CRAWFORD: (SAT) PACK PUNISH PROVIDENCE, 6-1
BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack
Hartford, CT, April 10, 2021 – Ty Ronning scored twice, and Will Cuylle and Anthony Greco had a goal and an assist apiece Saturday at the XL Center to lead the Hartford Wolf Pack to their fifth straight win, a 6-1 victory over the Providence Bruins.
The Wolf Pack power play went 3-for-5 and has scored ten goals in the last three games and 14 in the previous five. Adam Huska came within less than ten minutes of his first pro shutout in the Wolf Pack net and finished with 22 saves.
The only goal of the first period came at the 15:32 mark and was the first of the season for Greco. He took a pass from Patrick Newell and carried through center down the left side before flicking a shot from just above the hash mark that went off of Bruin goaltender Kyle Keyser’s (31 saves) catching glove and into the net.
RONNING
The Wolf Pack got two more in the second, on goals 2:10 apart by Zach Giuttari and Ronning.
Giuttari made it 2-0 with his second of the season at 4:56, with a shot from the right point. Cuylle took the puck away from Providence defenseman Urho Vaakanainen below the goal line and spun it out to Giuttari, whose shot went through a Paul Thompson screen and eluded Keyser.
Ronning upped the lead to three with a power-play goal at 7:06, with 12 seconds left on a goaltender interference penalty to Jack Studnicka. Darren Raddysh handed a pass from the middle of the blue line to Ronning on the right side, and he moved to the top of the circle and used another screen set by Thompson to fire a shot past Keyser.
THIRD PERIOD
It took the Wolf Pack only 1:47 of the third period to add to the lead, with Cuylle scoring his second of the year to make it 4-0. Tarmo Reunanen fed the puck from near the left-wing corner to Cuylle high in the slot, and his quick release got by Keyser on the stick side.
Ronning’s second of the game increased the margin to 5-0 at 8:27, with Joel Messner in the penalty box for tripping. Ronning burst past the defense on the left side, cut across the middle in front of the net, and slipped a forehand bid past Keyser.
Providence defenseman Tommy Cross denied Huska’s shutout bid with a 30-footer past Huska’s stick side with 9:20 left. Still, Tim Gettinger, who had clicked for a hat trick and an assist in the Wolf Pack’s 7-2 win over Bridgeport on Wednesday, answered that with a power-play strike at 15:24 to complete the scoring.
NEXT GAME
The Wolf Pack’s next game is at Bridgeport this Tuesday, April 13. Faceoff is 1:00 PM, and all of the Wolf Pack’s 2021 action can be seen live online at theahl.com/AHLTV.
SCORESHEET
Providence Bruins 1 at Hartford Wolf Pack 6
Saturday, April 10, 2021 – XL Center
Providence 0 0 1 – 1
Hartford 1 2 3 – 6
1st Period-1, Hartford, Greco 1 (Newell, Barron), 15:32. Penalties-Lyle Pro (interference), 2:56; Tralmaks Pro (tripping), 16:55; Gettinger Hfd (cross-checking), 19:22.
2nd Period-2, Hartford, Giuttari 2 (Cuylle), 4:56. 3, Hartford, Ronning 7 (Raddysh, Sanchez), 7:06 (PP). Penalties-Studnicka Pro (goaltender interference), 5:18; Barron Hfd (tripping), 18:45.
3rd Period-4, Hartford, Cuylle 2 (Reunanen), 1:47. 5, Hartford, Ronning 8 (Thompson, Raddysh), 8:27 (PP). 6, Providence, Cross 3 (Lauko, Zech), 10:40. 7, Hartford, Gettinger 6 (Barron, Greco), 15:24 (PP). Penalties-Messner Pro (tripping), 8:05; Voyer Pro (unsportsmanlike conduct), 13:33; Barron Hfd (cross-checking), 18:50.
Shots on Goal-Providence 5-11-7-23. Hartford 9-15-13-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 0 / 3; Hartford 3 / 5.
Goalies-Providence, Keyser 2-1-0 (37 shots-31 saves). Hartford, Huska 4-1-0 (23 shots-22 saves).
A- 0 (Covid related protocols)
Referees-Casey Terreri (75), Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Kevin Briganti (39), Brent Colby (7).
