BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Hartford Wolf Pack goalie, Keith Kinkaid made a timely return with a successful 31-save performance along with two goals from Austin Rueschoff to post the team’s first shut out of the season, 4-0 over the visiting Laval Rocket.
“We played well in the first and third (periods) but had a little bit of a lapse in the second. It’s bound to happen (with two games in two nights), but Keith (Kinkaid) bailed us out a few times again tonight,” remarked Justin Richards.
Kinkaid offered the team’s returning head coach Kris Knoblauch, the stability he needed after the Pack’s poor performance in Providence the night before.
“We had chances. We outworked them. Then in the second period, we spent a lot of time in the defensive end of the ice. After the second goal, we just let up. They’re a good team, worked hard, and wanted to win too. The last fifteen minutes of the second period was not good enough for us,” said Knoblauch.
KINKAID SHINES
The Pack broke the scoreless deadlock when Justin Richards put the puck on the net from ten feet out on a turnover. Rueschoff scored for the fourth game in a row and sixth of the season when the rebound came off Laval goalie, and ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Kevin Poulin’s left pad at 1:36 of the first period.
“It’s fun playing with someone who is playing hot. Hope he continues to play as does our line,” said Richards.
The second-year forward took time to find his sweet spot.
“It comes down to confidence and he is confident in making plays and is taking his shots right now.”
RUESCHOFF PLAYING WELL
“First is the most important thing I believe; he has the confidence and the second part is he has better protection of the puck in gaining the offensive zone. That extends the play and helps him find somebody open. He has the body to do it.”
At 6’7, Rueschoff is able to do with more frequency of late.
“He has that skill. I always think he’s had it. We coached it out of him and has gotten the confidence to create scoring chances.”
In just his third game, rookie Jacob Hayhurst won an offensive zone draw from former Wolf Pack Shawn St. Amant, who was just summoned from Trois-Rivieres (ECHL). Lauri Pajuniemi found the loose biscuit and took a backhanded shot that went wide. He stayed with the play and retrieved the puck behind the net, then fired a shot and it went off a skate past Poulin and in the net at 9:04.
“It’s nothing magical. He’s skating toward it. If a teammate gives you a short pass you go with it. Lauri made a nice play. That’s the difference in the first 15 to the next 15 games for both players.”
The rookie Hayhurst had a strong two-way game.
“That line hasn’t played a lot for us. Two of them were on the ice on Pajuniemi’s goal for us. He has some size, won battles for us. He kept his feet moving made the defense back up with his speed.”
Apparently, it wasn’t enough as he was released on Sunday with the return of Anthony Greco by the New York Rangers.
KINKAID COMES THROUGH
Kinkaid made the puck disappear on Danick Martel’s solo breakaway from the Laval end of the ice giving him nothing to shoot at. On the shot, Kinkaid got a piece of it. A minute later off an offensive zone draw win, Martel sent a 35-footer that Kinkaid gloved.
“His numbers are incredible and he is even better than they are,
“Some goalies are at their best when they’re up 7-0 and want their shutout. You can be up 7-0, give up two and you don’t care if they go in, you’ll get the win. If you need a couple of big saves, Keith has been there for us this year and I’m glad he’s here,” commented Knoblauch
Kinkaid is 14th best in the AHL playing 859:28 even with going up and down to the Rangers’ taxi squad.
He has an 11-1-2-0 record, a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
Richards had two assists and played an effective game despite being inconsistent. He’s been all over the lineup playing the third line, the fourth line, being scratched, and double-shifted. In this game, he was on the second line.
RICHARDS REACTS
“I wasn’t confident with making plays at beginning of the year with the puck. I think the past couple of weeks, the confidence has come back. I’m real comfortable with the puck and I’m making more plays with the puck,” remarked Richards.
Knoblauch never lost faith in him after a strong training camp in New York and Harford, despite his is uneven play, he and the team have been working assiduously on puck management especially in the neutral zone.
“We had spent most of the week on getting the puck up in the zone and moving it forward and hitting the trailer coming in. With the big lineup interruptions, the past six weeks have created lots of lineup turmoil as they have watched their fortunes slip to fourth place.
*It’s been pretty chaotic here since Christmas time, to say the least. It’s no excuse. We have to bring it every night,” Richards said. “When a new guy comes (in) we gotta make him feel as comfortable as possible. We’ve been doing a lot of that the last month.”
LINES
Fritz-Luchuk-Pajuniemi
Rueschoff-Khordorenko-Richards
O’Leary-Whalen-DiGiacinto
Hayhurst-Elmer-Pecararo
Taylor-Bitetto
Lundkvist-Jones
Guittari-Robertson
Zach Berzolla
Kinkaid
Huska
SCRATCHES
Ty Ronning (upper-body, should be on skates Monday)
Reunanen
Sanchez
François Brassard
NOTES
This was the first meeting of the two teams in two years
Zac Jones, Pajuniemi, and Kinkaid were sent down by the Rangers and Tyler Wall is brought up to the taxi squad.
Laval featured ex-Wolf Pack Shawn St. Amant who was recalled from Trois-Rivieres (ECHL) and Alexandre Fortin, who is the nephew of one-time Whalers first-round pick and Stanley Cup winner in Anaheim, Jean-Sebastian Giguere, and cousin of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’, Cam Lee.
Liam Pecararo and Aaron Luchuk will represent their ECHL clubs, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, and the Orlando Solar Bears respectively with the Wolf Pack’s blessing in Jacksonville on Monday night (NHL Network 7 pm) at the ECHL All Star Classic. Each was formally released to do so and beat the impending snowstorm/rain event.
Ex-Pack/Sound Tiger J.F.Beube is returned to the Springfield Thunderbirds and Ryan Dmowski signs a formal PTO for the rest of the year in Hershey with the Bears.
The Sacred Heart University Pioneers (AHA) Connor Doherty was signed to a PTO by the Providence Bruins, while former UCONN Husky Karl El-Mir was signed to a PTO by the Ontario Reign from the Indy Fuel (ECHL).
Another former Husky goalie, Tomáš Vomáčka, was recalled from the Florida Everblades (ECHL) by the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL).
