BY: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack fell behind early Saturday night and couldn’t pull back into the affair after a flurry from the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Phantoms scored three times in a span of 3:08 to take a commanding 3-0 lead that they would use to glide to a 4-0 decision over the Pack at the XL Center.
The Phantoms opened the scoring 7:26 into the game with an extra attacker due to a delayed penalty, as Hayden Hodgson scored his ninth goal of the season. Logan Day stepped into a shot off a feed from Cal O’Reilly that Hodgson caught a piece of. The goal opened a stretch of three quick goals that allowed the Phantoms to take control.
Wyatte Wylie extended the lead to 2-0 just 36 seconds after Hodgson’s goal. Nick Lappin won a faceoff back to Wylie, who stepped into a shot that cleanly beat Tyler Wall. The goal was Wylie’s first of the season, while the assist was Lappin’s second in just his 15th game.
THREE GOAL OUTBURST
The three-goal outburst concluded at 10:34 when Alex Kile scored his second of the campaign. Matthew Strome sent a centering pass into the slot, where a diving Kile got a quick shot off that beat Wall. Hodgson would pick up the secondary assist, his second point of the period.
The Phantoms scored just 3:56 into the middle frame with Garrett Wilson’s tenth of the year. Linus Sandin drove into the offensive zone and forced back a Wolf Pack defender, creating a lane for himself to the goal. Sandin got a shot off that Wall denied, but Wilson snuck behind the defense and chipped home the rebound to make it a 4-0 game.
The Wolf Pack fired 26 shots on goal but couldn’t solve United States Olympian, Pat Nagle. He turned aside all 26 attempts for his first career AHL shutout in his final game before joining Team USA tomorrow. The win pushed his season record to 7-0-3.
The Phantoms have now won three straight games against the Wolf Pack. This loss snapped Hartford’s five-game point streak at the XL Center (4-0-1-0) and three-game winning streak overall.
The Wolf Pack return to game action Wednesday night when they visit the Hershey Bears at the Giant Center. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and you can catch the action live on AHLTV. The Pack will play another back-to-back set next weekend, starting on Friday at 7:05 p.m. against the Springfield Thunderbirds at the MassMutual Center.
Next Saturday evening, the Pack is back at the XL Center with a special 5:00 p.m. puck drop. The Pack host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on ‘Star Wars Night’ at the XL Center. The first 1,500 fans will also receive a Wolf Pack pint glass courtesy of Lewis Real Estate Services. We will also be holding a postgame skate! Tickets are still available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
