BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack sought to get retribution on the team that they played their two worst games of the 2019-20 season again, the Charlotte Checkers three weeks ago at the Bojangles Coliseum when the two teams squared off at the XL Center Friday night in the two team’s first meeting there since opening night.
Five players had multiple-point games and led by Vinni Lettieri’s four-point night (goal and three assists) beating Charlotte 6-3. The Wolf Pack kept their hold on first place in the AHL’s Atlantic Division 23-8-2-5 with 53 points and remain four points ahead of Hershey who beat Wilkes Barre/Scranton 2-1 in OT.
The Wolf Pack travels to Wilkes Barre/Scranton tomorrow with Tom McCollum getting the start in goal his first AHL action of the season.
The Wolf Pack, are a third-period beast to play against. They scored twice to extend their lead to three goals and now have a record when leading after two periods of 17-0-1-2.
With extra hustle, Tim Gettinger picked up the fifth goal as he got to Mason Geersten bouncing dump-in and chipped it past Anton Forsberg at 3:43.
“Gert just dumped in and took a weird bounce off a guy there and there were a lot of sticks in the way. I was just trying to get mine on it and played through the whole play and was able to put it in,” remarked Gettinger, who had a goal and two assists.
Then late in the game at 14:23, Gettinger hit Boo Nieves with a gorgeous pass coming with speed down the middle. He made a beautiful move to his backhand and tucked it under Forsberg’s left pad to seal the game’s final score at 6-3 to run their home record to 16-1-0-2.
“Last few years the third period was our kryptonite. We didn’t play with confidence and go the things we needed to do very well. This year we have a whole different mindset. We’ve been getting pucks deep and were more relaxed and were getting good energy on penalty kills in third. We didn’t have that last year at all everybody is buying and its inspiring everyone else and we’re all feeding off that,” Nieves, who had a goal and an assist, said.
Gettinger was involved the whole third period and was the first star (not correctly announced) with the early goal, off a superb set-up on the last goal and in between a PK block and half that left him hobbled but were out there battling.
“We take a lot of pride defensively and everybody, (Nick) Ebert was out there with a couple of blocks on the PK. Everyone is buying into things and we capitalized on the chances we got.
The head coach marvels at what the Nieves has done.
“He started the season on the fourth line and works his way up and now he gets power play, penalty kill, five-on-five. He is developing into a complete player,” said Knoblauch.
Nieves has nine points in his last seven games. Gettinger has six points in his last four games while Lettieri has nine points in his last six games. The line had nine points for the game and was a combined plus-9 as each recorded a plus-3.
“I think I’m gonna have to break them up,” Knoblauch joked. “That’s our defensive line and it’s great to be getting that type of production.”
The formula for its success is the use of all three player’s best assets.
“I think Vinni, with his shooting, me, with my speed and Gets uses his size so well and he has speed. We’re doing the simple things and its working well for us that way right now,” said Nieves.
In the second period, the pace was good. It was not as chaotic as the first, but still, there were some golden offensive chances had by the two teams.
Hartford was able to extend the lead to 4-3.
At 4:23 they scored their second powerplay tally of the game.
Joey Keane’s right-point blast was tipped up high by Danny O’Regan snagging his second of the game and eighth of the season with Gettinger providing the perfect screen as Forsberg never saw the shot.
Before the power play, Adam Huska stopped Gustav Forsling who’s shot came from dead center, 30-feet out.
The Wolf Pack had a five-on-three powerplay for a 1:10 span and couldn’t put one past Forsberg after having trouble with their zone entries.
The Checkers used an early scoring barrage at the XL at 2:55.
Clark Bishop had inside position on Ebert and put the pass from the deep right-wing side from ex-Sound Tiger Colin Markison in for the goal.
The Wolf Pack answered back 26 seconds later with Nieves taking a Phil Di Giuseppe rebound and opening his legs to create space protection of the puck zipped a pass to Lettieri located in the left-wing circle and ripped his shot to the short-side past Forsberg at 3:22.
“It’s always good to get some time and space in this league, and Vinni has one of the better shots in the league,” said Nieves.
The Checkers regained the lead with Julien Gauthier in the slot was able to take a pass from Max McCormick and put it past Huska at 5:29.
Then 1:03 later the Wolf Pack tied it up.
Matt Geersten got the puck off a faceoff win from O’Regan. He launched a shot from the left point. He then flicked in a rebound at the side of the net where it had just gone off the side of the cage, then off of Forsberg’s stick. Forsberg was all tangled up and it somehow sneaked into the short-side to even the game at 2.
O’Regan helped break up a long scoring drought with no goals and one assist in his last eight games.
Just 10 seconds after the goal, the Wolf Pack took a lead.
Darren Raddysh was the center and on the right-wing. He took an outlet pass from his defensive partner, Vincent LoVerde, got in deep to the goal line and put the puck out front to an open Matt Beleskey who was barreling down an open left-wing.
Beleskey as he was falling down flipped to the puck to the top part of the net for his tenth of the season at 6:42.
“I picked up that move along the way,” Beleskey said with a laugh acknowledging the improbability of his shot.
The Checkers answered back to tie the game at three on the powerplay.
Morgan Geekie won the offensive zone draw from Nieves and was open in the slot. He took a short backhanded pass and beat Huska to the far side with his ninth of the season.
The teams came up for air in the second half of he period trying to control the game’s pace.
LINES:
Nieves-Gettinger-Lettieri
O’Regan-Kravtsov-Di Giuseppe
Jones-Beleskey-Gropp
Zerter-Gossage-Newell-McBride
Raddysh-LoVerde
Keane-Geersten
Rykov-Ebert
SCRATCHES:
Ryan Dmowski (healthy)
Jeff Taylor (healthy)
Lias Andersson (suspended)
Gabriel Fontaine (shoulder surgery-season ending)
NOTES:
The strong play of the Springfield Thunderbirds continues as they shut out the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for their fifth win in a row. They are now in third place, just nine points behind the Wolf Pack
-The Toronto-Texas game in Austin was canceled as 1-0 forfeit for Texas because the Marlies experienced a serious medical emergency with assistant coach Rob Davison who was stricken in the locker room and taken to a local hospital.
No further word was available regarding his condition.
