CANLTON: (4/9) WOLF PACK STRUGGLES CONTINUE 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

CHARLOTTE, NC – The losing continues for the Hartford Wolf Pack despite a strong effort and return to action from Tim Gettinger. The Charlotte Checkers got a goal and an assist from Chase Priskie and two goals from Connor Carrick in a 4-1 victory.

Despite it seeming like a sure thing at mid-season, this loss left the Pack in need of winning the rest of their remaining games to make the playoffs.

The Pack (29-27-6-2) has fallen into sixth place in the Atlantic Division after a 2-12 streak over their last 14 games. The Charlotte won their fourth straight and a franchise-record 13 game home winning streak.

CHECKERS TAKE THE LEAD

The Checkers took the lead of 2-1, courtesy of the power play.

The Pack had just nine shots in the previous two periods and were outshot 13-4 in the third. However, Pack goalie Keith Kinkaid upheld his end, stopping Zac Dalpe and Cody McCormick with 7:04 left off a left-wing rush.

Carrick was set up in the left-wing and put the puck out to Priskie for a one-time blast that went into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the year at 10:21.

PACK KNOT THE SCORE

The second period has been difficult for the Pack as of late, but they put together a strong, physical period with a lengthy stretch of puck possession time, but only had one goal to show for it.

While the Pack broke out of their end, Ty Ronning got the puck to linemate Petrick Khordorenko. He entered the zone with possession. Khordorenko fanned on his first shot attempt but managed to keep control of the puck and kept skating. His second attempt struck gold as he zipped his 10th goal past Christopher Gibson to tie the game at 6:55.

FIRST PERIOD

In the first period, the Pack, as has been a bad habit, surrendered a goal early in the game.

Connor Bunnanman took the puck away from rookie Brandin Scanlin and got it back to the right point to Priskie. The former Quinnipiac Bobcat tallied his seventh of the year through traffic. The puck may have hit Scanlin’s skate and got past Kinkaid at 2:49.

Alexander True and Carrick scored empty-net goals 1:09 apart in the third period to seal the win for Charlotte.

LINES

Merkley-Trivigno-Letunov
Ronning-Greco-Khordorenko
Lorito-Pajuniemi-Fritz
Whelan-O’Leary-Gettinger

Tinordi-Lundkvist
Jones-Scanlin
Robertson-Guittari

Kinkaid
Huska

SCRATCHES

DiGiacinto
Rueschoff
Taylor
Skinner
Ethan Brodzinski (#17)

NOTES

The Wolf Pack started a baseball-like three-game series against the Charlotte Checkers to wrap up their regular season series, and their playoff dreams as Hartford is on a problematic seven-game road trip.

The Seattle Kracken is expected to play in the fall with the AHL’s 32nd and newest franchise in the Pacific Division, the Coachella Valley (CA) Firebirds, in one of two new AHL buildings next year. Their building is the $250 million Acrisure Arena run by OVG, the operator of the XL Center.

Ben Holstrom, the former Sound Tigers captain for three years, who’s now in Rochester with the Americans on a PTO, has earned an eight-game ban for a homophobic slur directed at a player versus the Utica Comets in a March 30th game.

Eight games and sensitivity training for something disgusting that Holmstrom is accused of saying, but yet malicious hits from behind or deliberate direct shots targeting the head earn the offenders far less? Regardless of how heinous the comments Holmstrom is accused of making are egregious and indefensible, they’re still just words. Who he directed them at won’t likely need a hospital visit or time on the injured reserve. But, some of these hits that are going with a slap on the wrist have potentially life-altering consequences or could. To be clear, nobody is condoning what Holmstrom said, but compared to actual physical violence? The PC World has gone completely insane.

MORE NEWS

With the Frozen Four well underway, the Golden Gophers had Bryce Brodzinski, the youngest of the Brodzinski clan, brother of the Wolf Pack captain now Ranger Jonny Brodzinski, recently signed Ethan and brother Michael, who played three games with the Wolf Pack and who is with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL).

Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks goalie Dryden McKay is the son of Hartford Whaler Ross McKay and assistant coach Vernon, CT native former assistant coach at Yale University and Sacred Heart University, Paul Kirtland.

159 college Division-I and Division-III have gone pro in North America. None have gone to Europe yet.

The coaches for the 2023 US WJC team have been selected. At this point, it is unknown where the location of those games will be after they were taken away from Russia due to their invasion of Ukraine. The coaches will be Rand Pecknold, the Quinnipiac Bobcat head coach, one-time QU player, assistant coach, now the current Dartmouth head coach, Reid Cashman, and former QU goalie coach Jared Waimon, now a scout with Tampa Bay.

WORLD JUNIORS

Latvia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Finland are considered possible new sites for the internationally acclaimed Christmas-time tournament.

Two non-Russia-based KHL teams have announced they’re pulling out of the league, leaving them with 22 teams for the 2022 -23 season. In addition, Finnish Jokerit Helsinki and the Latvian-based Dynamo Riga have not announced their intentions for next season.

The first player to change teams is ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Jesse Joensuu, as he leaves Jokerit and heads to Assat Pori (Finland-FEL).

Former Hartford Whaler Igor Chibirev was the head coach of the Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) team, Donbas Donetsk. They are one of ten UHL teams located in Eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, the scene of intense battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

Money and training sites have been arranged in Hungary for the U-18 and other junior age level teams who are not military draft eligible.

The U-18 team is scheduled to play in Tychy, Poland, at the end of the month. Once the tourney ends, all males over 18, coaches, and equipment and training staff will report back to Ukraine to fight in the war.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOME