CANTLON: PACK SHUT OUT P-BRUINS IN BATTLE FOR FIRST PLACE 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves. Matt Beleskey contributed a goal and an assist plus the Hartford Wolf Pack received timely goals came from Phil Di Giuseppe and Vitali Kravtsov en route to the team’s third shutout of the season, a 3-0 win over the Providence Bruins.

The Wolf Pack (17-7-2-5) are in first place in the Atlantic Division just .40 percentage points ahead of the Bruins, who have two more wins. The Wolf Pack also remain undefeated (13-0-1-2) when having a lead entering the third period.

“For forty minutes we played the best we could defensively. We were OK in the third period. Providence is a good hockey team, and they put a big push on us. They didn’t score and put everything on the line. The story again is how Shesty (Shesterkin) played.” Pack head coach, Kris Knoblauch stated.

Shesterkin was at the top of his game, especially in the final three minutes when he stopped point blank quality shots from Bruins’ captain Paul Carey (Salisbury Prep), who Shesterkin stopped twice on the right wing side of the net. Shesterkin also blanked Cameron Hughes and Trent Frederic with his blocker and left pad respectively, allowing him to keep the “biscuit” out of the net.

“After we got the second and third goals, we relaxed a bit. After some icings we were a bit tired. We got some fresh guys out there, but Shesty was the difference,” Knoblauch said.

If there were any questions remaining in how Shesterkin would handle adversity, he answered them all in this contest. Not since Yann Danis patrolled the Wolf Pack net five years ago, have the Wolf Pack had a goalie of this quality and level of mental toughness.

“He’s a top caliber AHL goalie, and he showed he can do lots of things out there, either stopping the puck or moving it up (ice).”

The Wolf Pack scored twice in a 62-second span to pull away for the win.

Steven Fogarty corralled a loose puck and slipped a pass to Vincent LoVerde at the left point, who then put a low, hard wrist shot on net that Kravtsov redirected for his first AHL goal at 16:13.

Kravtsov was given the team’s “Heavyweight belt” afterwards. It’s a far cry from his first game of the season where he was benched.

“He has played very well since he came back. He’s playing some good players (Fogarty and Danny O’Regan) tonight they show some chemistry. It’s a difficult situation coming back a second time, but he has done everything we have asked of him. He’s worked hard in the gym and worked hard in practice, playing the systems, and that’s what we expect from all our guys,” Knoblauch stated.

90 seconds later, Beleskey tallied an empty-net goal earning him his second point for the game at 17:21.

“That’s was a good comeback game for us that we needed going into the break.” said Beleskey.

The Wolf Pack used their second power play opportunity to score the game’s first goal early in the second period.

It was truly a 200 foot goal.

Shesterkin fired the puck to Beleskey, just coming on after his line change. He was on the left wing at center ice and dished off a nice short pass to Phil Di Giuseppe, who was in full flight.

Di Giuseppe danced between three P-Bruins and roofed a perfect shot over the left should of the Bruins’ netminder, Max Lagace at 4:20.

“I had a good first step and there was a pretty deep gap there and I was able to take it right to the net,” said Di Giuseppe on his ninth goal of the season.

Having a “third defenseman” like Shesterkin makes a major difference.

“He’s gonna score a goal this year sometime and catch me in assists soon too,” Beleskey said with a laugh.

Shesterkin was in fine form between the pipes, sharp using all the goalie equipment he had to make nine saves.

Oskar Steen was stopped with his right shoulder. Cooper Zech was denied with a left pad then Jeremy Lauzon saw his attempt from the left point gloved.

A late Loverde turnover in the final 20 seconds, but some good team defense didn’t allow Jack Studnicka to get off a quality shot on goal.

Mason Geersten, was like a big house on the blueline, had a strong game. He made a jarring hit on the Bruins’ Trent Frederic, fresh off a scoring play and generally doing a job at clearing pucks calmly and efficiently and physically keeping Providence at bay.

“He makes it difficult for people to compete in our zone with that high level of physicality. He has done very good at the little things. Our defense as a whole represents the team well. All six guys. Geersten plays a tough, physical game, and yet doesn’t take penalties. That’s a hard thing to do. He has done a very good job in that role,” Knoblauch said of the veteran defenseman who had a team high three shots on net.

The chances in the first period were few and far between with just six shots between the two teams in the first ten minutes. The pace picked up in the second half of the period.

On their second power play, Beleskey was on the doorstep for the Pack but was stopped by Lagace after Di Giuseppe and Nick Ebert went wide on both of their shots.

The next shift Ryan Gropp had a quality chance denied.

Shesterkin faced just seven shots in the first period, which was among his strongest, especially on a three-on-two shorthanded break by Providence. Josiah Didier had a chance from the right wing face-off dot that Shesterkin handled by kicking out the left pad.

Then in the last minute of the period he dropped Zach Senyshyn twice, once on the right wing coming out to challenge him, and then right in front seconds later.

LINES:

Nieves – Newell – DiGiuseppe
O’Regan – Kravtsov – Fogarty
Jones – Lettieri – Gettinger
Zerter – Gossage – Beleskey – Gropp

Raddysh – LoVerde
Keane – Geersten
Rykov – Ebert

SCRATCHES:

Jeff Taylor (healthy)
Lias Andersson (suspended)
Gabriel Fontaine (season-ending shoulder surgery)