HARTFORD WOLF PACK BEAT WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-1 to finish their final three-in-three weekend of the season in a strong fashion at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday.
With eight games to go, the win sets up a major contest with in-state, Atlantic Division rival, the Bridgeport Islanders (30-25-7-1 68 points). The Wolf Pack trail Bridgeport by one point for the last playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. They head for a showdown for a crucial mid-week showdown Wednesday night at the XL Center.
In the third period, the Wolf Pack (28-25-4-7 67 points) effectively kept the Penguins, undermanned by recalls and injuries, under wraps and at bay to secure the win.
With Libor Hajek in the penalty box on a Tripping call at 9:40, on the resulting power play, Drew Cagguila collided with Jonny Brodzinski at the Penguins’ blue line. Afterward, Cagguila got back into the flow and received a pass at the midway point of the Wolf Pack zone. He then found Jon Gruden all alone on the left wing-side. Gruden wired a shot high to the short side inside the right post on Louis Domingue to register the only Penguins goal on the power play at 10:31.
That made it 4-1, and it remained that way until, with only 36 seconds left, Turner Elson took a Tim Gettinger pass to score the empty net goal for the 5-1 final.
The Penguins had plenty of Grade-A scoring chances that Domingue stopped. Tyler Sikura, Sam Houde, and Nathan Légaré all challenged Domingue with their chances only to see those chances evaporate. With 4:06 left, Filip Hållander had a golden opportunity over a down on the ice Domingue but put his backhander over the crossbar.
After Josh Maniscalco’s effort that Domingue denied, the Pack netminder tried to shoot for the empty net after former Pack goaltender Dustin Tokarski was pulled for an extra attacker, but his airborne attempt was knocked down in the zone and forced him to make a save instead.
The Pack could have scored two final empty net goals, but Tanner Fritz’s tally was ruled offside.
SECOND PERIOD
In the second period, the Penguins came out gunning and fired the first seven shots before the Pack registered their first shot at 9:35.
Despite being held to one credited shot on goal to that point, the Pack made the second one count.
Newcomer Anton Blidh tallied his tenth of the season after Turner Elson fired it behind the net. Penguins defenseman Jon Lizotte mishandled the puck and gave it right to Blidh, who quickly lifted it over Tokarski’s right shoulder, off the crossbar, and in for a 4-0Â lead at 10:27.
Shortly afterward, the Penguins nearly scored as Peter DiLibertore’s dump-in ricocheted off a stanchion that separates the glass behind the net, which trapped Domingue, who was out to play the puck. The carom went to Cagguila, but a combination of defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk and Domingue each got a piece of the puck and incredibly kept it out of the net at 10:54.
With 3:06 left, Tokarski made a remarkable right skate save, preventing Will Cullye from a goal celebration. He then stopped Will Lockwood with a blocker save and denied Elson with 1:31 remaining.
Blidh, just one game removed from returning from his transatlantic trip from Sweden, put the puck off the crossbar on Tokarski.
FIRST PERIOD
The Pack controlled the game from the start in a must-win game situation.
16 seconds after the opening faceoff, Zac Jones maneuvered with the puck through the whole Penguins team and fired the first Wolf Pack shot of the game that found the back of the net. It was the fastest-scored goal for the Pack to start a road game this season and second fastest overall. It was Jones’ eighth of the season.
At 6:25, the Wolf Pack pushed the gas pedal to the floor as Ryan Carpenter was on the left wing side. He found Will Lockwood, speeding through the middle of the ice and surging past the Penguins’ defense, and gave him the puck. Lockwood registered his second Wolf Pack goal and 14th of the season overall for the 2-0 lead.
Former Quinnipiac player and now Penguins’ defenseman Peter DiLiberatore put the puck out of play, earning a two-minute visit to the penalty box for a Delay of Game call at 13:19. It took the Pack only 14 seconds to make the Penguins pay for the 23-year-old’s mistake.
Fritz was low the right-wing wall and fired a perfect cross-ice pass through the box to Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski, who buried his 19th of the season at 13:33.
At 18:05, rookie Brett Berard had a quality chance on one of the 14 shots the Pack fired at Tokarski, who was just sent down from the parent Pittsburgh Penguins.
LINES:
Cullye-Leschyshyn-Brodzinski
Gettinger-Lockwood-Carpenter
Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh
Elson-Berard-Trivigno
Jones-Emberson
Hájek-Scanlin
Clendening- Kalynuk
Domingue
Garand
SCRATCHES:
Matt Robertson (Upper-body, long-term)
Cristiano DiGiacinto (Healthy)
Karl Henriksson (Healthy)
Matt Rempe (Healthy)
Blake Hillman (Healthy)
Patrick Khordorenko (Season-ending shoulder surgery)
C.J. Smith (Hip area surgery done for the season)
NOTES:
Wilkes Barrer/Scranton recalled Louie Roehl from the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL), but he was scratched.
Quinnipiac was victorious at the NCAA Regional in Bridgeport 4-1 over Ohio State. They advance to the Frozen Four in Tampa against Michigan, where Sandy Hook’s Mackie Samoskevich (Chicago) scored at 52 seconds of overtime with a lightning wrist shot over Penn State that sent Michigan to their 27th Frozen Four appearance.
Boston University, who feature former Avon Old Farms player Jamie Armstrong, the son of Arizona Coyotes’ GM Bill Armstrong, will play Bryce Brodzinski, the youngest brother of Jonny Brodzinski and Minnesota, in the other semifinal game.
Next Saturday night’s Wolf Pack game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will be broadcast on the NHL Network live in a prime-time slot at 7 PM.
