RUNNING ON EMPTY 

     VERSUS     

Wednesday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack dropped a game they REALLY needed to win to the first place Sharks 6-4 at the DCU Center in Worcester. The loss brings them one step further away from seeing their AHL record thirteenth consecutive playoff appearance come to fruition.

This entire season can best be summed up in the phrase, “if it’s not one thing, then it’s another.”

Injuries have beset the Wolf Pack all season long, yet entering this game, for the most part they’re healthy. Wednesday night, the team’s best player, P.A. Parenteau, returned after missing the past couple of games with flu-like symptoms, so at least for this game, injuries weren’t a factor.  The New York Ranger’s top development team has struggled all season long to score goals. Wednesday they put four in the net behind Worcester starter Frank Doyle (34 saves, 2-1-0) who has spent much of the season in the ECHL, part of that time with the Charlotte Checkers. Four goals on most nights should be enough to win. That is of course assuming that the team is able to defend in it’s own end, which Wednesday night the Pack struggled to do all night long.

But in looking at this game the one consistency that has plagued this team all season long and reared it’s ugly head again Wednesday night was the absence of anything approaching an effective power play and penalty killing that is just atrocious. The Pack were 0-for-4 on the man advantage and surrendered three goals on six times short handed, the last being an empty netter with just one second left in the contest. Even without that two goals on five times shorthanded is nothing to be excited about either. It has been the single largest area of problem for Head Coach Ken Gernander’s troops all year long.

On the plus side, the Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter had an outstanding night. The Michigan native duplicated his last, and only other, two goal game performance from last February 13th, 2009 when he also had a two and one assist game in a 6-2 home win against the Lake Erie Monsters. Hartford also got goals from Brodie Dupont and Dale Weise, who inched that much closer to his season goal of putting 25 in the net with his 21st of the season.

The Pack had to be confident as they entered this game as they had won the last two times they visited the DCU Center and were 4-0-0 overall against their division leading opponents. This contest was extra critical because it was the game-in-hand they had against sixth place Providence and one of the two they had against fifth place Bridgeport, both of whom they are chasing for the final playoff spot.

Ultimately though, the team was not able to play any sort of containment defense and allowed T.J. Trevelyan two goals, including the game winner and Danny Groulx and Ryan Vesce a goal and an assist each.

For only the fifth time in the last twenty-one games, the Pack scored first. At 5:54, Worcester’s Nick Petrecki sent the puck up the boards on a clearing attempt only there were no Sharks anywhere in the neighborhood. The only one who was there was Potter. The Pack defenseman just threw the puck at the net form the right point and it hit Doyle’s glove and went into the net for the 1-0 lead.

Donald Brashear then took a lazy hooking call at 7:46 which put the leagues fifth best power play unit on the ice against the Pack’s last placed penalty killers. 

1:22 later, Derek Joslin put a puck on net that starter Matt Zaba, (20 saves, 6-11-2) was unable to freeze and it bounced in front of him in the crease. Steven Zalewski whacked at the puck and knocked it through the legs of the Pack netminder for his twenty-first of the season and the game was tied.

The Pack regained the lead at 2-1 when on a delayed tripping call from a Shark defender to Parenteau in the offensive zone, Corey Locke retrieved the puck along the left side and fed it around to the right to Dupont. On this line Dupont was back at his more familiar left wing slot and fed Potter who was just inside the blue line in the high slot and he uncorked a  missile of a shot that blew right past Doyle who was WAY outside his crease.

The Pack doubled their lead at 10:21 of the second period.

Mike Moore turned over the puck on great forecheck pressure by Parenteau, who got his stick down and intercepted a pass from the Shark defenseman. The puck slid over to Locke behind the net on the left wing side. Locke then fed the puck into the slot just outside the crease area where a crashing Dupont blasted it past Doyle for his thirteenth of the season.

But the Pack put themselves behind the eight-ball again by taking too many penalties.

First it was Ilkka Heikkinen who was forced to take a hooking call on Benn Ferriero who had broken through the defense and was heading for the net unencumbered by any defense at all. Then 1:30 later, Potter took a very obvious cross-checking call that might have sent Gernander to an apoplectic state. The Pack would be short handed five-on-three for :30 seconds and given the Sharks 3:30 of power play time. The Pack managed to kill off the two-man advantage, but just six seconds after Ferriero got the puck to Vesce behind the net to Zaba’s right, Vesce brought the puck in and the Pack netminder could not get his glove on the loose biscuit and one of Vesce’s attempts sent the puck around Zaba, hit newcomer Anders Eriksson in the skate and went over the line for the second power play goal in four tries.

In terms of effort, the Pack outshot Worcester in the period 18-8 and 28-19 to that point in the contest and given their record of 20-1-2-1 when leading after two periods, it looked like the momentum had swung, but that the Pack should be able to come away with the two points.

But they play sixty minutes for a reason and as has been an issue all season long, the Pack seemed to forget that in the early part of the final period.

At 7:26, and with the Sharks putting lots of forecheck pressure on and the Pack unable to advance the puck with any sort of consistency, Dan DaSilva was chased into the left corner by both Paul Crowder and Bobby Sanguinetti which left Andrew Desjardins completely alone. DaSilva saw that and fed him the puck and the Shark centerman beat Zaba with a hard shot from inside the slot and the game was tied at three.

2:04 later, with the Pack forwards caught up ice, Worcester seized the lead for the first time in the contest when Trevelyan put the puck past Zaba. He and Kevin Henderson came up the ice on a two-on-one odd man rush against Eriksson. Locke skated hard to get back and dove to the ice to try and intercept the set up pass from Henderson, but it was too late and Trevelyan had his first of the game and twentieth of the season.

Unlike many other games this season where the Pack would scramble around and not get anything on the board, this time they answered back with hard work and were rewarded with a tally.

At 13:03, Potter, again from the right point, just threw the puck at the net and Wiese made a great redirect knocking the puck out of midair and fooling Doyle knotting the score again, this time at four.

The game winner came as no one challenged Logan Couture in the right corner. Couture surveyed the landscape and saw Brett Westgarth, who just returned to the Sharks after spending much of this season with Bridgeport, and Trevelyan in front of the net. He sent the puck right into the crease where it appeared as if the puck deflected off of Westgarth and right to Trevelyan who put what would prove to be the game winner right into the twine.

Hartford took a too many men on the ice call, that sent Gernander into a fit of anger against referee Mark Lemelin as the puck hit Zaba as he was trying to get off the ice. That forced the Pack to keep him on the ice longer and took any chance of the Pack getting a man advantage in the closing minute. Danny Groulx found the back of the empty net just as time was expiring for the games final score.

The Pack finish their five game road trip Friday night in a must win game against last place Springfield. Hartford is winless in a season high seven games (0-3-3-1) and have only won three times in their last twenty-one (3-12-5-1).

(pictured: Anders Eriksson and ex-Pack Dwight “Dewey” Helminen battle for the puck. Photo courtesy of telegram.com)

Hartfordwolfpack.com is where Bob Crawford recounts what he saw from the broadcast booth for Wolf Pack fans. Bill Ballou will have the Worcester story at Telegram.com . TheAHL.com also has a brief recount of the game.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET 

STANDINGS

SCOREBOARD:

Not much in the way of action for a Wednesday night in the American League. Ex-Pack goaltender Chris Holt evened up his record at 12-12-1 as the Binghamton Senators got two goals and an assist from Josh Hennessy on their way to a 5-3 win over Manchester. Nick Johnson has a goal in regulation and then the shootout winner for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton despite a pair of tallies from Albany’s Jerome Samson as the Penguins beat the River Rats 4-3. Texas knocked off Peoria 3-2 and Mike Santorelli had two goals, ex-Pack Hugh Jessiman had an assist as the Admirals crushed the Lake Erie Monsters 5-1.

NOTES:

* If you have yet to sign up for our new service to our readers on Twitter, you’re really missing out on the most extensive coverage of the Wolf Pack and Checkers you’ll find anywhere. In addition to keeping you posted here on all major news stories, visit www.twitter.com/howlingstoday for in-game coverage of both Wolf Pack and Checkers games. Please “Follow” us on Twitter.

* The Wolf Pack signed the injured Mike Hoffman to a full AHL contract. Hoffman had been on a Professional Try-out deal. This is probably a move designed more for next season than this one. Here’s the official release:

WOLF PACK SIGN MIKE HOFFMAN TO AHL CONTRACT

*           *           *           *

Veteran Winger had been on PTO with Pack

*           *           *           *

Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Wolf Pack have signed forward Mike Hoffman to an American Hockey League contract.

Hoffman has played in seven games with the Wolf Pack since signing a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement December 10, scoring one goal and registering 19 penalty minutes.  The seventh-year pro has been out of action since December 30 due to injury.

Hoffman, a 29-year-old, 6-5, 248-pound native of Weymouth, MA, is an ex-UConn Husky, having played a total of 31 games in a UConn uniform in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.  Prior to going to UConn, Hoffman attended prep school at Loomis Chaffee in Windsor, CT.  He is the first-ever UConn product to play with the Wolf Pack.

Before joining the Wolf Pack, Hoffman was with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, for whom he had played 12 games, registering one assist and 31 penalty minutes.  Hoffman played in the AHL last season for the Chicago Wolves, skating in 61 games and scoring two goals and two assists for four points, while serving 89 minutes in penalties. 

Hoffman has played in 289 career AHL contests with the Worcester IceCats, Cleveland Barons, Toronto Marlies, Manchester Monarchs, Portland Pirates, Chicago Wolves and the Wolf Pack, totaling 21 goals, 29 assists, 50 points and 621 PIM.

* Also in the news is the clear day list for the team should they make the playoffs. Some interesting things to note in terms of names on and off the list. The “Clear Day list” consists of a maximum of 22 players that can play in the playoffs should the Pack somehow manage to make it that far. Here’s the list: Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba in the net. Donald Brashear, Dane Byers, Paul Crowder, Brodie Dupont, Anders Eriksson, Ryan Garlock, Evgeny Grachev, Ilkka Heikkinen, Corey Locke, Kris Newbury, Jared Nightingale, P.A. Parenteau, Corey Potter, Bobby Sanguinetti, Justin Soryal, Dale Weise. No surprises there, but also on the list are Brent Henley, Mike Hoffman, Nigel Williams and Michael Sauer who are all injured and were thought to be done for the season. Notice also that Olympian Andres Ambϋhl and David Urquhart are not on that list.  Ambϋhl’s absence is puzzling. While he’s not exactly dynamic by any stretch, Ambϋhl has been a good soldier all season long and was good enough to play for his nation’s Olympic team, but not the AHL playoffs? Derek Couture is also not on the list and will probably head to Charlotte for their run to win the Kelly Cup as will Julien Brouillette. Urquhart being off the list is surprising to say the least given the defenseman has had a decent season defensively and there was another thing too…oh yeah,  HE’S NOT HURT.

Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

* The start time for the Tuesday, March 16 contest between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden is set for 7:30 pm.  It was originally scheduled for 7:00 pm.  The matchup will be nationally televised on Versus.

LINES:

Byers © – Newbury – Weise
Dupont – Locke – Parenteau
Brashear – Garlock – Couture
Soryal – Crowder – Grachev

Heikkinen – Nightingale  
Brouillette – Potter
Eriksson – Sanguinetti

Zaba
Johnson

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized) 

SCRATCHES:

Dave Urquhart – Healthy Scratch
Andres Ambϋhl – Healthy Scratch
Nigel Williams – Undisclosed Injury – Day-to-Day
Steven Valiquette – Hand Injury – Season over
Michael Sauer – Shoulder – Season over
Mike Hoffman – Shoulder – Season over
Brent Henley – Knee – Season over

THREE STARS:

1. WOR – T. Trevelyan
2. HFD – C. Potter
3. WOR – R. Vesce

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Mark Lemelin (84)

Linesmen:
Mark Messier (12)
Bob Paquette (18)

NEXT GAME:

For the Pack to even have a remote chance of getting into the race for the last playoff spot, Friday night’s game against the Springfield Falcons is a must win game. Game time is 7:30 so Bob Crawford will be on the air with the Pre-Game show at 7.

To watch the game live, you can purchased it for $6.99 at AHL-live.

If you can attend the home games, they 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 or from your cell phone or computer visit www.twitter.com/howlingstoday for complete live in-game coverage.

SCORE-SHEET:

Hartford Wolf Pack 4 At Worcester Sharks 6 – Status: Final

Mar 10, 2010 – DCU Center

Hartford 2 1 1 – 4

Worcester 1 1 4 – 6

1st Period-1, Hartford, Potter 3   5:54. 2, Worcester, Zalewski 21 (Joslin), 9:08 (pp). 3, Hartford, Potter 4 (Dupont, Locke), 14:16. Penalties-Brashear Hfd (hooking), 7:46; Doyle Wor (delay of game – restricted area), 14:29; served by Brashear Hfd (bench minor – too many men), 17:05.

2nd Period-4, Hartford, Dupont 13 (Locke, Parenteau), 10:21. 5, Worcester, Vesce 12 (Ferriero, Groulx), 14:32 (pp). Penalties-Soryal Hfd (fighting), 4:31; Petrecki Wor (fighting), 4:31; Nightingale Hfd (fighting), 6:21; Henderson Wor (kneeing, fighting), 6:21; Westgarth Wor (interference), 10:45; Heikkinen Hfd (hooking), 12:26; Potter Hfd (cross-checking), 13:56.

3rd Period-6, Worcester, Desjardins 14 (McCarthy, DaSilva), 7:26. 7, Worcester, Trevelyan 20 (Doyle, Henderson), 9:30. 8, Hartford, Weise 21 (Potter, Newbury), 13:03. 9, Worcester, Trevelyan 21 (Westgarth, Couture), 18:15. 10, Worcester, Groulx 9 (Demers, Vesce), 19:59 (pp en). Penalties-Joslin Wor (boarding), 0:19; Garlock Hfd (hooking), 3:56; served by Soryal Hfd (bench minor – too many men), 19:00.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 10-18-10-38. Worcester 11-8-7-26.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 of 4; Worcester 3 of 6.

Goalies-Hartford, Zaba 6-11-2 (25 shots-20 saves). Worcester, Doyle 2-1-0 (38 shots-34 saves).

A-2,306

MEANWHILE IN CHARLOTTE

CHECKERS, DIAMONDS DIRECT TO GIVE AWAY ONE-KARAT DIAMOND

On Saturday, Mar. 13, during the Checkers fourth annual “Pink in the Rink”, the first 1,000 ladies that register at the Diamonds Direct concourse area table will be handed an envelope that may contain a real one Karat diamond with an estimated value of $4,000. In order to verify if the “diamond” handed out is genuine, ladies will have to make their way to the Diamonds Direct location in South Park at 4521 Sharon Road in order to verify if their envelope contains the special prize or a cubic zirconium.

In the past three seasons, the Checkers have raised over $72,200 through jersey auctions, ticket fundraising and merchandise sales for “Pink in the Rink”-related charities, including Carolina Breast Friends, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the American Cancer Society.

During the event, the Checkers will don special pink jerseys that will be auctioned off live after the game. The Checkers will also raise money through fundraising tickets and merchandise sales.

The funds raised from the “Pink in the Rink” game will be used for the design and construction of the “Pink House”, a “one-stop-shop” where breast cancer survivors have the opportunity to meet with each other in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere. They will participate in monthly educational/social meetings as well as fitness/yoga training, nutritional education, wig/scarf boutique and other counseling and creative workshops.

The Checkers (32-20-7) will host the Gwinnett Gladiators on Thursday, Mar. 11 for “Hockey for Haiti”. Season tickets are now on sale for the inaugural AHL season in 2010-11 and 40-game packages start as low as $200. Visit www.gocheckers.com or call 704-342-4ICE for more information.