BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
BRIDGEPORT, CT – Ty Ronning’s goal with 6:55 remaining in regulation proved to be the difference in a 3-4 Hartford Wolf Pack win over their intrastate rivals, the Bridgeport Islanders, in the last road game and final meeting between the two teams this season.
For the Wolf Pack, it was just their second regulation win since March 5th, and the win pulls them within one game of achieving the .500 mark for the season.
The Wolf Pack will wrap up the 2021-22 season at home with a mid-afternoon meeting with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The puck drop is set for 3 pm.
RONNING’S GOAL
At 13:05, Nick Merkley started the sequence by feeding Zach Giuttari at the right point. The Pack defenseman then fired an excellent low shot at the net. Anthony Grecco may have deflected it en route to the net, but netminder Jakob Skarek made the initial stop. Instead, the puck found Ronning on the left side of the net. Ronning recovered the rebound and backhanded his 18th goal of the season going upstairs over Skarek.
At 15:15 of the first period, Bridgeport got the game’s first goal. Andy Andreoff converted his 18th off a Chris Terry diagonal pass. Simon Holmstrom picked up the second assist on the goal.
They almost made it 2-0 as Aatu Raty nearly finished a spectacular three-way passing play that started with Austin Czarnik receiving a Michael DellColle pass from the left-wing side. But, instead, Raty hit the post, and Huska dove across for the rebound that found Czarnik.
Greco had a breakaway with 1:14 to go as he tried to go five-hole but was turned aside by Skarek.
FIRST GOAL
Thirty seconds into the second period Alex Whelan tallied his 8th, snapping a hard wrister glove side.
Then at 5:05, Trivigno forced a turnover that Greco saw tossed aside. Then Jeff Kubiak of Bridgeport, rushing in off the left wing, caught a pass in full flight by Blade Jenkins.
Then with 8:19 left, Skarek stopped Khordorenko in front, trying to jam in a rebound from Alex Whelan’s play from behind the net.
Then in front of the Bridger port bench, Austin Rueschoff narrowly missed a major hitting Robin Salo from behind.
Czarnik, Collin Adams, and Androeff were turned away.
LINES
Ronning-Gettinger-Letunov
Lorito-Pajuniemi-Merkley
Trivigno-Khordorenko-Greco
Richards-Rueschoff-Whalen
Scanlin-Skinner
Jones-Robertson
Tinordi -Guitarri
Huska
Kinkaid
SCRATCHES
Taylor
Fritz
Lundkvist (out for the rest of the weekend)
DiGiacinto
O’Leary
Brassard
Ethan Brodzinski
NOTES
The New York Rangers needed a victory to stay tied with two points of the first-place Carolina Hurricanes but lost in Boston to the Bruins in a playoff-like atmosphere, 3-1.
Goalie Francois Brassard was recalled from the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Jacksonville Icemen, after being named ECHL Nick Vitucci Goalie of the Year on Thursday. He finished with a record of 19-9-3 with one shutout in 31 appearances. He achieved that with two goals or less in twenty of his 31 games. He also led the league with a 2.19 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
He won Game 1 of the ECHL playoffs best-of-seven-series with the Atlanta Gladiators.
Former Quinnipiac goalie Keith Petruzzelli finished second in the ECHL Goalie of the Year voting. The only two-time winner of that award is Scott Stirling, the son of the former Bridgeport Sound Tiger head coach, Steve Stirling.
Jacksonville won the first two games of their opening ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs against Atlanta 3-2 and then 5-4 in overtime. Both James Sanchez and Abbott Girduckis, both ex-Wolf Pack players, scored in the second game.
Game 3 is on Wednesday night in Jacksonville.
