CRAWFORD: PACK DROP FIRST ROAD GAME TO BINGHAMTON

       VERSUS      

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack

Binghamton, NY, October 10, 2018 – The Hartford Wolf Pack suffered their first loss of the new season, in their first road game of the year, falling 5-3 to the Binghamton Devils Wednesday night at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Wolf Pack, who had won their first two games of the year at home, battled back from a 3-1 deficit to the tie Wednesday’s contest, with second-period goals by Steven Fogarty, Ryan Gropp, and Tim Gettinger, but a third-period Devil tally by Joey Anderson proved to be the game-winner, and Yegor Sharangovich iced the game with an empty-net goal.

“I thought the guys did a really good job of drawing back into that game,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said.  “We showed some good characteristics with regard to our habits, and not laying off the gas, but they got a lucky one in the third period, it’s off a skate and in the back of our net.  Overall we feel that there’s chances that we passed up to put more pucks to the net, to test their goaltender, a little bit on the perimeter too much, there’s some adjustments that we’ll need to make to our forecheck.  Overall, I credit the guys for battling back, but we just didn’t have enough players going tonight.”

The Wolf Pack fell behind 2-0 in the first period, despite a 12-8 shots advantage over the Devils, who scored in both the first minute and the last minute of the frame.

Eric Tangradi put Binghamton in front on the game’s first shot, only 28 seconds in.  Yegor Yakovlev played the puck toward the middle from the left-wing circle, and Tangradi deflected it past Wolf Pack goaltender Marek Mazanec (18 saves) from in front.

Then, with time winding down, after some strong Wolf Pack pressure, Marian Studenic broke into the Wolf Pack zone, with only Hartford defenseman Libor Hajek back.  Moving down the left wing, Studenic snapped a perfectly-placed shot past Mazanec’s stick side, with 13.1 seconds left.

The Wolf Pack turned the tables in the second period, duplicating the Devils’ first-period feat of scoring early and late.

Fogarty got Hartford on the board only 14 seconds after the opening faceoff of the period.  He broke up a Devil feed in center ice and moved into the Binghamton end, before ripping a shot high into the net behind goaltender Cam Johnson (23 saves).

The Devils got that one back at 13:52, on the second goal of the year by Nick Lappin.  On a 3-on-2 break, Brett Seney handed the puck from the left side to Lappin in the slot, and he beat Mazanec through the legs from close range.

The Wolf Pack would come back with a pair of goals in the last 3:09 of the period, though, to tie the score.

Gropp scored his first of the year on a power play at 16:51, with Michael McLeod off for slashing.  Lias Andersson passed the puck toward the net from the left side, and Gropp, crashing the net, was knocked down and fell into the net, and the puck slid into the goal underneath him.

Gettinger then tied the game with 44.8 seconds remaining in the period, with his second in three games.  He intercepted a blind pass by Devil defenseman Michael Kapla on the right-wing side in the Binghamton end and ripped a shot through Johnson’s five-hole from the faceoff dot.

The Devils took the lead for good, though, 6:26 into the third period, on Anderson’s first pro goal.  Kapla prevented a Michael Lindqvist clearing attempt and dropped the puck to John Ramage at the right point.  He threw it towards the net, and it deflected off of Anderson and past Mazanec.

The Wolf Pack got Mazanec to the bench for an extra attacker with over two minutes left and had some good chances to tie the game again, but Johnson held strong, and Sharangovich scored his first North American pro goal with 21.7 seconds left for the final margin.

The Wolf Pack are back home at the XL Center this Friday night, October 12, for a 7:15 PM contest vs. the Providence Bruins.  As at all Friday-night Wolf Pack home games, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs, and $2 beers and fountain sodas, through the start of the second period, presented by Nomads Adventure Quest.

Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, online at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.

Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found online at hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Hartford Wolf Pack 3 at Binghamton Devils 5
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 – Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena

Hartford       0 3 0 – 3
Binghamton 2 1 2 – 5

1st Period-1, Binghamton, Tangradi 1 (Yakovlev, Seney), 0:28. 2, Binghamton, Studenic 2 (Jacobs, Gabriel), 19:46. Penalties-O’Gara Hfd (slashing), 1:32; Schneider Hfd (holding), 7:35; Tangradi Bng (cross-checking), 13:02; O’Gara Hfd (slashing), 16:01.

2nd Period-3, Hartford, Fogarty 1   0:14. 4, Binghamton, Lappin 2 (Seney, Tangradi), 13:52. 5, Hartford, Gropp 1 (Andersson, Meskanen), 16:51 (PP). 6, Hartford, Gettinger 2   19:15. Penalties-Holland Hfd (slashing), 6:04; Ramage Bng (slashing), 10:43; McLeod Bng (slashing), 16:18.

3rd Period-7, Binghamton, Anderson 1 (Ramage, Kapla), 6:26. 8, Binghamton, Sharangovich 1 (Pietila, Anderson), 19:38 (EN). Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Hartford 12-7-7-26. Binghamton 8-7-8-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 / 3; Binghamton 0 / 4.
Goalies-Hartford, Mazanec 1-1-0 (22 shots-18 saves). Binghamton, Johnson 2-0-0 (26 shots-23 saves).
A-2,587
Referees-Brandon Blandina (39), Peter Schlittenhardt (12).
Linesmen-Neil Frederickson (68), J.P. Waleski (14).