CRAWFORD: WOLF PACK WEEKLY: January 21-26, 2020

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack (23-10-4-5, 55 pts.) finished a stretch of four straight road games with trips to Utica and Hershey this past week.  On Wednesday night, the Wolf Pack spotted the Comets a 5-0 lead in the first period, before coming all the way back to tie the game in what would end as a 6-5 overtime loss.  Team scoring leader Vinni Lettieri lit the lamp twice in that game, including the game-tying goal with 14.8 seconds left in regulation.  In a rematch on Friday night in Utica, it was the Wolf Pack who jumped out to an early lead, going up 2-0 in the first period, but the Comets got five of the next six goals for a 6-3 win.  Lettieri scored again in that game, and Shawn McBride netted his first career pro goal.  It was a back-and-forth battle between the Wolf Pack and Bears in Hershey on Saturday night, with the Wolf Pack giving up a goal early, then getting the next three, before having to come back again in the third period.  Vitali Kravtsov scored in the third to force overtime, but the Bears prevailed in the extra session, 5-4.  Yegor Rykov tallied his first career North American pro goal in that game and had an assist.

For the latest AHL standings, click here.

This week:

The Wolf Pack head into the AHL All-Star break with home games against Bridgeport on Friday night at 7:15, on “Pucks and Paws Night”, and Lehigh Valley at 7:00 on Saturday night.

Friday, January 24 vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at the XL Center, 7:15 PM

• This is “Pucks and Paws/Pet Adoption Night” at the XL Center.  Sixty-dollar packages are now available that include: two general admission game tickets for sections 234 or 235 only, one canine ticket in section 234 or 235, and one Wolf Pack collapsible pet dish for the first 200 orders.  To order Pucks and Paws Night packages, or for more information, go to hartfordwolfpack.com.  Also, in the XL Center atrium, fans can meet some furry friends who are available for adoption from local pet shelters.
• This game, like every Friday-night Wolf Pack home game, features $1 hot dogs, and $2 draft beers and fountain sodas, through the start of the second period, presented by Nomads Adventure Quest.
• The Wolf Pack are 4-1-0-0 in five previous meetings with their in-state rivals the Sound Tigers and have swept all three of their prior home games against Bridgeport.
• The Sound Tigers (15-23-4-1, 35 pts.) have won two of their last three games, after an 0-6-1-0 skid in their previous seven.
• The Sound Tigers’ Otto Koivula, who had three assists in Bridgeport’s only win over the Wolf Pack thus far this year, a 5-1 verdict December 27 in Bridgeport, scored a hat trick in the Sound Tigers’ 6-4 home win over Laval last Sunday and then had the game-winner in Bridgeport’s next outing, a 2-1 victory in Providence on Friday night.  That was after Koivula had scored only three goals in his first 23 games of the season.
• At this game and every Wolf Pack Friday or Saturday home game, fans are encouraged to come early for “Hockey Happy Hour” in the XL Center’s Coliseum Club.  From 5:15 PM until puck drop, a $5 wrist band gives fans access to the “Chill Zone” of the Coliseum Club, which features an appetizer buffet and $2 beers, presented by Minuteman Press.
• Tickets for this game, and all 2019-20 Wolf Pack home games, are on sale now at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.
• Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford and Mark Bailey on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com.  Video streaming at theahl.com/AHLTV.
  

Saturday, January 25 vs. the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia) at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

• This is “Under the Sea Night” at the XL Center, as the Wolf Pack celebrates being halfway to summer and the team’s nautical history.
• The first 2,000 fans into this game receive a free Wolf Pack tank top, courtesy of Healthtrax.
• The Phantoms have climbed to within one game of .500, 18-19-1-4 for 41 points, by winning five straight games and six of their last seven.
• With stablemate Alex Lyon on recall to the parent Philadelphia Flyers, veteran Phantom goaltender Jean-Francois Berube has won four straight decisions, two of those by shutout.
• The Wolf Pack are 1-1-1-0 in head-to-head competition vs. Lehigh Valley this year, including a 4-0 win December 13 in the teams’ only previous meeting in Hartford.
• At this game and every Wolf Pack Friday or Saturday home game, fans are encouraged to come early for “Hockey Happy Hour” in the XL Center’s Coliseum Club.  From 5:00 PM until puck drop, a $5 wrist band gives fans access to the “Chill Zone” of the Coliseum Club, which features an appetizer buffet and $2 beers, presented by Minuteman Press.
• Tickets for this game, and all 2019-20 Wolf Pack home games, are on sale now at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.
• Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford and Mark Bailey on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com.  Video streaming at theahl.com/AHLTV.
  

Wolf Pack Community Appearances:

The Wolf Pack have the following appearances scheduled this week.  For further information on these, or any other Wolf Pack community initiatives, contact Wolf Pack community relations manager Frank Berrian, at (860) 541-4728:

• Sunday, January 26, 2:00 PM, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Sonar, the Wolf Pack’s lovable mascot, heads to the New England Black Wolves’ National Lacrosse League game to join in the fun of a birthday celebration for Hunter, the Black Wolves’ mascot.

Recent Transactions:

Libor Hajek – loaned to the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers January 14.

Jeff Taylor – loaned by the Wolf Pack to Maine (ECHL) January 14, and recalled January 20.

Pack Tracks:

Friday, February 14, when the Wolf Pack host the Laval Rocket at 7:15 PM, it’s “Love Is Love Night” at the XL Center, as the Wolf Pack celebrates the love for hockey, pride, and diversity.  The first 1,000 youth 12 years old or younger into the game will receive a free Wolf Pack light-up bracelet, presented by Carvel.

Each of the Wolf Pack’s Sunday and Wednesday home games feature the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Hat Trick Pack”.  The Hat Trick Pack includes two tickets, two sodas, and a large popcorn, all for just $40.  The next Hat Trick Pack game is Wednesday, February 5, a 7:00 battle with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

In partnership with the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, the Wolf Pack is offering “Suit to Sweater Wednesdays”, to wash away the mid-week work blues.  Any fan showing a company ID at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket office can purchase Blue-Level tickets to Wolf Pack Wednesday home games for only $15 each (limit two tickets per ID).  The Wolf Pack’s next Wednesday home date is February 5, when the Springfield Thunderbirds invade the XL Center for a 7:00 game.

Once again this season, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs, and $2 draft beers and fountain sodas, at every Friday Wolf Pack home game, through the start of the second period, presented by Nomads Adventure Quest.  After this Friday, the Wolf Pack’s next Friday-night home outing is January 31, when they entertain the Springfield Thunderbirds in a 7:15 PM game.

Wolf Pack home game tickets can be purchased at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.

To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (860) 722-9425, or click here to request more info.  To visit the Wolf Pack online, go to hartfordwolfpack.com.

TRACK THE PACK ONLINE AT HARTFORDWOLFPACK.COM