PACK ZABA ADMIRALS 

     VERSUS     

The Hartford Wolf Pack played their most complete road game of the season Saturday night and blew by the Norfolk Admirals 5-1.  Derek Couture had his first multi-goal game as a member of the Wolf Pack and “The Two Corey’s,” Locke and Potter, had three assists each. While an important victory for the fifth place Wolf Pack, it did not come without a heavy price. Rising star forward Dale Weise was lost to the team in the first period and appears headed to the ever increasing list of the team’s top players on the injured list.

The game’s first goal went to the Pack opponent for the seventh time in the last eight games. Evgeny Grachev failed to cover Justin Keller and left him alone in the slot. The rookie forward stood by as a feed by Juraj Simek to Keller was blasted past starting Pack netminder Matt Zaba (33 saves, 5-8-1) high over the blocker at 3:17. It would be the only mistake of the night in a masterful performance by the Pack’s second year goaltender.

When Couture tallied just 37 seconds later from right in front of the net off some nifty passing from Potter and Locke, the Pack gained momentum and ran away with it from there.

Like their parent club the New York Rangers, in order to be winners the Pack need to get goals from more than just their star players. In the Pack’s case they have no choice since the majority of their star players are out with injuries. They also need to score on the power play and stay out of the penalty box themselves. On this night anyway, they did all three.

While the scoresheet says that they were outshot 11-10 in the first period, the fifth place Pack controlled the game. With just 1:28 left in the stanza, Justin Soryal scored his second goal in the last four games and second of the season. The Newmarket, Ontario native showed his stone hard hands that work so effectively at knocking down opponents as fists, have a softness to them that allow the 6’2” 210 pounder to redirect pucks past goaltenders just as well. Soryal was part of a quick developing three-on-two odd man rush in the Admirals zone with Andres Ambϋhl and Potter against Ryan McGinnis and Ty Wishart. Ambϋhl fed the Pack left winger down low and redirected it into the short side past Admirals’ starter Dustin Tokarski (30 saves, 16-14-1) for what would prove to be the game-winner.

The Pack added two more goals in the second period.

Former NHL’er Mark Parrish’s blunder led to the first Pack goal of the period when for some inexplicable reason, he telegraphed a cross ice pass from the left wing boards only to see it picked off by Nigel Williams. The Pack defenseman took a few strides in and then unloaded a hard shot from the left circle that Couture deflected past Tokarski for his second of the game and eighth of the season at 5:03.

6:40 later Hartford would turn the goal light on for a fourth time. Potter fired a shot from downtown Norfolk that found it’s way on net. Pack captain Dane Byers was screening Tokarski and got his stick on the shot and put it past the Admiral cage protector. Despite heavy protest from Tokarski that he was interfered with by Byers, the cries fell on deaf ears and the Pack had a three-goal lead as the teams headed to the final frame.

Zaba was spectacular in the second making incredible dead red stops on Keller twice on penalty kills and then in his most Henrik Lundqvist like save, simply robbed Paul Szczechura in front of the net.

Kenny Roche continued to make his case that his days in the East Coast League are done. The former Rangers third round pick (#75 overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft) has played extremely well since being signed to a PTO contract in late January.

Standing in the slot with positioning on Wishart and his back to the net, Roche pulled an Ilkka Heikkinen shot from the left point out of mid-air and deliberately made it bounce in the crease. The bounce threw Tokarski off and the puck leaped over the blocker side of the Admiral’s net. The goals was Roche’s third (all against Norfolk) and sixth point (3g, 3a) in seven games since joining the Pack, and first back-to-back goal scoring game for the South Boston native.

Perhaps the game’s most unusual moment came at 6:43. For some reason, former Pack enforcer Mitch Fritz (6’7” 242 pounds) became incensed at Grachev (6’4” 220 pounds) and went after him and wanted to fight him. Fortunately for the 19 year old Russian, 27-year old Jared Nightingale, (6’3” 205 pounds) who knows how to defend himself, stepped in the path of Fritz and calmer heads prevailed. Fritz took a double roughing minor on the play. Several looks a the replay didn’t show exactly what happened, but whatever did certainly set Fritz off.

Zaba made his most sparkling stop of the game at 8:35 when Dave Urquhart lost a puck at the point in the offensive zone. Szczechura picked up the puck and had a clean breakaway. The hero for Norfolk the night before made a couple of fakes and went to the backhand but Zaba played it perfectly and turned the scoring chance away.

The Pack will be off now until Friday night to try and get some of their more talented players off the injured list.

Bob Crawford filed this report at Hartfordwolfpack.com.  The only story out there was this one at NorfolkAdmirals.com. Apparently The Virginian-Pilot only covers them when they win.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS

NOTES:

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* With the win, Pack hand Norfolk their first loss in regulation in ten games

* December 27th was the last win that the Pack had in regulation. Their last four wins came in the extended frame and last five-of-six came after regulation.

* Of the 29 players on the Wolf Pack roster, nine of them are injured

* Pack improved their road record to 10-14-2-2

* Talk about your disparity of numbers. The Pack are at 22.3% (25/112) on the Power Play at the XL Center. On the road they are a putrid 13.6% (17/125)

* When leading after one period the Pack improve to 13-2-1-1 and 19-1-1-1 when leading after two. They are a stellar 25-0-0-0 when leading after three…a little joke for a Saturday night.

* 16-10-1-2 is the Pack record when outshooting their opponent. 9-10-2-2 when being outshot.

* Grachev, Locke and Dupont are the only Pack players to play in all 52 games.

LINES:

Grachev – Dupont – Roche
DiDiomete – Owens – Couture
Soryal – Crowder – Ambϋhl
Byers © – Locke – Weise

Urquhart – Potter
Williams – Nightingale
Heikkinen – Schaeffer

Zaba
Wiikman

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Julien Brouillette – Healthy
Ryan Garlock – Undisclosed – Day-to-Day
Steven Valiquette – Hand Injury – Day-to-Day
Michael Sauer – Undisclosed – Day-to-Day
Bobby Sanguinetti – Lower Body – Day-to-Day
P.A. Parenteau – Concussion – Indefinite
Mathieu Dandenault – Lower Body – Indefinite
Chad Johnson – On recall with the NY Rangers
Brent Henley – Knee  – Season
Mike Hoffman – Shoulder – Season

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – D. Couture
2. HFD – C. Potter
3. HFD – C. Locke

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Francis Charron (46)

Linesmen:
Mathieu Chenier (28)
Paul Reid (62)

NEXT GAME: 
The Pack will have some well deserved healing time as they will now be off until next Friday night when they will travel to Rhode Island to take on the Providence Bruins. Game time is 7:05 with Bob Crawford on the pre-game show at 6:35.
To watch the game live, you can purchased it for $6.99 at AHL-live.

If you can attend the cost is as little as $10 a ticket, why not just go? For Ticket information call (860) 548-2000.

Too far away or can’t make it? Listen live at WTIC.com.

SCORE-SHEET:

Hartford Wolf Pack 5 At Norfolk Admirals 1

Feb 6, 2010 – Norfolk Scope

Hartford 2 2 1 – 5

Norfolk 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Keller 9 (Simek, Szczechura), 3:17. 2, Hartford, Couture 7 (Potter, Locke), 3:54. 3, Hartford, Soryal 2 (Ambuhl, Potter), 18:32. Penalties-DiDiomete Hfd (interference), 7:31.

2nd Period-4, Hartford, Couture 8 (Williams), 5:03. 5, Hartford, Byers 14 (Potter, Locke), 11:43. Penalties-Fornataro Nor (hooking), 7:37; Soryal Hfd (hooking), 16:39.

3rd Period-6, Hartford, Roche 3 (Heikkinen, Locke), 5:18 (pp). Penalties-Ambuhl Hfd (tripping), 2:31; Tyrell Nor (slashing), 5:11; served by DiDiomete Hfd (bench minor – too many men), 6:43; Fritz Nor (roughing, roughing), 6:43.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 10-14-11-35. Norfolk 11-10-13-34.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 of 3; Norfolk 0 of 3.

Goalies-Hartford, Zaba 5-8-1 (34 shots-33 saves). Norfolk, Tokarski 16-14-1 (35 shots-30 saves).

A-4,557