BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
BRIDGEPORT, CT – A late goal by Justin Richards and the debut of goaltender Francois Brassard led the Hartford Wolf Pack (14-6-2-2) to an important 3-2 road win against the Bridgeport Islanders before 1,920 fans at Webster Bank Arena.
Richards game-winner came from off the right-wing where he took a pass from Anthony Greco. Richards got around Samuel Bolduc and slipped a backhander past Ken Appleby in just his third start of the season.
The Wolf Pack remain in second place but crept a little closer to the first place Springfield Thunderbirds in percentage points. The Pack winning percentage is .667 while the T-Birds are at .675. The Pack has two games in hand on the T-Birds. Bridgeport (10-16-1-3) is in last place with 24 points in a league-high 30 games played, but just a paltry .400 percentage points standing.
TYING THE GAME
The Islanders tied the score on the power play. Arnaud Durandeau was on the left-wing side and found an open rookie, Collin Adams of North Dakota. Adams snapped a shot from 35 feet past Brassard on the stick side for his second of the season at 5:34.
The Islanders scored the game’s first goal.
Erik Brown tracked down ex-Pack Paul Thompson’s lead pass on the right-wing. He outraced Michael Brodzinski and in the right-wing corner found Kurtis MacLean cruising in dead center. He shifted from his forehand to backhand and flipped his third goal of the season up high for the 1-0 lead.
TAKING THE LEAD
Just 2:02 later, Zach Berzolla was at the left point. In his first AHL game drilled Cristiano DiGiacinto’s cross-ice pass from the right-wing for his first pro goal at 5:37.
At 15:27, DiGiacinto garnered his second point of the game after Hunter Skinner, from the right point and just inside the blue line sent a shot on the net. In his first game since October, Ken Appleby made the save but left a rebound. DiGiacinto was all alone in front and went unchecked and easily put his fourth of the year into a wide-open net and a 2-1 lead.
The new look Wolf Pack, stacked with a pre-season ECHL-style lineup.
The Pack had two defensemen out due to injury. They had two defensemen on recall (Zac Jones and Matthew Robertson) to the New York Rangers taxi squad. That left the team to cobble together a backline and get their fourth goalie of the year ready and put them on the ice.
Some lineup changes are expected by the weekend as the deck continues to get shuffled.
LINES
Greco – Ronning – Richards
Khordorenko – Pajuniemi – Whalen
Rueschoff – O’Leary – Richards
Sanchez – DiGiacinto – Elmer
Skinner – Guittari
Lee – Brodzinski
Berzolla – Fortunato
Brassard
Kasel
SCRATCHES
Bitetto (lower body)
Schneider (upper body, short term)
Reunanen
Labrie
Taylor
Wall
NOTES
Head Coach Kris Knoblauch opted to double shift Richards and play down two forwards rather than going with Aaron Luchuk who was the only new player not to dress for the game.
The Pack plays the Providence Bruins on New Year’s Eve in a 3:00 PM that is a reschedule of the Teddy Bear Toss matchup.
The Pack had a slew of transactions on Wednesday afternoon before game time. The club recalled Brassard who wore #40. Defenseman Zach Berzolla #18 is on loan to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. The Rangers also reassigned forward Jake Elmer #59 from the Icemen to the Wolf Pack.
The team made four other ECHL signees.
FOUR SIGNEES
They signed forward Aaron Luchuk who didn’t play. Defenseman Michael Brodzinski wore #16 of the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. He’s the younger brother of the Wolf Pack captain, leading scorer, and current Rangers taxi squad member, Jonny Brodzinski. Byrce and Ethan, are their two younger siblings and are still in college at St. Cloud State and Minnesota respectively. Goaltender Brandon Kasel wore #1 as a back-up from Ithaca, NY. He was in the Utica Comets’ pre-season camp. The ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder and defenseman Mike Lee (Hamden) wore #17. The Indy Fuel’s (ECHL) defenseman Brandon Fortunato #43 (QU grad) of the Icemen to a professional tryout.
Brassard, signed by the Wolf Pack on September 22nd to a one-year AHL deal. He is 5-1-1 with a .886 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against average with the Icemen. He was the 166th overall pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Brassard has a record 16-15-3 in 36 career ECHL appearances.
Berzolla, signed by the Wolf Pack on September 20th. He played in 24 games with the Icemen this season, scoring eleven points (2 goals). Berzolla has scored 14 points (11 assists) in 39 career ECHL games with the Icemen and Florida Everblades.
Fortunato joins the Wolf Pack after skating in 13 games with the Icemen this season with nine assists. The former Quinnipiac Bobcat attended Wolf Pack training camp on a PTO this past October and has skated in 13 career AHL games with the Cleveland Monsters and Belleville Senators. Fortunato won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships.
MORE ON THE SIGNEES
Elmer was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Rangers and has scored 14 points (10 goals in 23 games with the Icemen this season. He has skated in seven AHL games, all with the Wolf Pack, and with four points (two goals). He was named to the ECHL All-Star Game in 2019-20 while with the Maine Mariners when they were the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate.
Luchuk was signed to a PTO by the Wolf Pack, has scored 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists) in 21 games with the Solar Bears this season. Luchuk has scored 173 points (69 goals 104 assists) in 171 career games in the league. His 74 points (28 goals 46 assists) led the league during the 2020-21 season, a year in which he was also named an ECHL First Team All-Star. Luchuk has 33 career AHL games with the Senators, Toronto Marlies, and Laval Rocket.
Brodzinski, the 141st overall pick by the San Jose Sharks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, has skated in 26 games with the Solar Bears this season and scored 18 points (five goals 13 assists). An ECHL All-Star while with the Solar Bears in 2019-20, Brodzinski has skated in 176 career ECHL games and scored 101 points (25 goals 76 assists). He appeared in 61 AHL games with the San Jose Barracuda. He plated last year overseas with HC Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Extra League.
KASEL AND OTHERS
Kasel, 25, has appeared in two games with the Thunder this season while posting a record of 2-0-0, a .983 save percentage, 0.50 goals-against average, and one shutout.
The rookie netminder played four NCAA seasons with Division III Skidmore College (UCHC), posting a career-high .928 save percentage as a senior in 2019-20. Kasel signed a PTO with the Providence Bruins earlier this season but has yet to play in the AHL.
LEE FROM CT
Lee, a native of Hamden, Connecticut, has appeared in 25 games with the Fuel this season while scoring a career-high 25 points (5 goals 20 assists).
He skated his Junior and Senior seasons at Fairfield-based, Sacred Heart University (AHA), Lee was named the Atlantic Hockey Association’s Best Defenseman in the 2019-20 season after he scored a career-high five goals, 28 assists, and 33 points. He also has yet to play in the AHL till tonight.
He played his school hockey at Hamden where ex-Wolf Pack and Calder Cup hero Todd Hall is the school’s fifth all-time head coach in school history and played for him.
He played his prep school hockey at The Gunn School (formerly The Gunnery School – Washington, CT) before heading to the University of Vermont (HE) before transferring to SHU.
Pioneers head coach C.J. Marrotolo (North Haven) was in attendance to see his former player.
NHL AND NHLPA COVID STUFF
The NHL and NHLPLA announced their agreed-upon addendum to their COVID-19 protocols.
Players must isolate for five days:
If the individual has a fever, continue to isolate until their fever resolves.
If the individual has no symptoms or their symptoms are resolved after five days, they can leave isolation and return to practices and games, provided the following conditions are met:
A lab-based PCR test that is negative, or a lab-based PCR test that has a CT value >30, or two negative molecular points of care tests collected >2 hours apart; and medical clearance from the individual’s Club physician; and, such exit is permitted by their local health authority.
The individual shall continue to always wear a mask around others for five additional days, other than for practices and games.
All other aspects of the Protocol remain in place.
The NHL’s and NHLPA’s medical experts will re-evaluate these measures on or before January 12.
MORE MOVES
Matt Foley (Yale) gets his second AHL recall this season to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Fellow ex-Yale Bulldog Ted Hart signs with Worcester (ECHL) and Evan Neugold (Goshen) signs with Newfoundland (St. John’s) (ECHL) where he played two years ago.
Defenseman Dallas Drake (UCONN) is traded from Reading (ECHL) to Wheeling (ECHL).
