JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED 

     VERSUS     

What better way to get a team’s confidence back and end the season’s longest winless streak (0-3-3-1) than to play a rivalry game against the worst team in the American League? Wolf Pack Ken Gernander couldn’t have asked to visit the MassMutual Center at a better time and he got what he needed – a win with a 4-2 win over the Springfield Falcons in front of 3,808 Friday night.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Wolf Pack. They were outplayed by the Falcons from the midway point of the second period after the Pack had built a three goal lead getting outscored the rest of the way 2-1. Given how loose and carelessly they played the third period, had it been a better team they might have been in real trouble and wound up as they did against Worcester with an “L” instead of a “W.” “We’ve been playing well the last few games,” former NHL enforcer Donald Brashear told reporters after the game. “But we always seem to make a few mistakes, and that cost us the last goal.”

If the Wolf Pack are going to secure an American League record thirteenth straight playoff appearance, Gernander, J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller are going to need to correct this and fast as the Pack cannot afford to give away any more points to sloppy play. The last playoff spot is still six points away as the Pack will have to leap over three other teams to do it. The Pack have 28 points available to them with fourteen to go, and they’re going to need most of them. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has 30 points they can walk away with while Bridgeport can tally 26. Providence can add 28 like the Pack. Hartford has four point games to go with two against Providence and two against Bridgeport. Those are all must-win games. They don’t have any head-to-head games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. To the Pack’s advantage, they still have three more against Springfield. Bridgeport and Providence only have one with the leagues doormat.

Of teams currently in the playoffs, the Pack will have five of their remaining contests against them while Bridgeport, Providence and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton have eight. Of their remaining games, the Wolf Pack have ten at the XL Center while Providence can play in the Dunkin Donuts Center five more times, Bridgeport sells tickets for six more home games at the Arena at Harbor Yard while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has seven more home dates at the Times-Union Center.

So the schedule is HEAVILY in the Pack’s favor if they can string some wins together.

For the second consecutive game Friday night, the Pack got an early lead.

Just 57 seconds into the contest, P.A. Parenteau beat Springfield starter Bryan Pitton (30 saves, 1-2-0) after the puck pin-balled all over the ice. Parenteau picked it up and put an inside out move on Chris Armstrong leaving him lost in a haze and beat the Falcon netminder over the stick. It’s moves like this one that Hartford needs out of their best player if the Pack are going to make the playoffs.

The power play, which has been nothing short of awful this season, tallied with an impressive showing at 13:23 of the first. With Johan Motin in the penalty box for interference, Bobby Sanguinetti showed why he has improved this season as much as he has when he saw the play developing and didn’t rush a bad pass into traffic. He found Dane Byers on the left wing half boards and put it right on his stick. Byers looked over the landscape and saw Brodie Dupont move into a position alone in the slot and put the puck right there for the Russell, Manitoba native who buried it into the net past Pitton’s glove for his 14th of the season.

The Pack led in shots at one point 5-1 but finished the period with a 10-8 advantage.

In the second period, Dale Weise scored what may well have been his nicest goal of the season. Weise cut down the center of the ice with the puck through traffic. He then faked Armstrong completely out of his jock strap on a three-on-two odd man rush and pin-pointes a shot just under blocker and over the pad of Springfield’s latest goaltender.

But then the Pack, as they have been want to do, lightened up and relaxed with their three-goal lead rather than continuing to press the attack and with 1:03 left in the period, just could not get the puck away form their host team. You could see this goal coming as the Pack stood around and allowed the Falcons to win all the individual battles and moved the puck in the zone at will. Eventually the play moved in front of Pack starter Chad Johnson (22 saves, 15-14-2). Ilkka Heikkinen had his back to the action and never saw Colin McDonald behind him. Rob Hisey got away from Jared Nightingale in the left corner and the Falcon right winger fed the puck to McDonald in front. Ryan Garlock tried to get back to pick up the Hartford, Connecticut native, but it was too late and McDonald put it past Johnson for his eleventh of the season.

Johnson bailed the Wolf Pack out at 12:29 of the final stanza when a ridiculous call by referee Joe Sullivan awarded Liam Reddox a penalty shot off a failed breakaway. Weise went to hook the left winger, but he’d already fired the shot on Johnson and play had moved on when Sullivan made his call. Gernander was righteously indignant on the Pack bench for the very questionable call.

On the shot, Reddox went out to his left and the puck began to roll on him. Johnson cut off his angle and the Springfield veteran threw it harmlessly into the side of the net.

4:06 later, the Pack finally got a bounce that went their way and wound up in an opponents net instead of their own. Corey Potter dumped the puck into the Springfield end from along the the right boards. Pitton went behind the net to retrieve the puck. However, the puck hit the end boards funny and careened out into the slot where the AHL’s third leading scorer, Corey Locke was waiting. Locke immediately fired it into the abandoned 4×6 opening for what what be the Pack’s final tally of the night.

To their credit, Springfield kept pushing and drew back to back penalties first on Brashear for a totally unnecessary roughing call (17:29) and then Anders Eriksson for a lazy hooking call (18:21). This gave the Falcons 1:08 of five-on-three power play time and a chance to tie the game. If Springfield had any power on their man-advantage and had put shots on goal instead of just standing around and passing along the perimeter they could have done something sooner and made it harder on their guests. Slava Trukhno’s eleventh of the season gave Springfield their second of the game when his shot from the right circle in front of Nightingale beat Johnson and wound up in the upper left corner of the net for the game’s final score.

The Pack get the win, but will need a full sixty minutes out of each of their players if they are to keep their hopes alive down the stretch.

It’s been a while since Bob Crawford had a win to write about. Read Hawk’s point of view at Hartfordwolfpack.com. Our close friend, an outstanding young writer, Jason Remillard, has the Springfield tale from inside the arena at Masslive.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET 

LAST PLAYOFF SPOT STANDINGS:

SCHEDULE:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton visits Albany (3pm), Providence is on the road at Adirondack (7pm) and Bridgeport is in Norfolk (7:15pm). 

SCOREBOARD:

In games that are of immediate impact on your Hartford Wolf Pack, it was a night of good and not so good. In the good news department, the Pack were able to pick up two points on sixth place Providence when they dropped a 5-3 decision to Wilkes-Barre / Scranton who got two goals from Tim Wallace at the Dunkin Donuts Center. At the Norfolk Scope, Tyler Haskins scored both of the Sound Tigers and Robin Figren was the only player on either side to score in the shootout as Bridgeport kept pace with a 3-2 win over Norfolk to maintain their six-point lead on Hartford with 14 games to go.

In other AHL action, it was Portland blanking Manchester 4-0. Albany got two goals from Oskar Osala, as the River Rats upended Rochester 4-3. T.J. Trevelyan has another two-goal performance as the Sharks snuffed out Chris Holt  and the Binghamton Senators 6-4. Hershey came from behind on a two-goal performance from the best player in the AHL, Alex Giroux and won in overtime 5-4 over Adirondack. It was ex-pack Patrick Rissmiller’s goal that was the difference in a 3-2 Grand Rapids win over Hamilton. The Wolf Pack’s Saturday night opponent, the Lowell Devils won beating Syracuse 3-1. San Antonio got a third period goal from Stefan Mayer and beat Texas 2-1. Kyle Calder had two goals as Toronto beat Chicago 3-0. Manitoba got a three point night from Matt Pope (2g, 1a) en route to destroying Rockford 6-1. Peoria got two from Nicholas Drazenovic as Peoria snuck by Houston 4-3 and in a Shoot out it was Abbotsford getting past Lake Erie 3-2. Neither Charlotte Checkers property, Randy Rowe or Mike Bartlett has anything to do with the outcome.

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 Pack’s first period power play goal ended a streak of seventeen failed man-advantages against the last place Falcons. Hartford finished 1/4 on the night.

* Hartford is now 15-3-1-1 when leading after one period and 21-2-2-1 when leading after two and 17-12-2-3 when outshooting their opponents. They also improved to 6-7-0-0 in games decided by two goals.

* Dale Weise told Howlings that his personal goal for the season was 25 goals. He has 22 with 14 games to go.

* Corey Locke has 11 points (4g, 7a) versus Springfield while P.A. Parenteau has 10 (6g, 4a).

* With the assist on Locke’s goal, Corey Potter equaled his season best two game tally of four points (2g, 2a). He had the same output in games on October 24-25 against Lowell and Worcester (1g, 3a).

* Brodie Dupont’s goal gave him three points in two games (2g,1a), his second three point over two game output since December 11-12 versus Portland and Bridgeport (1g, 2a).

* Evgeny Grachev has not scored a goal in 14 games (February 12 vs Providence). He has just two assists in the same span.

* Dale Weise has goals in three of his last four games (3,0)

LINES:

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

Eriksson – Sanguinetti 
Brouillette – Potter
Heikkinen – Nightingale

Johnson
Zaba

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized) 

SCRATCHES:

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. HFD – B. Dupont
2. SPR – C. McDonald
3. HFD – D. Byers

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Joe Sullivan (38)

Linesmen:
Jim Briggs (83)
Bryan Pancich (94)

NEXT GAME:

The Pack must get on a significant roll now and the task isn’t going to get any easier. Eight of the next nine are at the XL Center and among them they have Providence twice and Bridgeport who they’re chasing in four point games. They’ll face Lowell twice, Springfield, Worcester and Adirondack. This run will make or break their season. If they can get hot and say win six or seven of eight they should grab the last playoff spot. Really anything less than that and they’re probably done. Game time Saturday against Lowell is 7:00 so Bob Crawford will be on the air with the Pre-Game show at 6:30.

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 Springfield Falcons 2 – Status: Final

Mar 12, 2010 – MassMutual Center

Hartford 2 1 1 – 4

Springfield 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Hartford, Parenteau 17 (Locke, Eriksson), 0:57. 2, Hartford, Dupont 14 (Byers, Sanguinetti), 13:23 (pp). Penalties-Brouillette Hfd (holding), 9:39; Motin Spr (interference), 11:36; Hisey Spr (holding), 18:49; Arsene Spr (tripping), 19:47.

2nd Period-3, Hartford, Weise 22 (Byers, Brouillette), 7:50. 4, Springfield, McDonald 11 (Hisey, MacMurchy), 18:57. Penalties-Crowder Hfd (high-sticking), 2:50; Couture Hfd (fighting), 14:17; Pitton Spr (fighting), 14:17.

3rd Period-5, Hartford, Locke 25 (Potter), 16:35. 6, Springfield, Trukhno 11 (Reddox, Armstrong), 19:38 (pp). Penalties-MacMurchy Spr (hooking), 10:46; Heikkinen Hfd (roughing), 12:11; Brashear Hfd (roughing), 17:29; Eriksson Hfd (hooking), 18:21.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 10-15-9-34. Springfield 8-9-7-24.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 of 4; Springfield 1 of 5.

Goalies-Hartford, Johnson 15-14-2 (24 shots-22 saves). Springfield, Pitton 1-2-0 (34 shots-30 saves).

A-3,808

(Photo of Rob Hisey and Julien Brouillette looking awfully bizarre is courtesy of Don Treeger at Masslive.com)