PACK COME UP XL AT THE XL

     VERSUS     

If Saturday’s game was the season in a microcosm, then this game was what the 2009 – 2010 season could have been. Sure it wasn’t pretty at times and the team wasn’t perfect, but they competed and didn’t give up. The team’s best players played like they were the team’s best players and they got just enough goaltending from starter Chad Johnson to get the win.

“It was a grinding game and a typical Sunday game where you have to find a way, and fortunately we did.” The game’s first star P.A. Parenteau said afterwards. “It was a big game for us, and in the third period, we were a little more hungry and there was a little more desperation for the puck and it showed. It kind of keeps us in the (playoff) mix.”

It was that desperation that has been missing in their game throughout long stretches this season.

“We knew we were kind of playing for our season,” Parenteau said. “If we lost, it wouldn’t be looking good at all. We just want to be in the mix until the end because you never know with the team we have. That was a big 20 (minutes) for us, and it worked out well.”

What has made the Wolf Pack captain such a great leader has been his candor all season long. “Obviously we’re struggling to get wins, so we have to play desperate from here on in,” He said. “Whether you make the playoffs or not, you still have to play for pride. You have to play for the front of the jersey.

Hartford did what they needed to and have done so infrequently this season. They scored first and on the power play no less.

Centerman Trent Whitfield tripped up Corey Potter along the left wing half-boards sending him to the penalty box at 8:40. Just 1:01 later after some great passing high to low, Ilkka Heikkinen brought the puck from the left point to the circle. Heikkinen saw Dale Weise on the right side of the crease and made a sharp pass right to the second year pro’s stick. Weise put a shot on net on starter Kevin Regan (29 Saves, 8-11-0). When Regan couldn’t swallow it Weise smacked at it a second time and knocked it past the Bruins starter.

Things stayed that way through an evenly played first period which saw the Pack hold a 9-7 edge in shots.

7:44 into the second period, Providence tied the contest when Jeff Penner made an outlet pass that sprung Kirk MacDonald. The Bruin right winger rushed the puck into the Pack zone and went right by Bobby Sanguinetti and in on Johnson (27 saves, 17-16-2). The puck rebounded off Johnson and into the crease where Yannick Riendeau who knocked it into the net for his first professional goal in twenty games with the Bruins.

Things didn’t get much better for the home team.

They were flat offensively as Parenteau and the AHL’s third leading scorer, Corey Locke just seemed out of sorts throughout the period. Passes were not meeting the target sticks and the team had no offensive thrust.

At 10:27 it seemed like this one was headed south when the penalty killers failed the Pack again. Jared Nightingale sat in solitary for a roughing call and when it seemed like all the penalty killers on the roster were chasing the puck in the left corner. Sanguinetti got to it first and attempted to clear it from the zone, but Jeff Penner got to it first and just put all 183 pounds of his frame into a shot that blew right by the glove of Johnson for his seventh of the season.

As the second period was coming to a close, with just 46 seconds left, Mikko Lehtonen took a hooking call that would become the turning point of the game as the Pack would leave the period down a goal, but have 1:14 of carryover to get themselves back in it.

Given the team’s horrible record they entered the game with when trailing entering the third period, 2-26-1-2 things looked bleak.

“A few guys spoke up between the (second and third) periods, but it’s no secret that for whatever reason, every point has been a battle to get all season.” Byers said. “We knew what we had to do in the third period, and I was proud of the guys the way they handled themselves.

Gernander knew what needed to be said and done. “It was a pretty quiet second period, but we were good in the third,” He said of the intermission. “I didn’t stress much in the second intermission. This is the time of the season when there’s not much to be said. You’ve got to go out and perform. Actions speak louder than words is all the message.”

The third year head coach went with his gut and changed his lines around. “Corey and I had a pretty rough game the first and second periods,” Parenteau said.

Gernander moved the Hull, Quebec native to Paul Crowder’s right and with muscle on the side to get him the puck in Justin Soryal, things seemed to flow.

Locke then centered Brodie Dupont on his left and Derek Couture to his right.

Just two seconds after the Lehtonen power play expired, the team’s best line since being formed at the trade deadline, Byers, Kris Newbury and Weise got it done with hard work and excellent puck movement.

Newbury held the puck just above the goal line on the right wing side. The newest member of the team saw Byers get separation from Andy Wozniewski down low and put the puck in a perfect spot for the Nipawin, Saskatchewan native. Byers buried it past Regan and the team took a collective sigh of relief.

The Pack took the lead at the 13:05 mark when Crowder’s shot from the slot rebounded out to the left. Parenteau did the rest. “I played a little baseball as a kid and got the puck pretty high (in the air),” He said. “I got lucky. It was just floating in there, and the goalie didn’t see it.” How could he after Parenteau batted it into the cage for his 19th of the season.

But just 50 seconds later a defensive zone draw was lost by Dupont to Zach Hamill to Jordan Knackstedt who brought the puck in close to Johnson’s right. AS he has battled all season long, Johnson could not freeze the puck and it was left loose in the crease where John Lammers put it away and tied the score.

It looked like this one was headed to a shootout, but with less than a minute to go in the extended period, Hamill’s cross ice pass was picked off by Locke. He rushed the puck up ice with Parenteau, who Gernander had reteamed him with for the extra time, and Sanguinetti all against Hamill. As Locke ran out of room on the left side by the goal mouth, he put the puck in front. It initially looked like the puck deflected off of Sanguinetti and redirected to Parenteau, but it wasn’t scored that way. Parenteau then hit the black out of the vulcanized rubber and put it into the net for his 20th and the must get of the two points.

“You have to take it one game at a time. You can’t look ahead. You can’t look at the other teams.” Gernander said. “You have to worry about your game, and hopefully if we get on a roll, it’ll all work out in the end for us.” He then added, “We’ve looked at our situation and said we just have to concentrate on the now. So we’re going to focus more on Friday’s game than on the next (nine that follow).

Bruce Berlet’s story can be read at Hartfordwolfpack.com. Projo.com actually has a story on their local team…believe it or not…

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET