BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
ALLENTOWN, PA – Hartford Wolf Pack (3-1-0-1) captain, Johnny Brodzinski, tallied with 5:02 remaining to give the visitors a 3-1 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown, in Pennsylvania.
Prior to the faceoff, the Phantoms were unable to make a defensive personnel change that ended up being lost to Garrett Wilson. The Phantoms’ German Rubstov mishandled the puck while he was harassed from behind by Tim Gettinger. Greco stepped in front of defenseman Egor Zamula backhanded the puck to a wide-open Brodzinski who fired the winner into the net.
Felix Sandstrom (38 saves) made the best save of the game just two minutes prior robbing a point-blank shot by Anthony Bitetto with 7:32 left to play.
SANDSTROM SAVE
Ty Ronning was open in front with Bitetto behind him. The puck hit him in the chest and fell to the ice, took a bounce, and then he took a swipe at it. Sandstrom dove across with his blocker, losing his stick in the process. He dove to attempt to stop the scoring chance but got the puck with his right leg pad to temporarily keep the Pack off the board.
Sandstrom earned second-star status stopping Greco with 3:23 to go after he came down the right-wing side and let go a snapshot. The puck rebounded to Gettinger, but Sandstrom was alert and stopped that one too. Greco could do nothing more than just look up to the ceiling in frustration.
Greco and Gettinger each had team-high seven shots.
The Phantoms did not go down without a fight. Brennan Saulnier went high and hard on Brodzinski in the right-wing corner. Bitetto came across with his stick and elbowed him high sent him flying him backward. He was penalized for an interference minor at 17:19.
HUSKA
Goalie Adam Huska (21 saves) did his best penalty-killing effort stopping both Cam York on two chances and Morgan Frost.
When Bitetto exited the penalty box after a successful kill, he picked the loose biscuit and put it into the empty net to seal the win.
Garrett Wilson charged Bitetto with gloves dropped and a fight ensued. The refs called Wilson initially with a roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct plus a major for fighting, as well as game misconduct with 33.6 seconds remaining.
Hartford tied the score at one with a little puck luck in the first five minutes of the second period.
RONNING
Ty Ronning entered the Lehigh Valley end on the left side before sending a backhand saucer pass in the direction of Tanner Fritz. The puck went off Wilson’s skate and past Sandstrom for the equalizer.
The Phantoms took the 1-0 lead.
On a late powerplay, the Wolf Pack tried a slingshot offensive zone entry but it backfired.
Brodzinski took Zac Jones’s feed, was stripped of the puck by a Frost poke check. The biscuit was up scooped up by Max Willman, who was recently reassigned by the Flyers after his first two NHL games in Max Willman. He raced in and beat Huska low to the glove side along the ice with 36.6 seconds left.
LINES
Richards-Brodzinski-Gettinger
Khordorenk-Pajuniemi-Ronning
Fritz-Greco-Whelan
O’Leary-Labrie-DiCiacinto
Bitetto-Jones
Schneider-Robertson
Giuttari-Reunanen
NOTES
Wolf Pack Head Coach, Kris Knoblauch, and the Phantoms head coach Ian Lappiere both worked together in Philadelphia as assistant coaches.
New Jersey native Laura White was the first of the AHL’s ten women refs officiated the game. The first in team history and at the PPL Center in Allentown. The other ref was Beau Halkidis.
The Phantoms Brennan Saulnier’s older sister, Jill, a member of the Canadian women’s national team and the Montreal (PHWA) club, was in town. They played Team USA in PA winning 3-1. She is heading to Hartford for the next leg of the seven-game tour that ends at the WJC tournament in Edmonton/Red Deer, Alberta in January.
The entire family from Halifax, Canada was able to make the trip to see them both.
He also help initiate the first set of fighting majors this year with a spirited scrap with Wolf Pack vet Pierre-Cedric Labrie in the second period. Saulnier, a lefty squared off with the righty Labrie, who sought revenge for a hard, high hit behind the Wolf Pack net of Zach Giuttari in the first period.
The loss was the first in the nine-year history of the Phantoms in opening night games that now reads 6-1-2-0.
Related
Related posts
Top picks
WOLF PACK SUFFER UGLY LOSS TO P-BRUINS IN GAME 2
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack were forced to settle for a split in Providence, as the Bruins roared back to take Game 2 6-0 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Friday night. The series, now tied 1-1,…
WOLF PACK TAKE GAME ONE OF SEMIS IN P-TOWN
By: Shay Costa, Howlings PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack’s Anton Blidh scored 1:28 into the third period to give the team a 4-3 road win against his former team, the Providence Bruins, in Game One of the Atlantic Division semifinal in front of…
WOLF PACK GET 3-PT NIGHT FROM PITLICK IN GM 1 WIN
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – Tyler Pitlick picked up three points on Wednesday night as the Hartford Wolf Pack marched into the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence and took Game 1 of their best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals series. The Wolf Pack…
PREGAME: WOLF PACK HOPE TO BUILD ON WIN OVER B’S
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins meet tonight for Game 2 of their best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinal series at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage…
WOLF PACK SUFFER UGLY LOSS TO P-BRUINS IN GAME 2
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack were forced to settle for a split in Providence, as the Bruins roared back to take Game 2 6-0 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Friday night. The series, now tied 1-1,…
WOLF PACK TAKE GAME ONE OF SEMIS IN P-TOWN
By: Shay Costa, Howlings PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack’s Anton Blidh scored 1:28 into the third period to give the team a 4-3 road win against his former team, the Providence Bruins, in Game One of the Atlantic Division semifinal in front of…
WOLF PACK GET 3-PT NIGHT FROM PITLICK IN GM 1 WIN
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – Tyler Pitlick picked up three points on Wednesday night as the Hartford Wolf Pack marched into the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence and took Game 1 of their best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals series. The Wolf Pack…
PREGAME: WOLF PACK HOPE TO BUILD ON WIN OVER B’S
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins meet tonight for Game 2 of their best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinal series at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage…
ORLANDO ENDS SWAMP RABBITS SEASON
Swamp Rabbits show life late, but Orlando pulls away to win the series BY: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, SC– Jaydon Dureau’s two-goal night spearheaded a 5-1 Orlando Solar Bears win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Tuesday to win the South Division Semifinals…
SWAMP RABBITS ANSWER BACK IN GAME 2
Eberle nets game-winner; three multi-point performers shine in win BY: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, SC—Tanner Eberle broke a deadlock in a wild third period to headline the Greenville Swamp Rabbits’ Game 2 win over the Orlando Solar Bears by a 4-2 score on Monday…
SWAMP RABBITS DROP GAME 1 in OT
Spencer Kersten ends a 72-minute game to steal Game 1 from Greenville By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – Spencer Kersten ended a marathon goalie duel to give the Orlando Solar Bears a lead in the South Division Semifinals, 1-0, over the Greenville…
SWAMP RABBITS SCHEDULE FOR SOUTH DIVISION SEMIFINALS
Swamp Rabbits and Solar Bears begin a best-of-seven series this Sunday in Greenville By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced the full schedule for the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs…
Stay connected with ours socials