CANTLON: (WED) PACK KNOCK OFF SPRINGFIELD IN HISTORIC WIN 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack got two goals each from Patrick Newell and Vinni Lettieri and outlasted the Springfield Thunderbirds, 7-4, for the team’s 27th win of the season and the 500th in franchise history.

The game featured five lead changes and 64 shots.

The game-winner came as a result of hard work and a little bit of luck as Newell easily deposited his sixth of the season and second of the game into an open net.

While on a shift change, Newell found himself on the receiving of a Nick Jones pass from the left-wing circle

“I got a fortunate change on that second one. I was (lucky) to be on the ice with (Jones). The puck was just sitting there for me, and I was able to put in,” Newell, in a laconic, low-key, So-Cal speaking style said of the goal that gave him his first professional multiple-goal game.

The first place Wolf Pack has a record of 27-11-4-5 (63 points) and pulled ahead of the idle Hershey Bears by two points. The team continues its red-hot home record of 20-1-0-2. They have won 12 straight. The team’s record when leading after two periods remains unblemished at 19-0-1-2.

“We didn’t talk about too much before the game actually. Just a couple of items. We’re much better on those (than Saturday) in Springfield. Our D corps played so very well and our scoring did so well. It’s because of our D corps.”

The Wolf Pack had 11 different players pick up points.

“We do so much better when we have four lines contributing like they did tonight. Everybody had a hand in it tonight. We just gotta keep it rolling into the weekend,” remarked Tim Gettinger, one of the 11 previously mentioned.

In the third period, the Pack was able to pull away on a right-wing rush by Vitali Kravtsov, who put a smooth pass beyond the reach of two Springfield d-men, Tommy Cross and Brady Keeper. Lettieri with a wide-open net didn’t miss and tallied his second of the night and 21st of the season.

Jones had another quite effective night and made himself the fourth Wolf Pack player to have multiple points in the game with an empty netter with 17.4 seconds left.  Adam Huska earned his first pro point with an assist to close out the Thunderbirds at 7-4.

“We rely on him for his defensive play a lot, winning key faceoffs, penalty kill work. It’s really nice to see guys like that get rewarded. They deserve it because they’re playing the right way. Jones played an excellent game tonight,” said Pack head coach, Kris Knoblauch.

Huska (26 saves) was not perfect, but in the third period, he made terrific saves that kept Springfield from tying the game.

“Credit to Huska in the third period. We needed him, and he stood strong making big saves and playing the puck strongly.” Knoblauch said.

In the second period, the Thunderbirds head coach, Geordie Kinnear, switched goalies bringing in Philippe Desrosiers for Ryan Bednard.

The two teams managed just five shots in the list 7:40 missing the net several times as well.

Springfield managed to tie the game at three.

Daniel Audette collected his second goal of the night taking a short pass from Jack Rodewald. He moved in the slot put the puck through Gettinger’s legs and under his stick.

Audette collected the puck and lifted a backhander and deposited it on the top shelf at 10:42.

At 12:13 the Pack answered back to restore the lead at 4-3.

After missing the net seconds earlier, Steven Fogarty didn’t miss the second time.

Fogarty got a perfect short pass from Kravtsov and got inside position on the Thunderbirds’ Rodrigo Abols and lifted his 12th goal of the season with the backhand past Desrosiers.

The goal and the captain scoring it was big for the Wolf Pack.

“Fogarty is a big part of why we have success. He pushes everyone to do well and leads by example,” Lettieri said in speaking of the team captain.

Ethan Prow got the puck off the right-wing boards on a cross-ice pass on a break-in as the Thunderbirds Jonathan Ang took Libor Hajek out, leaving a wide-open lane. Prow’s shot cleanly beat Huska to the far side for his sixth goal matching his jersey number.

The Wolf Pack struck first in this game.

Danny O’Regan won a faceoff from Springfield’s Alexei Saarela and Newell, his new, old linemate, picked up the puck and circled around the linesman using him as a pick then fired off wing a high-shot.

The puck hit Bednard in the arm and went over the goal line for Newell’s fourth goal of the season at 2:35.

“I was happy for Newy he played well and didn’t surprise us that’s what we expect of him. He and Danny have a thing together back in November and December when we had them together so we reunited them and they played well together. Ski’s (Matt Beleskey) complimented them well.

O’Regan’s veteran value was shown on that play before it started.

“Not only is Danny a good faceoff guy, but he’s a good coach. Before they went out on the ice, Danny told Newell what they were doing and they got the goal. Maybe we’ll have Danny call up more plays,” Knoblauch jokingly said of his “new” would-be assistant coach.

The Thunderbirds tied the game at one converting an offensive zone turnover into a scoring play.

Fogarty had a left-wing shot stopped and Lettieri retrieved the loose puck. Fogarty cut to the middle and Lettieri’s pass went the other way.

Tommy Cross (Simsbury/Westminster Prep) got the puck put a quick pass on Saarela’s stick, the former Rangers draft pick came across the Wolf Pack blue line at full speed.

Saarela made a nice move on Vincent LoVerde at the blue line and had two wingers open on the left side. He hit Danielle Audette, the son of former NHL’er Donald Audette with a perfect cross-ice pass. Audette wasted little time putting his 11th of the season into the back of the net at 10:05.

The Wolf Pack answered back 2:42 later.

Gettinger got to a loose puck and snapped a hard wrister from 35 feet out that cleanly went between Bednard’s left arm to regain the lead at 2-1.

Springfield answered back in kind to tie the game at two.

Henrik Bogstrom won a one-on-one battle along the right-wing boards and shuffled the puck to Matt Mangene at the right point. He sent a shot that kept rising and eluded Huska at 13:01.

It was Mangene’s first of the season.

The Wolf Pack came back yet again as Lettieri pocketed his 20th of the season at 16:27 to make it 3-2.

Jeff Taylor at the left point took Joey Keane’s pass put a short pass on Lettieri’s stick blade as he cut to the middle the lane was blocked.

Lettieri curled back into the left-wing circle and then with Fogarty at the net he used Springfield defenseman Thomas Schmetisch as a screen and fired the shot that Bednard never saw beating him short-side.

Lettieri’s goal made it 23 straight seasons the Wolf Pack have had at least one 20 goal scorer.

“Taylor had the patience of a kindergarten teacher waiting to find me,” joked Lettieri with a wry smile. “He made a great pass.”

Now it’s on to Charlotte for a pair of weekend games. Gettinger, with his hoody shading his eyes, set the tone for the weekend as the team seeks redemption for a lost weekend in December with two tough losses.

“We’re going down determined on Friday, we know what happened last time down there. We have some unfinished business.”

LINES:

Fogarty-Kravtsov-Lettieri
O’Regan-Newell-Beleskey
Jones-Gropp-Gettinger
McBride-Dmowski-Zerter-Gossage

Hajek-Raddysh
Keane-Geersten
Taylor-LoVerde

SCRATCHES:

Nick Ebert (Lower-body, still day-to-day)
Boo Nieves (Flu, day-to-day)
Yegor Rykov (Healthy)
Ty Ronning (Healthy)
Gabriel Fontaine (Shoulder-surgery, Season-ending)

NOTES:

During an ice cleaning timeout, Jared Doyon of Meriden who handles a lot of game night operation duties, including as a fill-in PA announcer, slipped and fell on the ice. He suffered a concussion but seemed to be OK giving the thumbs-up sign to the crowd while being wheeled off on a stretcher.

1,807 was the announced attendance, though it appeared to be quite smaller based upon observation. It was the 24th worst-attended crowd in Wolf Pack history. 28 of the 39 times the crowd has been under 2,000 for Wolf Pack games have come on Wednesday nights.

Next Wolf Pack home next Wednesday against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Lias Andersson was scoreless in his debut with HV71 (Sweden-SHL).

Ex-Pack, Akim Aliu, has a goal and an assist for HC Litvinov (Czech Republic-CEL) in four games.

Logan Roe (Kent Prep) of the Florida Everblades (ECHL) was named ECHL Player of the Month. He was loaned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and signed a PTO deal.

Ex-Pack goalie, Brandon Halverson, was suspended and taken off the roster of the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL).

This season he was a weekend emergency recall backup for Providence and had a poor two-game recall to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) posting two losses and a 7.90 GAA.

The Sound Tigers lose forward, Kieffer Bellows, to recall but get back defenseman, Sebastien Aho.

Ex-Sound Tiger goalie, Kevin Poulin, was released from his PTO deal with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL).

Ulf Samuelsson, a former Whaler great, Rangers player, and assistant coach, as well as a Wolf Pack assistant coach and Avon Old Farms assistant, has taken the head coaching job with Leksands IF (Sweden-SHL). His eldest son, Philip, and ex-Pack, Marek Hrivik, are currently playing there. He coached Philip when he was Charlotte’s head coach.

The team is in dead last place in the SHL with an 11-24-3 record. He started his pro career with the team (1981-1984) and was granted permission by Seattle, and long-time friend, and another Whaler great, Seattle GM, Ron Francis. In addition, he is still being paid by the Blackhawks and had to seek permission from them as well.

Samuelsson was just named a pro scout for expansion NHL Seattle team just a few months ago.

Jordan Samuel-Thomas (Quinnipiac University/Canterbury Prep/Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack/West Hartford) leaves Worcester (ECHL) where he had 29 points in 33 games and was a minus-21 for Heilbronner (Germany DEL-2) for the remainder of the year.

Ex-Pack, Kale Kerbashian, goes from HK Nitra (Slovakia-SLEL) to Lausitzer (Germany DEL-2) for the rest of the season.

Two ex-Packers switched places.

Casey Wellman has left SC Rapperswil-Jona (Switzerland-LNA) and signs with SC Bern (Switzerland-LNA) for the rest of the season.

Tom Pyatt has taken his spot with Rapperswil after leaving Skellftea AIK (Sweden-SHL).

Ex-Pack, Malte Stromwall, had 19 goals in 44 games, the highest-scoring Swede that was selected to the KHL All-Star Game. He’s representing HK Sochi, but due to his illness, he was unable to play in the game.

Stromwell is a prime example of how some Europeans are unable to make the adjustment to the North American game/rinks, but that still thrives playing in Europe.

In ex-Pack news here is an article on Marek Mazanec. Read it HERE.

Wonder what former goalie Mackenzie Skapski is doing showing off his hockey den. Read about it HERE.

Wolf Pack fan jersey of the night: #3 that was worn by both Terry Virtue and later, Pat Aufiero, who wore it for 35 games after Virtue left to return to Worcester.

#25 Mathieu Dandenault who played his last 19 pro games in Hartford.

The all-time classic #20 P.J. Stock.

Of the four, only two are still involved in hockey.

Stock is an assistant coach for Lac-St. Louis Warriors, a local girls program in Quebec.

Virtue is the head coach for Shrewsbury High Colonials, a Massachusetts Division I MIAA public school program.

One of his two assistants is former UCONN Husky (last two Division III teams and first two AHA teams), Marc Busenburg.

He played for Springfield and Worcester in the AHL in his pro career.