BY: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack will look to break out of a slump that has seen the team drop six of its last seven games in regulation time on Saturday night when they welcome the Hershey Bears to town for a key Atlantic Division matchup. This is the second half of a back-to-back for the Pack and the third game of a four-game homestand.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the sixth and final meeting of the 2021-22 regular season series between the Wolf Pack and the Bears and the second of two meetings this month between the sides.
The Wolf Pack skated to a 3-1 victory over the Bears at the XL Center in the last meeting on March 5th. With a powerplay goal, Matt Lorito opened the scoring 12:15 into the second period. The Bears tied the contest just 55 seconds into the third period on an Aliaksei Protas goal, his fourth of the campaign. Tanner Fritz would break the tie 4:11 into the third period, giving the Wolf Pack a lead they would not lose when he banked the puck into the net off a Hershey defender. Austin Rueschhoff tacked on an insurance marker on the powerplay 7:19 into the third period, his 13th of the campaign, to cement the win.
The Wolf Pack have taken four of the first five meetings between the divisional foes, including both meetings in Hartford. The Wolf Pack are 4-1-0-0 against the Bears during the 2021-22 campaign.
As things currently stand, the Wolf Pack and Bears would meet in a best-of-three, first-round Calder Cup Playoffs matchup.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack dropped their second straight contest on Friday night, falling 3-2 to the Springfield Thunderbirds. Patrick Khodorenko and Lauri Pajuniemi both scored for the Pack, but Dakota Joshua’s powerplay goal at 15:09 of the third period proved to be the difference. Sam Anas scored twice for the T-Birds in the victory. For Pajuniemi, it was his first game back after missing the last four contests. He now has two goals in his previous three appearances.
The Wolf Pack have lost six of their last seven games in regulation time. The club’s lone victory was a 5-2 decision last Saturday night against the Belleville Senators.
Anthony Greco leads the Pack in scoring with 45 points (14 g, 31 a). Ty Ronning leads active Wolf Pack skaters in goals with 15. On Thursday, the Pack released forward Aaron Luchuk from his professional tryout (PTO). Defenseman Brandon Scanlin, signed by the parent New York Rangers (NHL) to a two-year, entry-level contract last weekend, made his professional debut last night. He collected an assist in the loss.
Bears Outlook:
Last night, the Bears dropped a 2-0 decision against the Providence Bruins at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, dropping their record to 30-24-5-3 on the campaign. Tyler Lewington broke a scoreless tie at 6:26 of the third period, while Matt Filipe tacked on an empty netter at 19:33 to cement the victory. Zach Fucale made 16 saves on 17 shots in defeat. The Bears outshot the Bruins by a 28-18 margin.
Mike Vecchione leads active Bears skaters in points with 37 (12 g, 25 a) on the season. Garrett Pilon is second among active skaters with 33 points (15 g, 18 a). Forwards Joe Snively (38 points) and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (34 points) are currently with the parent Washington Capitals (NHL).
The Bears currently have won 2,999 games in franchise history. A victory tonight will make them the first team in AHL history with 3,000 victories.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV
LISTEN: https://mixlr.com/hfd-wolf-pack/
Join us tonight at the XL Center as we host Guns ‘N Hoses night! For more information on the event, please visit www.ctheroescup.com. The first 1,500 fans into the building this evening will also receive a hand-drawn poster courtesy of Carvel. The Pack will close out their four-game homestand on Monday night when the Utica Comets come to town. Puck drop for tonight’s contest and Monday night’s tilt is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
