ON THE BRINK… 

      VERSUS     

You have to feel for Hartford Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander. Over his career as a player it was often said that he was a coach on the ice. The man played EVERY shift like it was his last. The Coleraine, Minnesota native knows nothing about losing. In his twelve year career as a player he never missed the playoffs…not once. As a coach under Jim Schoenfeld, or as the head coach, prior to this year, Gernander has not had a single season where he was playing golf in early spring instead of putting his heart on the line in the playoffs at the XL Center.

After last night’s 5-3 defeat to the first place Worcester Sharks at the XL Center, it was clear by the look on the coach’s face that he knows the inevitable is coming soon.

“We’ve had out back’s to the wall for quite some time now,” He said. “So Friday night’s (against Lowell) no different. For the last two weeks, it’s been win tonight’s game. That’s where we stand for Friday night’s game and Saturday morning we’ll get up and do it all over again.”

Getting his team to the playoffs wasn’t made any easier for the two-time winner of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award (‘96 & ‘04) when the New York Rangers recalled the AHL’s third leading scorer, Corey Locke on Monday. Locke joined P.A. Parenteau, the Pack’s best player all season long, and veteran defenseman Anders Eriksson.

Gernander refused to use it as an excuse. “No, it’s the nature of the game. Those are guys that are successful at our level and our locker room and they were rewarded with call-ups. Guys have to look at it as such. ‘Hey, those guys did a job; they were successful; they got rewarded. Now it’s our turn.’ (Players) need to produce and be successful and take charge. That’s the nature of sports. The guy who wants it most. That’s why its called competitive.”

So the head coach put together what he had and sent them out and for the first 11 minutes they did just that.

At 8:30 of the first, Donald Brashear converted from just outside the right wing side of the crease off a terrific no-look, behind-the-back pass from Andres Ambϋhl. The goal was the second for Brashear since coming to Hartford after being reassigned here by the Rangers on February 12th.

(McCarthy’s first goal) But then as has been the case for the Pack all season long, the first period just fell apart Surrendering two quick goals to Worcester left winger John McCarthy at 11:36  and then again at 14:20. Both  came as a result of poor defensive play and Pack starter Chad Johnson (24 saves, 19-18-2) being unable to pull them out of the fire. After the game, McCarthy said he never touched the first goal, that it went in off a Pack defender and that he was going to ask for Andrew Desjardins to get the credit for it.

(DaSilva’s goal) To make matters worse, they surrendered a third goal to Dan DaSilva with just 44.1 left in the period again off poor defensive coverage. McCarthy threw the home run pass from the left wing up the right side and caught defenseman Danny Groulx on the right side behind the Pack defense. This created a two-on-one against Ilkka Heikkinen as Bobby Sanguinetti skated hard to get back, but it wasn’t fast enough as Groulx hit DaSilva stick with a perfect lead and the right winger just pointed his stick at the net and deflected it in.

(Doyle stops Byers in front) The Pack did their best to claw back into the game. Sharks starter, and former Charlotte Checkers netminder, Frank Doyle (27 saves, 6-2-1) was strong between the pipes and stopped Pack captain Dane Byers on a couple of occasions and made a nifty save on Brodie Dupont in front of the net.

(Celebrating Sanguinetti’s goal) With Pack defenseman pinching wherever possible, it paid a dividend when Sanguinetti got his ninth of the season when he redirected an outstanding backhanded pass from Dale Weise deep in the left corner as the former first round draft pick beat McCarthy to the front of the net to make it 3-2.

(Quirk’s goal) In the third period the Pack were awarded a power play at 4:49 when Desjardins went off on a hooking call but that ended up costing the Pack what would prove to be the game. Three Pack players on the man-advantage went to the top of the right point to get a puck off the wall. Hartford lost that 3-on-1 battle only to see the puck fly out to Benn Ferriero who broke in 2-on-1 with just Heikkinen back for the Pack defense. Heikkinen chose to pursue the puck carrier (Ferriero) and left Cory Quirk all alone. Ferriero put the puck on Quirk’s stick and he beat Johnson to the glove side for the game winner and a 4-2 lead.

(Byers goal) To the coaching staff’s credit, their players didn’t quit. When Ryan Vesce took a Delay-of-the-Game call at 6:44, the Pack power play unit worked the puck hard. Just as the man-advantage was completing, Corey Potter took a Kris Newbury pass at the high slot and unloaded a bomb of a shot. Byers, who’s made a living at being in good position in front of the net, got his stick on it and redirected it past the Shark’s netminder for his 22nd of the season and pulled the Pack within a goal.

But just as cream rises to the top, so do good hockey teams.

The Sharks answered back just 1:17 later. Brett Westgarth did a fine job in the offensive zone keeping a clearing attempt in the zone. The defenseman put the puck he’d caught with his hand down to the ice, saw what he had and put a bee-line pass from his spot just off the to right of the top of the slot and right on the stick of Kevin Henderson. Johnson had two defenders and teammates in front of him and never saw it as Henderson got his first undisputed goal of the season. Henderson has had one goal taken away after review and one added the same way.

“We have to be aware of the fact that offense isn’t going to be easy, or a cake walk, so we have to be airtight defensively,” Gernander said. “There were some mistakes made and obviously they cost us goals.”

Gernander and his staff will sit down with his team on Thursday and prepare them to compete Friday night.

If these players have half the heart that Gernander did as a player and now as a coach, they’ll come out and make a battle of it when the Lowell Devils come to the XL Center Friday night.

With Bruce Berlet on vacation, Brian Ring steps up to the plate and files this report at Hartfordwolfpack.com. For the Worcester locker room story Bill Ballou files this report at Telegram.com. (All Photos by Dinur Blum)

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

x = clinched a playoff spot

y = clinched division title

LAST PLAYOFF SPOT STANDINGS:

WOLF PACK TRAGIC NUMBER IS 4 (Four) Any combination of Bridgeport or Lowell, who’s ever on top getting points and the Pack not getting them reduces that number. Pack have one game in hand on both Bridgeport and Lowell.

Either Wilkes-Barre or Norfolk will make it and be either the three or four seed in their division. The top Atlantic team will be in and depending upon their points, be either the third of fourth seed in the East Division.

SCHEDULE:

Nothing that directly affects the Pack are on the schedule. Toronto faces Hamilton and Lake Erie faces Peoria

SCOREBOARD:

Apart from the Wolf Pack driving a stake into their own hearts, no other games were on tap that directly affected the Pack accept that Wilkes-Barre-Scranton beat Adirondack 3-2. The rest of the AHL scores had Grand Rapids getting blanked at home by Rochester 3-0. Manchester knocking off Lowell behind two goals from John Zeiler. Alex Giroux continues his torrid pace with two more goals as Hershey beat up Syracuse 5-2. Texas had two goals from Aaron Gagnon including one more in the shootout as the Stars knocked off Milwaukee 3-2. Lastly Chicago put a whooping on Houston 4-0.

In the ECHL, Gwinnett got beaten up pretty badly by South Carolina. The Stingrays, behind a three point night from Trent Campbell (2g, 1a) won 5-1.  Cincy got two from Dustin Sproat and Dean Strong cancelled him out with two for Kalamazoo and the Cyclones beat the Wings 6-5 in a shootout. Elmira hurt Reading’s playoff hopes with a 5-3 win. Elmira had five different goal-scorers. Johnstown got a W with a win over Toledo in a shootout 5-4. Bakersfield got a opened up a 4-0 lead and then held on for a thrilling 5-4 win. Utah beat Victoria 2-1 and in a Shootout Alaska knocked off Idaho 4-3.

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 Hunt Memorial Award is given annually to the player best exemplifying sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey as voted upon by his fellow players and the media. Gernander is one of only two players ever to be such honored twice. THe other was Murray Eaves of the Adirondack Red Wings who won the award in back-to-back years in ‘89 and ‘90.

LINES:

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

Brouillette – Potter
Heikkinen – Sanguinetti
Nightingale – Williams
Baldwin

Johnson
Zaba

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized) 

SCRATCHES:

P.A. Parenteau – Recall, NY Rangers
Anders Eriksson – Recall, NY Rangers
Devin DiDIomete – Healthy Scratch
Steven Valiquette – Hand Injury – Season over
Michael Sauer – Shoulder – Season over
Mike Hoffman – Shoulder – Season over
Brent Henley – Knee – Season over 

THREE STARS:

Referee:
Jamie Koharski (84)

Linesmen:
Glen Cooke (6)
Luke Galvin (2)

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

1. WOR – J. McCarthy
2. WOR – D. Groulx
3. WOR – D. DaSilva

NEXT GAME:

It’s come down to this, if the Pack lose another game the playoffs are shot. For Head Coach Ken Gernander, it would be his first spring without playoff hockey either as a player or a coach. Bob Crawford on the air at 6:30 with the pre-game from the XL Center and the drops at 7pm.

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:

Worcester Sharks 5 At Hartford Wolf Pack 3 – Status: Final

Mar 31, 2010 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Worcester 3 0 2 – 5

Hartford 1 1 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Hartford, Brashear 2 (Ambuhl), 8:30. 2, Worcester, McCarthy 14 (Desjardins, DaSilva), 11:36. 3, Worcester, McCarthy 15 (Zalewski, Groulx), 14:20. 4, Worcester, DaSilva 19 (Groulx, McCarthy), 19:15. Penalties-Williams Hfd (hooking), 6:03.

2nd Period-5, Hartford, Sanguinetti 9 (Weise, Byers), 18:28. Penalties-Baldwin Hfd (high-sticking), 7:33; Wilson Wor (hooking), 10:58; Petrecki Wor (roughing, fighting), 14:34; Couture Hfd (fighting), 14:34.

3rd Period-6, Worcester, Quirk 7 (Ferriero), 5:24 (sh). 7, Hartford, Byers 22 (Potter, Newbury), 8:44. 8, Worcester, Henderson 2 (Westgarth, Groulx), 10:01. Penalties-Desjardins Wor (hooking), 4:49; Vesce Wor (delay of game), 6:44; Brashear Hfd (hooking), 10:54; Joslin Wor (delay of game), 18:56.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 12-9-8-29. Hartford 11-13-6-30.

Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 of 3; Hartford 0 of 5.

Goalies-Worcester, Doyle 6-2-0 (30 shots-27 saves). Hartford, Johnson 19-18-2 (29 shots-24 saves).

A-1,671