CANTLON: (SAT) HERSHEY TROUNCES WOLF PACK 4-1
CANTLON: Hershey Trounces Wolf Pack 4-1
VERSUS 
BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The Hershey Bears with four different scorers controlled play for most of the game in downing the Wolf Pack 4-1 as part of hockey doubleheader at the XL Center.
It started early as the first shot of the game found the back of the net for visiting Bears.
The Bears’ Mathias Bau, the holder of the best shooting percentage in the AHL, added to that total when he crossed the blueline, cut to the middle of the ice and fired a 40-footer for his sixth goal past starter, Chris Nell. Bau used defenseman Ryan Sproul as a screen. The goal came at 3:18.
“I thought we came out with good structure, but when the first shot goes in the back of your net, it does take the wind out of your sails,” Pack head coach Keith McCambridge stated.
The Pack were chasing the Bears for most of the period. They were able to breakout well from their own zone and having to engage in penalty killing didn’t help the Pack cause either. Ex-Pack Chris Bourque got stopped on back-to-back attempts. Travis Boyd was also stopped right on the doorstep.
The Bears extended their lead at 2-0 late in the period. Riley Barber got inside position on defenseman Vince Pedrie and snared the rebound of defenseman Lucas Johansen’s shot that had deflected off some skates in front with 1:33 remaining in the period.
The second period was no better for the Wolf Pack in trying to contain Hershey. The Bears scored shorthanded on a clearing shot from the end of the ice by Hubert Labrie off a giveaway in his own zone. The puck bounced off the backboards popped over the stick of Anthony DeAngelo. Zack Sill wasted little time firing his first of the season past Nell who wasn’t ready for and reacted well to the play at 7:08.
The icing on the cake came on the fourth Hershey goal as the Pack’s Ryan Gropp shot from the left wing and missed the net. The puck wound around the boards and Ryan Sproul tried to one-time the puck, but whiffed on the attempt. The miscue resulted in an instant two-on-one for Hershey Wayne Simpson and Mason Mitchell.
Mitchell went straight down the left wing. John Gilmour made the right play to let Nell take the shooter. Mitchell got to the left wing faceoff dot and snuck one inside the far left post on Nell at 15:04 for his first pro goal for the former University Alaska-Anchorage product.
After stopping just 18 of 22 shots, that was all for Nell. Alexander Georgiev hopped off the bench and headed into goal.
“I have seen Chris Nell’s A game. Tonight was not his A Game,” said McCambridge succinctly.
The Pack manages just six shots on goal in the second period.
Hartford did have strong third with 16 shots on goal and Vitacek deftly kept them off the scoreboard.
The Pack had a distinct lack of hitting with Eric Selleck having had the only two before an early big hit by Scott Kosmachuk, but Hampus Gustafsson of the Bears had the best early scoring chance stopped by Georgiev.
Vince Pedrie, Steven Fogarty, Vinni Lettieri and Adam Cracknell all had quality chances turned aside. The natives were restless chanting for the Wolf Pack to pull their goalie.
The Wolf Pack spoiled the shutout bid as Steven Fogarty walked out from behind the net on the left side jammed a shot that was stopped then Adam Tambellini on the right wing rammed in his rebound with his sixth of the season at 17:13.
“We had a good push in the third, but the game was out of our reach at that point,” remarked McCambridge
The Pack have short turnaround with a 3:00 pm game tomorrow afternoon in Springfield.
NOTES:
Between Bridgeport and Hershey combined, the Wolf Pack have seen 11 different players score against the Wolf Pack in two games.
-Rangers assistant coaches Scott Arniel and Darryl Williams were in attendance. Both have state hockey connections in New Haven.
Williams, then part of the LA Kings organization, played for the New Haven Nighthawks. Arniel skated briefly (seven games) with the New Haven Senators and 11 for the Nighthawks.
Ex-Wolf Pack defenseman, Tommy Hughes, was in the opening lineup for the game for Hershey had shot hit the post and finished with a plus two,
Pack Forward Lines:
Whitney-Fogarty-Tambellini
Schneider-Kosmachuk-Chytil
Lettieri-Gropp-Cracknell
Selleck-DeSalvo-Fontaine
Defensive Pairs
Gilmour-Sproul
Pionk-Pedrie
Graves-DeAngelo
The scratches were Adam Chapie, Brandon Crawley, and Dan Catenacci.
Fontaine, Chytil, Lettieri and Kosmachuk were the last four players off the ice during warm-ups
Pack fan jersey of the night, #45 Magnus Hellberg, #27 Ryan McDonagh, and 47 Tom Pyatt.
The winner was a #28 Derek Couture jersey.
The Wolf Pack have just four hat tricks since 2012.
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