CANTLON: (SUN) Pack Drop Another One to Springfield
VERSUS 
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
SPRINGFIELD, MA – Thomas Schermitsch’s early third-period goal turned out to be the game-winner as the Springfield Thunderbirds upended the Wolf Pack 4-2 in a Sunday mid-afternoon meeting at the Mass Mutual Center.
The loss left the Pack (7-8-2-1) with their third straight loss (all divisional). The team is 1-4-2-0 in their last six (3-5-2-0 in their last 10). The Pack is tied with Springfield with 17 points each in the Atlantic Division and in the conference. The Wolf Pack maintain a slight edge in percentage points (.405 to .386) with two fewer losses, holding on to seventh place in the division to avoid being cellar dwellers.
“Trying to find a way to get two points in a three-game set, a three-in-three with an afternoon game versus a team that didn’t play last night. We’ve got to find a way to win these games,” Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said.
The two teams will battle again on Wednesday night at the XL Center at 7 pm.
The Thunderbirds (8-13-1-0) saw Schemitsch tally come off furious Springfield’s offensive zone pressure. Schemitsch snapped one past Georgiev’s glove hand under the crossbar popping the water bottle from the bottom of the right-wing faceoff circle at 4:46.
Moments before Georgiev (35 saves) made a stupendous save on Alexandre Grenier. The Pack netminder stretched as far as he could to make a paddle stick save on Grenier who looked back in disbelief that the red light wasn’t on.
Georgiev made several more important stops including one on Anthony Greco on a clean break in with a right pad save on a backhand attempt and Grenier again to keep the game at 3-1.
The Pack used the in-game commercial promo timeout and ice clearing in the third period to their advantage to create two quality offensive forays made possible by winning the offensive zone draw.
The first one saw Filip Chytil stopped on the doorstep by goalie Harri Sateri (27 saves) the second time though it resulted in a goal.
The Pack climbed back to within one at 3-2. Adam Chapie came from around the Thunderbirds net and snapped a quick pass from the left wing circle to a hard-charging Ryan Gropp, who was in the slot area and fired his second of the season through a maze of players at 13:28.
“That was a beautiful move by Chapie and a good hard shot by Ryan to get that puck up.”
The Thunderbirds Dmitri Malgin closed the door on any last-second miracle with an empty-netter with 1:39 left in the game.
“I wouldn’t call this a (losing) streak I would call this part of the development process,” said McCambridge, who bristled at the suggestion of a losing streak.
The final dagger in the team’s heart was the surrender of another late period power play goal. The play to create it was one of the best in the AHL so far this season.
Jayce Hawryluk, a Pack thorn in its side the past two seasons, was along the goal line. Hawryluk made a spectacular no-look pass that sailed through the crease to Blaine Byron, who was screaming in from the back door on the right wing, Hawryluk snapped his fourth goal into the open short-side with 58.3 seconds left in the period establishing a two-goal lead at 3-1.
McCambridge wasn’t happy with Graves’ slashing penalty that allowed for the goal to be scored.
“That’s a bad penalty by Ryan there. There was no need for that. It comes at the end of the second period which is a crucial part of hockey when goals like that are scored (at that time), it’s hard to climb out of,” said McCambridge.
Adam Tambellini had a strong left-wing rush the next shift but was denied with four seconds left in the period.
After a scoreless, sleepy first period whose biggest excitement was a two-on-zero break on Georgiev. Francois Beauchemin had exited the penalty box and went in with Dmitri Malgin on the left wing. Malgin had intercepted Vinni Lettieri’s pass. Incredibly Beauchemin missed the net.
“We have to be more aware on plays like that. We have to manage plays like that better. It’s at the end of a power play and we turn the puck over in the front of the penalty box (and) we have to be aware somebody is coming out of the box and stuff like that has to be learned,” McCambridge said.
With 1:09 left in the period, Springfield’s Ed Wittchow buried captain Joe Whitney at center ice in front of the penalty box area. The play set off a scrum as Vince Pedrie came to his aid and he wound up wrestling with Tony Turgeon.
As the period ended, assistant captain Eric Selleck waited at the center red line before departing. He had words to Wittchow he would be looking for his number later.
Springfield got the game’s opening goal at 2:50 in the second period. Beauchemin flipped a rebound, top-shelf over a prone Georgiev off a shot by Hawryluk. Garry Valk set the whole play up able to weave unchecked at the top of the zone he went right side to left and sent the cross ice pass to Hawryluk.
The Pack tied the game at one as Scott Kosmachuk scored his third goal just as a Wolf Pack powerplay expired. He was able to quickly find his own rebound and buried it over a prone Harri Sateri who made the initial stop at 7:38.
The play was engineered by Lettieri who used his speed and saw his shot ping-pong off Kosmachuk who then had his two whacks at the puck. Credit Anthony DeAngelo who kept the puck in the zone and fed Chyil who got the puck to Lettieri.
“That was a good play by Scott to go to the net. We were at the end of powerplay chance and he got himself in a good position.”
The Thunderbirds were able to get several more serious odd-man rushes. It was Georgiev who kept the game tied because he rejected bids from Anthony Greco, just sent back from Florida, Maxim Mamin, ex-CT Whale Tim Erixon, and Wittchow.
Selleck off the draw searched out and had a solid toe-to-toe exchange battle with Wittchow at 15:23 as payback on the Whitney hit.
The Pack struggles with an in-game sense of urgency and consistency is glaring and noticeable.
“There is a learning curve with consistency is part of trying to become a good NHL hockey player and we’re lacking the execution. Guys have to execute those plays because it’s not a lack of caring at this level you have to execute the passes,” commented McCambridge of his troops.
Any way you slice it the execution, urgency and performance have got to start to get better as valuable points are slipping away as they have the last two years early in the season.
NOTES:
For a second night, scratches were Dan Catenacci and Brandon Crawley. Steven Fogarty was not dressed as well.
Wolf Pack Lines:
Chytil-Kosmachuk-Schneider
Gropp-Lettieri-Cracknell
DeSalvo-Tambellini-Whitney
Selleck-Fontaine-Chapie
Defense:
Gilmour-Sproul
Graves-DeAngelo
Pedrie-Pionk
The weekend schedule left McCambridge puzzled. “To play a team like Hershey, who didn’t play the night before, and then Springfield, who didn’t play last night (back-to-back) in my 20 years of the AHL, was unusual. You hope this will even out in the latter part of the season.”
Wolf Pack jersey of the night was a #17 Domenic Moore jersey
Congrats to the Pack’s Equipment Manager, Craig Lewis. He and his wife, Kaitlyn, celebrated the birth of their second son, Connor, on Monday. So two-thirds of a line combination?
“No, a defensive pairing for now,” Lewis said jokingly.
Mother and son are doing well.
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