HARTFORD WOLF PACK BEAT BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS 3-2
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack responded in a significant way on Saturday night, scoring three times in the second period to grab two massive points. Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski struck twice as Hartford turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead they’d never lose on their way to a 3-2 victory over the Bridgeport Islanders.
Brodzinski potted his second goal of the night 17:06 into the middle stanza, putting the Pack ahead 3-1. Karl Henriksson fired an outlet pass from deep in his zone, banking it off the boards in the neutral zone. The puck glanced off the stick of Turner Elson and found Brodzinski, who burst into the zone on a partial breakaway. Brodzinski went to his backhand and lifted the puck over Jakub Skarek for his 16th goal of the season.
For the second game in a row, the Islanders struck first on their opening shot of the night. Cole Bardreau fired a puck from the left-wing faceoff circle that beat Louis Domingue by the blocker just 58 seconds into the game. The goal, Bardreau’s 15th of the season, was the fastest goal surrendered by the Wolf Pack in a road game this season.
However, things would settle down from there, and the sides played a relatively even final 19 minutes. Hartford would get their second powerplay of the night at 19:45, as Vincent Sevigny was whistled for a tripping minor.
That gave Hartford a powerplay to start the second period, and they’d take advantage with a quick strike in the middle stanza. Zac Jones set up Brodzinski in the right-wing circle, teeing up a one-timer from the captain. The shot blew past Skarek 29 seconds into the frame, giving Hartford their fastest goal to start a period on the road this season.
The Wolf Pack turned on the heat from there, peppering Skarek with chance after chance. Finally, the hustle of Tim Gettinger pushed Hartford into the lead. After the puck was dumped into the zone, Skarek came out behind his net to play it. The netminder tried to pass the puck to a defenseman, but Gettinger sped into the offensive zone and intercepted the pass. He then sent a quick centering feed to Ryan Carpenter, who fired home his 17th goal of the season at 7:54.
Brodzinski would strike at 17:06, ballooning the lead to 3-1. That goal would be important because the Islanders struck just 1:58 into the third period to cut the lead to 3-2.
Ruslan Iskhakov found the puck in the left-wing corner deep in the Hartford zone. He rushed behind the net, curled into the bottom of the right-wing circle, and fired a shot that slipped through Domingue to make it a 3-2 game.
Hartford’s veteran netminder slammed the door shut from there, making ten third-period saves to preserve the victory. Domingue wasn’t alone, however, as Hartford’s penalty kill stepped up in a big way and killed off three Islander powerplays in the final 17 minutes.
The win inches Hartford one point behind the Islanders for a playoff spot.
The Pack return to the XL Center on Friday, March 24th, for a date with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Join us for Pucks ‘N Paws and College Night! The puck drop is set for 7:00 pm. To get tickets, visit hartfordwolfpack.com.
