THOMAS: COMETS VISIBLE AT XL ON MONDAY NIGHT
BY: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack will look to earn a split of their four-game homestand this evening when they play host to the Utica Comets in the club’s only home Monday night game of the campaign. This game is the rescheduled makeup date from the Wolf Pack’s scheduled December 4th, 2021, game.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the second and final meeting of the 2021-22 regular season between the Wolf Pack and the Comets. In the first meeting, the Wolf Pack took a 2-1 decision, defeating the Comets in Utica on January 8th. Anthony Bitetto opened the scoring 11:45 into the contest with a powerplay goal, then Alex Whelan tacked on the insurance 6:44 into the second stanza. Frederik Gauthier scored his third goal of the season 4:14 into the third period to cut the deficit in half, but Adam Húska slammed the door shut with 21 saves for the victory.
This is Utica’s first visit to the XL Center since January 4th, 2020. The Wolf Pack took a 3-1 decision that night on the strength of a Vincent LoVerde game-winning goal.
The Wolf Pack are 7-3-1-1 against the Comets throughout the last five seasons.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
On Saturday night, the Wolf Pack won a wild 4-3 shootout affair over the Hershey Bears. Nick Merkley scored his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack to open the scoring at 12:54 of the hockey game, then Cristiano DiGiacinto tacked on an insurance marker at 14:28 when he knocked home a rebound. Anthony Greco’s powerplay goal 9:36 into the second made it a 3-0 game, but the Bears would take over.
Garrett Pilon and Mason Morelli scored on the powerplay to make it a 3-2 game heading into the second intermission. Mike Vecchione then tied the game at 8:57 of the third period, jamming home a rebound at the top of the crease. The sides required overtime and then a shootout, where Ty Ronning scored the only goal to push Hartford to victory. Keith Kinkaid denied all three shooters in the skills competition and made 41 saves in regulation and overtime for the win.
Greco leads the Pack in scoring with 47 points (15 g, 32 a) on the season. Greco and Ronning lead active Wolf Pack skaters in goals with 15 each.
Comets Outlook:
On Sunday afternoon, the Comets took a 4-1 decision over the Providence Bruins. Alexander Holtz opened the scoring 18:36 into the hockey game with a powerplay tally. Samuel Laberge made it a 2-0 game 14:25 into the second period, giving the Comets all the scoring they would need. Eduards Tralmaks made it 2-1 at 16:24 of the third period, but Tyler Wotherspoon and Brian Flynn scored empty-net goals to cement the victory.
The Comets have won two straight games this weekend. They also defeated the Syracuse Crunch 3-1 on Friday night.
Fabian Zetterlund leads the Comets in scoring with 48 points (23 g, 25 a). Holtz is second with 43 points (22 g, 21 a). Akira Schmid leads Comets goaltenders in wins with 18 on the campaign.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV
LISTEN: https://mixlr.com/hfd-wolf-pack/
The Pack is back at the XL Center for two more games this weekend! The Wolf Pack will play host to the Belleville Senators for the second and final time this season on Friday, April 1st, at 7:00 p.m. Join us for $2 beers and $1 hot dogs presented by our friends at Nomads Entertainment! On Saturday, the Syracuse Crunch makes their lone visit to the XL Center at 7:00 p.m. Join us for Hartford Sports Weekend and a Coffee Mug giveaway courtesy of Xfinity!
Tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
