CANTLON: PACK PASS BY PENGUINS 4-3
BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Tim Gettinger’s exceptional performance extended his point streak to six games. Gettinger combined with Tyler Wall’s excellent goaltending in his season’s first start allowed the Hartford Wolf Pack to edge the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 4-3.
The win ran Hartford’s home record to 5-1-0-1.
The Pack will take a short ride to Bridgeport for a mid-afternoon contest completing another three-in-three weekend with the Islanders.
Gettinger’s goal early in the third period that made it 4-0 was the difference. Lauri Pajuniemi sent a shot that came off the stick of Chris Ortiz that flummoxed goalie Louie Domingue and went past him.
“Couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” said Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch.
THIRD PERIOD
The third period was a mixture of Halloween and good fortune for the Pack. For the second game in a row, the Penguins Sam Poulin had a hot stick and a pulled goalie, giving an opponent the extra attacker cost the Pack. Poulin came out of the right-wing corner and went short side, past Wall’s blocker with 41 seconds left.
“We got in trouble at the end of the second when guys were tired at the end of their shift.”
They nearly had another goal minutes earlier. Jordy Bellerive was down on one knee in the shooter’s position and saw Wall get a piece of his left-wing circle blast that hit the post.
“He (Wall) is a big guy. He didn’t have much choice on some saves. He made more saves than he should have, and he made the big saves when we needed them and was outstanding tonight,” Knoblauch said.
Two goals in 23 seconds made it close, with Bellerive on the right-wing getting a goal on a turnover high in the Wolf Pack zone. He snapped his shot from the right side, and then Poulin scored.
The second period was scoreless.
BITETTO REACTS
“The biggest thing you do as a younger team you try to do too much,” remarked defenseman Anthony Bitetto, who hit the goal post with a shot earlier.
The game was close, but not from a lack of effort.
Ty Ronning was stopped. Pajuniemi hit a post, and on a clean breakaway, Wall stopped Kaspar Bjorkquist midway through the second.
For the third straight game, Hartford scored first.
Tanner Fritz scored his third goal in as many games. Alex Whelan forced the Penguins’ Justin Almeida, just recalled from the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL), to backpedal and forced a cross-ice pass turnover. The puck was in the middle of the ice which Fritz jumped on it and drilled a shot past Domingue.
Bitetto was at the left point. His shot was deflected in front by a Penguins defender and went over Domingue’s right shoulder into the top shelf for a goal.
PHYSICALITY
“It’s a tough game. You don’t want to force things too much. We got a good bounce to go our way. It’s a simple game when you make it simple.”
This was a physical game. It started early on as Austin Rueschhoff was on his first shift and crunched an already off-balanced Nathan Légaré inside the Wilkes-Barre blue line. Bellerive then dropped the mitts and traded a series of right hands.
Patrick Khordorenko came in on the left-wing side. He was hit by Cam Lee’s left shoulder flush on the jaw. He went down quickly, and the referees gave him a 10-minute match penalty for head contact. Khordorenko was escorted off by trainer Brian Fairbrother to the locker room and did not return.
“He is up and about,” Knoblauch said. “Hopefully, it’s a short-term thing. He won’t play tomorrow. But, he is in good spirits.”
LINES
Gettinger-Brodzinski-Greco
Barron-Ronning- Pajuniemi
Khordorenko-Fritz-Richards
Labrie-Rueschhoff-Whalen
DiGiacinto
Bitetto-Robertson
Jones-Schneider
Reunanen-Skinner
Wall
Huska
SCRATCHES
Giuttari
Taylor
Kinkaid
NOTES
Ryan Reaves was taken off IR by the Rangers, sending Gregg McKegg back to Hartford.
Ex Wolf Pack, Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/ Gunnery), was recalled by the Hershey Bears from the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL).
