CRUNCHED

VERSUS     

The Hartford Wolf Pack entered Saturday night’s contest with the Syracuse Crunch two points out of first place in the Atlantic Division and on a 9-2-0-1 roll over their last twelve games.  They had also earned at least a standings point in four straight and eight of their last nine. Conversely the Crunch came into this contest on the entire AHL, winless in their last four and had only managed three wins in their last twelve (3-6-2-1). Given the young nature of this edition of the Hartford Wolf Pack it would be easy for them to potentially get overconfident about this game. But those are the pitfalls that trip up a young team like this one. This was, as experts are so fond of saying, part of the process in learning how to win.

Right form the outset the Pack looked out of kilter. While both teams shot the puck on net eight times apiece in the first period, it was clearly the Crunch that were dictating the play. The Pack’s best chance of the first came at 4:54 when the Pack had a two on one odd man rush that was extinguished by a terrific save by Syracuse starting netminder, and the game’s first star, Kevin Lalande.

Pack netminder Chad Johnson, who had been playing very steady in net, he did not have a good game. The Calgary native did only surrendered two goals, but one of them was weak and should have been stopped. Johnson also was battling the puck all night and having difficulty controlling rebounds. Far too many were left in the hot zone giving second chance opportunities that a better team than Syracuse would have jumped all over.

At 3:28 of the second period, Jon Mirasty shoved Corey Potter to the ice for no apparent reason and was sent off to think about it alone for two minutes on a roughing call. Ordinarily, given the Pack’s number one overall ranking on the power play, this would be a golden opportunity for the boys representing Connecticut’s capital to score. However, the team was clearly not functioning how Head Coach Ken Gernander would have wanted them to. As the power play was coming to a close, former Wolf Pack defenseman Dylan Reese picked up a loose puck and floated it over to right wing Maksim Mayorov. The second year pro out of Andizhan, Russia picked up a loose puck and skated totally unmolested through the neutral zone shorthanded. When he reached the right face off circle, he unloaded a shot that Johnson misread and it flew right past his outstretched glove. The goal, which came at 5:18, was the second the Pack have surrendered thus far this season.

The Crunch would continue to play safe, but unimposing hockey throughout the period but the Pack were just asleep at the wheel.

At 13:40, Trevor Frischmon separated the puck form the Pack while forechecking and gave it to Nick Holden who took a low, hard shot from the right point. There was lots of traffic in front of Johnson and Syracuse tough guy Kevin Harvey got his stick on it and redirected it past Johnson for what would prove to be the game winner.

The Pack were badly outplayed in the second and outshot 12-5. The five shots on goal were their lowest output in a second period this season.

It looked as if the Pack were going to be shut out for only the second time this season, and frankly they deserved to be, but off a rush as the game was coming to a close, Illka Heikkinen ruined Lalande’s bid for a second career shut out when his blast from the high slot off a feed from Corey Locke who had received it from Dale Weise, blew right past him with just 1.2 seconds left on the clock for the final score of 2-1.

Bob Crawford sums up the game about as well as you could in this one at Hartfordwolfpack.com. The Syracuse perspective is captured by Lindsay Kramer at Syracuse.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

* Columbus GM Scott Howson was in the house for the contest.

* Corey Locke maintained his hold on first place in the scoring race. He has 11g, 19a for 30 points through 20 games. Ex-Pack Alexandre Giroux is second with 10g, 16a for 26 points in just 15 games. Bobby Sanguinetti is 10th with 20 points (6g, 14a). P.A. Parenteau, still on recall with the Rangers is now 7th (10g, 10a, 20 pts in 13 games).

* Chad Johnson has broken into the top ten in goaltending. He’s 8-5-1 with a 2.06GAA and a .927%

* With the assist on the final goal, Weise has points in two consecutive games for the first time this season.

* Dane Byers points streak was stopped at seven. (4g, 5a, 9pts)

* This was the 11th meeting all-time between the two clubs. The Pack have dominated and have a record of 6-3-2-0 against the Crunch.

* Tied after one period, the Pack are 5-4-0-0. Trailing after two they are –0-7-0-1. Being outshot the team falls to 6-2-0-1 and are 3-4-0-1 in one goal games.

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE:

VERSUS

ROUND TWO

CHECKERS ON A ROLL, DUMP CHIEFS 6-2

Charlotte On Four-Game Win Streak

There seems to be no shortage of goals by the Charlotte Checkers lately as they added another six and downed the Johnstown Chiefs, 6-2, on Saturday in front of a packed house at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Frank Doyle stopped 30 of 32 shots for the win and the line of Michel Leveille, Tyler Doig and Kenny Roche combined for another eight points. The Checkers got goals three different ways – three on the power play, two at even strength and one shorthanded. The Checkers have now scored 26 goals in their last four games.

For the ninth time in 14 games this season, Charlotte drew first blood. Matt Schepke, fresh off a three-goal performance last night, carried the puck around a Johnstown defender and slid it through the crease to Devin DiDiomete who tucked it home for his second of the season.

The Checkers would make it a 2-0 game later in the period on a great shorthanded effort by Julien Brouillette and Daniel Tkaczuk. Brouillette, from the Checkers’ end, banked a pass off the glass right onto the stick of Tkaczuk who then came in alone, deked and backhanded a shot off the far post past Chiefs netminder Kris Mayotte. The goal came at the 12:34 mark of the first period.

Just over 13 minutes into the second period, Charlotte increased their lead to three on a power-play goal by Doig. Doig received a pass in the corner from Leveille and circled in front before letting a shot go that beat Mayotte between the legs.

Johnstown would answer back just four minutes later on a power play of their own as Dan Collins took advantage of a Charlotte miscue in front of the net and beat Doyle over the glove with a wrist shot.

Charlotte then regained the three-goal lead on the power play late in the period on a one-time shot by Leveille. The goal came with 10 seconds to play in the second frame and was assisted by Doig and Brouillette.

The Chiefs scored again to make it 4-2, however, the Checkers would add another goal on the power play, this time by Kenny Roche. The goal was Roche’s sixth in the last four games and was assisted by Leveille and Doig.

With less than four minutes to play the Checkers added some insurance and put the game out of reach. Mike Taylor circled down low and fed a pass to Brouillette who one-timed the puck past Mayotte for his fourth of the season.

The Checkers (9-3-2-0) will travel to Gwinnett over Thanksgiving before returning home to host the Gladiators on Sunday, Nov. 29 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Game time is 2pm and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com.

Notes: Tyler Doig now has 13 points (2g, 11a) in his last six games…Kenny Roche has six goals in his last four games…Michel Leveille leads the team in scoring with 22 pts (10g, 12a) in 14 games…rookie Andrew Carroll had his five-game goal streak snapped in Saturday’s win… 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:

Grachev – Dupont – Weise

Byers – Locke – Owens

Soryal – Crowder – Couture

Chappell- Garlock – Ambϋhl

Potter – Williams

Heikkinen – Sanguinetti

Dandenault – Urquhart

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 – Undisclosed Injury – Day-To-Day

THREE STARS:

1. SYR – K. Lalande
2. SYR – K. Harvey
3. SYR – M. Mayorov

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Chris Cozzan (68)

Linesmen:
Jeff Walker (28)
Brian Lemon (25)

NEXT GAME:

The Pack face another four-point game as they travel up to Massachusetts for a pre-Thanksgiving meeting with franchise rival, and second place Lowell Wednesday night. The Pack easily beat the Devils in Hartford on October 24th knocking off New Jersey’s minor league affiliate 5-2.

SCORE-SHEET:

Hartford 0 0 1 – 1

Syracuse 0 2 0 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Harvey Syr (tripping), 3:53; Heikkinen Hfd (tripping), 6:43; Weise Hfd (roughing), 11:37; Picard Syr (roughing), 11:37.

2nd Period-1, Syracuse, Mayorov 3 (Reese), 5:18 (sh). 2, Syracuse, Harvey 2 (Holden, LaVallee-Smotherman), 13:40. Penalties-Mirasty Syr (roughing), 3:28; Potter Hfd (holding), 11:32.

3rd Period-3, Hartford, Heikkinen 5 (Locke, Weise), 19:58 (sh). Penalties-Garlock Hfd (roughing), 6:17; Harvey Syr (roughing), 6:17; Sanguinetti Hfd (tripping), 19:18.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 8-5-10-23. Syracuse 8-12-4-24.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 of 2; Syracuse 0 of 3.

Goalies-Hartford, Johnson 8-5-1 (24 shots-22 saves). Syracuse, Lalande 3-4-1 (23 shots-22 saves).