael Sauer – Upper Body, Day-to-Day

Chris Chappell – Healthy

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – C. Locke
2. HFD – D. Weise
3. HFD – J. Owens

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Francis Charron (46)

Linesmen:
Luke Galvin (2)
Paul Simeon (66)

NEXT GAME:

Saturday night, David Liffiton and Brock McBride will both face the Hartford Wolf Pack for the first time since leaving the organization as the AHL representatives of the New York Rangers travel up to Syracuse to challenge the last place Crunch (Columbus Blue Jackets). Game time against the 5-8-2-2 Crunch is 7:30.

SCORE-SHEET:

W-B/Scranton 1 1 1 – 3

Hartford 4 0 1 – 5

1st Period-1, Hartford, Weise 5 (Locke, Sanguinetti), 8:59 (pp). 2, Hartford, Crowder 4 (Dupont), 9:29 (pp). 3, W-B/Scranton, Wallace 4 (Strait, Haddad), 12:53. 4, Hartford, Locke 10 (Byers, Owens), 15:34. 5, Hartford, Byers 4 (Owens, Locke), 17:30. Penalties-Weise Hfd (holding), 0:24; Strait Wbs (hooking), 7:22; Vitale Wbs (tripping), 8:14; Owens Hfd (interference), 10:49; Grant Wbs (fighting), 15:44; Weise Hfd (fighting), 15:44; Williams Hfd (hooking), 17:57; D’Aversa Wbs (hooking), 19:13; Bortuzzo Wbs (slashing), 20:00.

2nd Period-6, W-B/Scranton, Bortuzzo 1 (Caputi, Sill), 2:55. Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period-7, W-B/Scranton, Brookbank 1 (Jeffrey, Boulerice), 9:48. 8, Hartford, Locke 11 (Grachev, Weise), 11:35 (pp). Penalties-Brookbank Wbs (high-sticking), 5:50; Letestu Wbs (slashing), 10:16.

Shots on Goal-W-B/Scranton 5-9-10-24. Hartford 11-9-13-33.

Power Play Opportunities-W-B/Scranton 0 of 3; Hartford 3 of 6.

Goalies-W-B/Scranton, Curry 7-4-1 (33 shots-28 saves). Hartford, Zaba 0-1-0 (24 shots-21 saves).

A- 1,935