CANTLON: WOLF PACK EDGE PENGUINS IN OT 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Ryan Gropp’s second goal of the night at 22 seconds of overtime help the Wolf Pack escape with a 4-3 win over the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Gropp racing down the left wing with Gabriel Fontaine on the right as a decoy whistled his seventh goal of the year for his first multi-point game of the season.

“That felt really good because it was very big win for our tram after couple of losses it was big for us to get back in the win column. It was great play by Gilly to start the breakout and Gabby’s play (winning the draw) I was thinking shot the whole time,” smiled Gropp.

Did you select your spot and get it ?

“I was looking top shelf all the way !,”

For McCambridge Gropp’s development has been one shiny example this season.

“Over the years, I’ve seen a players take time to develop and Ryan Gropp is a perfect example of that. He has size,obviously he can skate and has an NHL shot,but was inconsistent in finding his game. You can coach and coach a player to a certain level,but there is a maturity level that takes place.

Ryan has taken grasp of his career he is taking are of pucks ,not playing on the perimeter and retrieving pucks and using his speed to create scoring chances I like where his game is at.”

Wilkes Barre/Scranton record dips 27-22-5-3 and Wolf Pack record goes to 23-27-7-3 and 57 points.

Providence was playing tonight up the road in Springfield and lost 4-2.

McCambridge likes what he got from the players.

“I thought the group responded well to last night’s loss,” said McCambridge.

Nothing comes easy for this team a two goal lead isn’t a good for thing for the Wolf Pack as the Penguins scored a goal early and a late powerplay goal  in the third to force overtime.

Wilkes Barre/Scranton narrowed the gap to one goal early in the third period as Chris Wideman who burned the Wolf Pack a few weeks ago as a member of Springfield fielded a puck from Aaron Johnson.

Then sent a shot toward the net and Ben Sexton standing in front of Brandon Halverson deflty redirected the puck over his right shoulder as Halverson was trying to get a visual on the puck for his sixth goal at 39 seconds.

Then after Halverson cavalierly mishandling the puck and covering it up 10 feet from the net area and got hit with a delay of game penalty call-ticky-tacky for sure,but the Penguins struck quickly nine seconds later in tying the game at three.

James Burton behind the net took a pass from James Blandisi and quickly fed Jimmy Hayes who in between three Pack players wasted no time on the shot for his 10^th of the season at 17:23.

“He still has to learn the boundaries of when and where he can play with (with the puck),” said McCambridge.

Then 23 seconds later the Pack took another penalty and it looked like the game could have ended like Wednesday against Hershey,but the Wolf Pack PK unit prevailed.

The Wolf Pack extended their lead to two goals early in the second period.

First Bobby Butler won the draw and the Wolf Pack kept the puck in the zone and Matt Beleskey fed John Gilmour at the left point.

The shifty Gilmour got himself into a better shooting area and snapped a high wrist shot with Beleskey screening Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry and his 17^th goal of the year that sailed over his left shoulder at 1:38.

It was Gilmour’s first multi-point game in 18 games dating back to January 21^st.

The played down a man for the remainder of the game as they lost forward Dawson Leedahl with an upper body injury that forced McCambridge to some line juggling.

One player who played quite admirably was Shawn O’ Donnell with three shots on goal one at 18:50 that he was stoned on by Jarry, he had a solid center ice hit on Joseph Crammarossa and a big block shot with just under five minutes left in the game.

It didn’t last long for last night’s game to surface as the Penguins scored  1:27 into the game.

The Penguins Anthony Angello went wide down the right wing just as he was at the goal line he sent the puck out to the slot as it hit one stick landed on Joseph Blandisi and he fired his 14th of the season past Halverson.

The Wolf Pack finally awoke from their malaise and began to put pressure on an opponent.

At 3:15 Ryan Gropp in the slot got a feed from John Gilmour coming out of the left wing corner as Steven Fogarty worked to free the puck. It was Gropp’s sixth of the season and first point in six games and Fogarty his first point in three games.

The Penguins tried to seize back the momentum as Sam Miletic raced down the left wing,but Halverson held his ground in making the save.

Vinni Lettieri had a shorthanded breakaway as ex-Sound Tiger Kevin Czuczman hassled him all the way down from behind and Tristan Jarry made the save at a10:37.

The Wolf Pack used the powerplay to grab the lead as Ty Ronning grabbed a rebound off the left pad of Jarry on Brandon Crawley’s left point shot and put in his 5th goal at 12:05 on the powerplay.

The Wolf Pack played with power and purpose the rest of the period throwing bodychecks and creating net-front presence making Jarry work getting sustained offensive zone time.

Matt Beleskey late in the first period with an open net for a few seconds almost ended his lengthy goal-scoring drought off a pass from Gropp at 17:37.

LINES:

Fogarty-Lettieri-Gropp
Fontaine-Beleskey-Gettinger
Ronning-Butler-Leedahl
O’Donnell-Melanson-Lynch

Raddysh-Gilmour
Day-Wesley
Crawley-Bergman

NOTES:

Scratches: Ryan Lindgren (ankle day to day), Rob O’ Gara (lower body week to week), Ville Meskanen (upper body day to day), Chris Bigras (ankle week to week), Zach Tolkinen (healthy) and Shawn St. Amant (healthy).

PP WBS is 21st at 17.2 % and the Pack 19th at 17.4%

PK WBS is also 21st at 79.9%  the Wolf Pack are 15th at 81.4%

Leading scorer for the Pack against WBS is Steven Fogarty three goals and five points in four games and WBS Sam Lafferty has the same numbers as Fogarty against the Wolf Pack.

When leading after two WBS is 18-2-2-1 the Wolf Pack 15-3-2-2.

Dustin Tokarski played his first game for Charlotte against Binghamton an 8-1 rout.

Congrats to Salisbury Prep for making the New England Prep school Final tourney for all three divisions held at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH. Salisbury is in the Open Division with a 3-2 win over Dexter Academy they will play Kimball Union.

Kent School with a wild 7-5 win over Deerfield Academy will play Cushing Academy in the Large Division Final.

The CT Public School tournament for all three Divisions starts Monday and Tuesday.

Wolf Pack fan jersey of the night #56 Julien Broulliette who is still playing with St. Jerome (LNAH).