CRAWFORD: WOLF PACK WEEKLY: January 27-February 2, 2020

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Wolf Pack (25-10-4-5, 59 pts.) entered the AHL All-Star break with a pair of home wins this past weekend.  The Wolf Pack snapped an 0-2-2-0 slump with a 4-1 victory over Bridgeport on Friday night, and then stretched a home-ice winning streak to ten games with a 4-2 verdict Saturday night vs. Lehigh Valley.  Igor Shesterkin stopped 59 of the 62 shots he faced in the two contests, in his return to the AHL, and has won a team season-high six straight decisions.  Matt Beleskey scored twice in Friday’s win, and Ryan Gropp notched his first multiple-goal game of the season with two tallies, including the third-period game-winner, Saturday night.

For the latest AHL standings, click here.

This week:

The Wolf Pack come out of the break with three straight games against their closest geographical rivals, the Springfield Thunderbirds.  The first of the three meetings is this Friday night at the XL Center, with faceoff at 7:15, and then the two teams finish a home-and-home with a 7:05 start Saturday night in Springfield.

Friday, January 31 vs. the Springfield Thunderbirds (Florida) at the XL Center, 7:15 PM

• 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.
• A Wolf Pack win in this game would tie the franchise record of 11 straight home wins, set from December 17, 2004, through February 18, 2005.
• Zeus, from the Harlem Globetrotters, will be making a special appearance at this game.  He will be meeting and greeting fans, and signing autographs, in the XL Center atrium from 6:15 to 6:35 PM and interacting with fans throughout the game, while serving as guest co-emcee.
• The Thunderbirds come into the week seven points behind the Wolf Pack in the Atlantic Division standings, having won four of their last five games and nine of their last 12.
• The Wolf Pack have swept the first three games of this year’s season series with the Thunderbirds, including a pair of home wins, a 3-1 decision October 12 and a 1-0 squeaker six nights later.
• Thunderbird point and goal-scoring leader Owen Tippett is tied for the AHL lead in rookie point-scoring, with 19-21-40 in 46 games.
• 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 (860) 722-9425.  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, February 1 at the Springfield Thunderbirds (Florida) at the MassMutual Center, 7:05 PM

• The Wolf Pack posted a 5-2 win in their only previous trip to Springfield this season, on December 6.
• The Thunderbirds are 14-9-1-0 at home on the year, and the Wolf Pack’s road record stands at 7-9-4-3.
• Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com.  Video streaming at theahl.com/AHLTV. 

Recent Transactions:

Phil DiGiuseppe – returned to the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers on January 21.

Igor Shesterkin – returned to the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers on January 21.

Adam Huska – reassigned from the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers to Maine (ECHL) January 23, and reassigned back to the Wolf Pack January 26.

Lewis Zerter-Gossage – loaned by the Wolf Pack to Maine (ECHL) January 23, and recalled January 26.

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.  Also that night, the Wolf Pack will be wearing specialty pride jerseys, which will be auctioned off in the second intermission, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Connecticut Gay and Lesbian Collective, the Hartford Gay Men’s Chorus and Metropolitan Community Church of Hartford.

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 are 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 February 14, when they entertain the Laval Rocket 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 (860) 722-9425.  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