WOLF PACK SWEEP PRESEASON OVER ISLANDERS WITH A 5-1 VICTORY AT TRINITY COLLEGE
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack completed a sweep of their preseason home-and-home series with the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday night. Five different Wolf Pack players scored as Hartford came away with a 5-1 victory on the campus of Trinity College.
Tim Gettinger would put the Wolf Pack back in front for good, just 6:08 into the middle stanza. Defenseman Brandon Scanlin fired a wrist shot from the high slot toward the Islander goal, where Gettinger was positioned. In front of Islander starter Jakub Skarek, Gettinger tipped the shot home for his first preseason goal and Hartford’s first five-on-five goal of the contest.
The Wolf Pack would open the scoring with a powerplay goal, their third of the preseason. Tanner Fritz hit Lauri Pajuniemi with a cross-ice pass, setting up the Finnish forward on the far side of the Islander zone. Pajuniemi then sent a pass to the goal crease, where Turner Elson was stationed. The veteran Elson would tap home his first goal of the preseason at 9:09 of the opening frame.
The Islanders would respond, scoring the game’s first five-on-five goal in the final minute of the opening period. Ryan MacKinnon fired a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and by Wolf Pack starter Louis Domingue. The goal was MacKinnon’s first of the preseason.
Gettinger’s redirection of the Scanlin shot kickstarted a strong middle stanza for the Pack. Bobby Trivigno would jam home a rebound to extend the Hartford lead to 3-1 at 14:07. Austin Rueschhoff fired a shot at Islander goalie Cory Schneider, who played the second half of the game, after collecting possession in the offensive zone. The shot created a rebound, which Trivigno pounced on for his first goal of the exhibition season.
Hartford would take a 4-1 lead 5:06 into the third period as Karl Henriksson deposited his first of the preseason. Defenseman Tim Theocharidis carried the puck deep into the Islander zone, eventually swinging a pass to Henriksson at the side of the net. Henriksson collected the pass and beat Schneider, allowing Hartford to pull away.
Bridgeport had a golden opportunity to draw back into the game in the final ten minutes, as Jimmy Lambert was awarded a penalty shot. Lambert, however, was denied by Domingue on the try, keeping Hartford’s lead at three.
Tanner Fritz then finished the scoring on this night, firing home his first of the preseason at 14:27 of the third to make it 5-1 for Hartford.
The Wolf Pack open the 2022-23 season on Friday, October 14th, when they visit the Charlotte Checkers at 7:00 p.m. The club hosts its home opener on Saturday, October 22nd, at 7:00 p.m. when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins come to town.
To run with the Pack during the 2022-23 season, visit hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets for information on ticket packages and to purchase single-game tickets.
