CANTLON: WOLF PACK BACK IN ACTION AGAINST BRIDGEPORT 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT- The Christmas break has come and gone and that means that AHL action will resume on Friday night for the Hartford Wolf Pack as they travel in state to Bridgeport to take on the Sound Tigers.

The Wolf Pack record sits at 17-7-2-5 (41 points) good for first place in the Atlantic Division. They are .40 percentage points ahead of the Providence Bruins as the midway point of the season approaches in just over ten days.

The Baby-Bruins mix it up with the Pack on Saturday night at the XL Center.

Hartford made two post-roster freeze movements yesterday. They recalled Shawn McBride for the second time from the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) to replace Phil Di Giuseppe, who is on recall with the New York Rangers.

The second move was to move goalie, Thomas McCollum, who signed an off-season, AHL free-agent deal with Hartford, from their ECHL affiliates, the Maine Mariners, where he’s been since the start of the year, and loaned him to the Florida Everblades (ECHL). He replaces ex-Pack goalie, Chris Nell, who was traded to his fourth ECHL team of the year, the Atlanta Gladiators.

Lias Andersson remains suspended by the team since leaving last Friday following a trade request.

Given the rest that comes with the Christmas break, expect Igor Shesterkin to start in net in Bridgeport. Shesterkin put in a superb effort in recording his third shutout of the season against Providence in his last start just before the break. Adam Huska would then start Saturday night at the XL Center.

The final home game of 2019 will be on New Year’s Eve at 5 PM against Bridgeport.

NOTES:

Former Sound Tiger goalie, Kevin Poulin, has signed an AHL PTO deal with Grand Rapids Griffins.

Ex-Pack goalie, and currently with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL), Brandon Halverson, received his second AHL recall this season. This recall is with the Tucson Roadrunners.

Ex-Pack, Steven Kampfer, was recalled from Providence by Boston.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Kevin Cuczman, was recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by the parent Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ex-Sound Tiger goalie, Eamon MacAdam was returned to the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL) by the Binghamton Devils.

Forward Max Jones, the son of ex-New Haven Nighthawk and Senator, Brad Jones, was sent to the San Diego Gulls by the Anaheim Ducks.

Goalie, Callum Booth, (Salisbury Prep) was sent from the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) to the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL).

Ex-CT Whale, and Ranger, Wojtek Wolski, leaves Kunlun (China-KHL) for the second time. He signs deal for at least the Spengler Cup with HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland-LNA).

WJC TOURNAMENT

The WJC tournament is underway and the first day got off to a wild and exciting start.

The host nation, the Czech Republic, knocked off the Russian team 4-3. The Czechs are very passionate about their hockey and even more passionate about beating the Russians.

The US and their traditional rival, Canada, kicked off the tournament with a wild game. Canada came away with a 6-4 win in a game that featured six lead changes.

Alexis Lafreniere, the likely #1 overall pick in next summer’s draft in Montreal, was among the two Canadians stars with two goals. He had the game-winner and two gorgeous assists. The game-winner came just six seconds after the US overcame a two-goal deficit to tie the game at four.

Lafreniere intercepted an ill-timed backhanded-pass in his own zone by US defenseman K’Andre Miller, a Rangers first round pick (22nd overall) from 2018.

The right-handed shooting Lafreniere, picked the pass out of mid-air, moved in and then slipped a backhander just past the outstretched right leg of US goalie, Spencer Knight (Darien/Boston College-HE).

The US took a 2-0 first period lead both power play goals. On the second, which came off the stick of Arthur Kaliev, was started by a former Avon Old Farms player, Trevor Zegras.

Captain Barrett Hayton of Canada, and the son of former New Haven Nighthawk, Brian Hayton, scored the first goal off a perfect redirect of a Lafreniere slap-shot. They made it a 3-2 lead on Hayton’s second goal after Lafreniere quickly cut to the middle of the ice and passed right to the stick of Hayton who wired it past Knight.

The US’ Shane Pinto (US Selects Academy at South Kent Prep/North Dakota-NCHC/Ottawa) scored twice including the power-play tally that evened the game at four.

He had another called back at the end of the second because time had expired.

Pinto, is part of several Connecticut connections on the US WJC team. The list starts with just the newly-anointed team captain, Mattias Samuelsson (Western Michigan – NCHC/Buffalo), who’s the son of former New Haven Nighthawk, and Ranger, Kjell Samuelsson. Jack Drury (Harvard – ECACHL/Carolina), is the eldest son of former Whaler, Ted Drury and is also the nephew of current Wolf Pack GM Chris Drury. Both are the pride of Trumbull, CT and the Fairfield Prep hockey program.

The US team will be playing in Group B in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Team Sweden has two Ranger prospects in defenseman Nils Lundkvist, and centerman, Karl Henriksson. They escaped their Scandinavian rival, Finland, in yesterday’s 3-2 overtime win. Lundkvist played 23:18 and recorded a lone shot on goal.

Some other familiar names are at the tournament include former Whaler, Robert Petrovicky, the head coach of Team Slovakia, ex-Ranger and New Haven Nighthawk, Raimo Helminen, is the head coach of Team Finland.

Nick Malik is one of the three Czech Republic goalies. He is the son of ex-Whaler, Ranger, and Beast of New Haven defenseman, Marek Malik.

UCONN BACK IN ACTION

The Huskies (7-6-3 overall) were riding a wave of having played their best hockey at the Christmas and exam break after sweeping Vermont at the XL Center, lace them up in New Hampshire at the 31st annual Ledyard Classic in the non-conference tourney in Hanover, NH.

The first game is against struggling St. Lawrence University (3-12-2) at Thompson Arena at Dartmouth College.

The game will air live on NESN at 4 PM. On Sunday, UConn will play host Dartmouth College Big Green (4-4-2 overall) at 4 PM (ESPN Plus).

The Huskies played St. Lawrence in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena, which is the home of the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights, in a 6-3 win. Kale Howarth paced the effort with a goal and an assist.

The Huskies last played Dartmouth on November 2, 2010 at the Thompson Arena and came away with a 1-0 win. The lone goal was scored by then freshmen, Jordan Sims, the son of former Hartford Whaler, and New Haven Nighthawk, Al Sims.

The younger Sims skates presently with the Wichita Wind (ECHL).

The Huskies are on a roll, winning four straight. They are on a 5-1-2 over their last eight games.

Jonny Evans returned from a broken finger and jump started the Huskies offense with a hat trick against Vermont, their last game, a 7-4 win. It was the first UConn hat trick since Alexander Payusov registered one against AIC in October of 2017.

Jachym Kondelik, the sophomore from the Czech Republic, has a five-game scoring streak (2-5-7). He’s the leading scorer for the Huskies with 13 points.

Ben Freeman has a team-best six-game point streak going (3-5-8) and is right behind Kondelik with 12 points.

Kondelik’s fellow Czech, and Nashville Predator draft pick, and his roommate, goalie Tomas Vomacka, has started every game this season.

UConn entered the break above. 500 for the first time since their inception into Hockey East. It’s UCONN’s best  break since Mike Cavanuagh’s first year at the helm in their AHA years in 2013-14 then at 6-5-2.

The Huskies start Hockey East action again in the New Year on January 3rd. They will host Northeastern at the XL Center at 7 PM followed by Merrimack on January 7th in Hartford.

The Huskies are not in the Top 20 in individual scoring in Hockey East stats, but defenseman Wyatt Newpower is in a four-way tie for third for the most blocked shots (17) and Adam Karashik (Ridgefield) is right behind him in a five-way tie with 16.

Ruslan Iskhakov is tops in conference face-off percentage at a 71.4% clip.