HARTFORD WOLF PACK SWEPT IN CHARLOTTE BY CHECKERS
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
CHARLOTTE, NC – For the Hartford Wolf Pack, North Carolina has not been friendly territory, and they proved it again by dropping their second straight contest at the start of the 2022-23 season with a 3-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers at the Bojangles Coliseum.
Like the Aerosmith tune, “Same Old Song and Dance,” the trip down South sent them to an abysmal Tar Heel State record of 1-16-1-1. Their only win was the final game of last season.
This game was even throughout the first period as the Pack goalie, Dylan Garand, answered the best opportunities that came his way. Garland and Mark Guzda for Charlotte were both making their seasons’ first start. Charlotte’s Patrick Giles, a former Boston College winger, tested Garand halfway through the period. About two minutes later, it was an ex-CT Whale, Michael Del Zotto, from off the right side, but his challenge was denied by a Garand glove save.
Jonny Brodzinski saw his backhand attempt on Guzda rejected several minutes later as was a shorthanded bid.
Charlotte broke through late on the man advantage at 17:50. Connor Bunnaman got behind Matt Robertson and put the puck past Garand for a 1-0 lead. Chris Tierney, who played well in both games, earned the primary assist.
Each roster put 12 shots on the opposing netminder in the second period, but no goals were scored. The Pack’s Turner Elson had a quality chance squashed by Guzda. But Garland also was quick with the leather stopping Logan Hutsko and then Patrick Giles two minutes later at 8:47.
With 3:11 remaining in the period, Tanner Fritz was stopped by Guzda. Garland denied Alexei Heponiemi; then John Ludvig had a late block off a Patrick Khordorenko bid to keep the Pack off the board.
The Pack had two chances late with seven seconds to go, but Guzda kept them from denting the twine.
In the third, Charlotte got its second again on another special team’s goal. At 6:52, Riley Nash popped in his first tally of the season in front of the net Garand made the first save on Anton Levtchi before the Czech rookie and last night’s hero, causing him to be untouched by either defender was able to slip his shot under Garand.
Lucas Carlsson, just back from the Charlotte locker room for repairs, got the whole play started at 6:52.
The Pack’s Elson, followed by Bobby Trivigno, tried to get one past Guzda but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Henry Bowlby was set up in front of Garand. He got an effective shot, but it was gobbled up after a three-on-one failed for the Checkers.
Then Santuu Kinnunen tallied at 17:23 his first into the empty net as coach Kris Knoblauch chose to pull Garand early for an extra attacker but got nothing. Kinnunen was the leading defenseman in scoring in Finland last year.
The Wolf Pack finally broke the shutout bid of Guzda, the game’s first star, as Elson converted Will Cullye’s pass for his first at 19:55.
The Wolf Pack return to Hartford where they will kick off the home portion of their season against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:00 PM.
NOTES
For the second game in a row, Will Cullye led the Pack with four shots, sharing the honor with Elson.
Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Michael Del Colle becomes the 109th AHL’er to head to Europe and 16th to Finland as he signed with TPS Turku after being cut by Ottawa.
Former Yale goalie Alex Lyon did not dress. Chase Priskie (Quinnipiac University) played for the Checkers.
All the rehab work done on the Bojangles Arena was overseen by the late Davin “Dave” Olson, who passed away suddenly six months ago in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was a part-time gig after being unceremoniously let go by Gale Force Holdings – the parent company of the Carolina Hurricanes’ former affiliate. In his career, Olson had run the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum (nee XL Center) and the New Haven Coliseum.
Calgary is with the brand-new AHL Calgary Wranglers. It’s like an ex-Connecticut player-ville with assistant coach ex-Hartford Whaler, New Haven Nighthawk, and Springfield Indian, Don Nachbaur, and with ex-Wolf Pack MacKenzie Skapski as the goalie coach. The parent Calgary Flames have ex-Pack, Bretton Stamler as an amateur scout, and of course, all-time Pack great Jason Labarbera is the NHL goalie coach.
Future Ranger/Wolf Pack Brennan Othmann is off to a scintillating start with the Flint Firebirds (OHL) with seven goals in seven games.
Former training camp player Sam Sternschein has left the ECHL Jacksonville Icemen and has signed with the Reading Royals.
Former 1980 Rangers draftee, former New Haven Nighthawk, and long-time AHL-ECHL coach, Kurt Kleinendorst, was let go by the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany-DEL) after nine games (2-7) on Friday.
LINES:
Brodzinski-Gauthier-Cullye
Henriksson-Trivigno-Rempe
Fritz-Elson-Pajuniemi
Khordorenko-Gettinger-C.J. Smith
Emberson-Welinski
Scanlin-Robertson
Harpur-Skinner
Dylan Garand
Louie Domingue
