BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack
Providence, RI, January 11, 2019 – A four-goal second-period outburst by the Providence Bruins wiped out a 2-0 Hartford Wolf Pack lead Friday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence, in a 6-3 Bruin win.
The game was the second consecutive matchup between the two teams in Providence, after a 5-1 Bruin victory on Sunday afternoon, in the first of the two clashes.
Wolf Pack scoring leader Peter Holland had two goals and an assist Friday, his fifth multiple-point outing in the last six games, but Karson Kuhlman had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, and Peter Cehlarik, Jordan Szwarz, and Anton Blidh also scored during Providence’s big second period.
The Wolf Pack got goals from Holland and Ville Meskanen in the first period, but not before they needed a big save out of their goaltender, Brandon Halverson, just 10:26 into his first AHL appearance of the season.
After Providence’s Trent Frederic was impeded from behind on a breakaway by Ryan Lindgren, he was awarded a penalty shot. Halverson, though, stopped the penalty shot bid with his right pad.
The Wolf Pack then opened the scoring on their first power play of the night, at 14:51, just eight seconds after Tanner Pond was sent off for charging. Holland bagged his 13th of the season from the top of the left circle, taking a pass from John Gilmour and rifling a shot that went off of Bruin goaltender Zane McIntyre (15 saves) and in.
Meskanen made it a 2-0 Wolf Pack lead at 17:23, with his ninth of the year. Holland carried the puck down the right side in the Providence end, and his feed deflected off of Tim Gettinger to Meskanen along the goal line. He was able to backhand the puck past McIntyre, inside the goal post to his left.
The Bruins came back with a vengeance, though, to start the second, tying the game in the first 4:30 of the frame and scoring four times before the period was over.
Cehlarik got Providence on the board at 2:45, after a long fling from the right point by Connor Clifton deflected to Cehlarik on the left wing. Halverson had no chance on Cehlarik’s quick shot.
Szwarz tied the game at two only 1:45 later, at 4:30, with his 13th of the season. A bad-angle shot by Kuhlman went off of Halverson and into the slot, and Cameron Hughes deflected it to Szwarz, who slipped it inside the post to Halverson’s left.
Then, at 7:33, Kuhlman gave Providence the lead with a sharp-angle shot. Jeremy Lauzon fed the puck out of the Bruin zone to Kuhlman, and he tipped it down the right-wing boards in the Wolf Pack zone. Kuhlman got back to the puck and surprised Halverson with a shot from below the hash marks that went in over Halverson’s catching glove.
“I’m sure Halverson would have liked to have the third goal back,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. “I like the way both teams were getting up and down the ice. I thought some of the areas we needed to correct from last game, we were able to get those in place.”
Blidh made it 4-2 for Providence at 12:02 with the eventual game-winner, set up by a strong rush by Zach Senyshyn. Senyshyn stickhandled the puck down the right wing and was able to avoid a hit attempt by Libor Hajek, before sliding the puck into the goalmouth for the finish by Blidh.
Holland got one back for the Wolf Pack 1:11 after that, at 13:13, with a shorthanded goal. With Rob O’Gara in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct, the puck went off of Hughes just inside the Providence blue line, and Holland took off on a breakaway. He faked to the backhand and then tucked a forehand shot around McIntyre and into the net.
Mark McNeill put Providence back up by two, though, at 15:29 of the third period, deflecting a shot from the right point by Clifton over Halverson’s catching glove.
Chris Breen completed the scoring with a shorthanded empty-net goal with 34.1 seconds left. He knocked the puck away from Steven Fogarty just inside the Bruin blue line and slid it all the way down into the vacated cage.
The Wolf Pack are back in action Saturday night, traveling to Bridgeport for a 7:00 battle with the Sound Tigers. All of the action can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and online at newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at theahl.com/AHLTV.
The next Wolf Pack home game is Friday, January 18, a 7:15 contest vs. the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That being a Friday night, 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 Providence Bruins 6
Friday, January 11, 2019 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Hartford 2 1 0 – 3
Providence 0 4 2 – 6
1st Period-1, Hartford, Holland 13 (Gilmour, Lettieri), 14:51 (PP). 2, Hartford, Meskanen 9 (Gettinger, Holland), 17:23. Penalties-Fogarty Hfd (slashing), 4:13; Pond Pro (charging), 14:43.
2nd Period-3, Providence, Cehlarik 8 (Smith, Clifton), 2:45. 4, Providence, Szwarz 13 (Hughes, Kuhlman), 4:30. 5, Providence, Kuhlman 7 (Lauzon), 7:33. 6, Providence, Blidh 7 (Senyshyn, Frederic), 12:02. 7, Hartford, Holland 14 (Beleskey), 13:13 (SH). Penalties-O’Gara Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:02.
3rd Period-8, Providence, McNeill 5 (Clifton, Vaakanainen), 15:29. 9, Providence, Breen 1 19:25 (SH EN). Penalties-Leedahl Hfd (hooking), 3:16; Clifton Pro (cross-checking), 19:05; McIntyre Pro (delay of game), 19:34.
Shots on Goal-Hartford 8-7-3-18. Providence 13-15-7-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 / 3; Providence 0 / 3.
Goalies-Hartford, Halverson 0-1-0 (34 shots-29 saves). Providence, McIntyre 11-8-3 (18 shots-15 saves).
A-8,269
Referees-Mitch Dunning (43), Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Tyson Baker (88), Jared Waitt (60).
