BY: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack couldn’t get into a rhythm on Saturday night in Hershey, falling by a final score of 5-0 to the Bears in the first of a two-game weekend set.
The Bears started the night off on a historic note, as Axel Jonsson-Fjallby lit the lamp 6:13 into the hockey game with a powerplay goal. Jonsson-Fjallby fired a long shot that beat Keith Kinkaid through traffic, bringing with it a storm of over 52,000 teddy bears on Hershey’s ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ night.
After a lengthy delay to clear the teddy bears off the ice, the game resumed with a shade over 13:00 minutes remaining in the first period. Thanks to Brian Pinho, the Bears got the insurance marker late in the opening frame. Kinkaid denied Garrett Pilon’s initial shot, but the rebound popped to Pinho, who fired home his second of the season at the 18:04 mark.
SECOND PERIOD
The sides played a scoreless second period, with Kinkaid and Hershey starter Pheonix Copley denying all the bids sent their way. Kinkaid, however, saw his night end in the second intermission. Adam Húska played the third period for the Wolf Pack but could not keep the Bears at bay.
Joe Snively made it a 3-0 game just 23 seconds into the third period. Then, just under three minutes later, at 3:11, Jonson-Fjallby made it a 4-0 game with his second of the evening. Jonson-Fjallby would complete the hat-trick, scoring his third of the night and 13th of the season at 13:06, pushing the lead to 5-0.
The Wolf Pack return to action tomorrow when they get a rematch with the Bears at the Giant Center. The puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. The Pack is back at the XL Center next Wednesday night when the Springfield Thunderbirds come to town. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and tickets are still available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
