By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Jake Leschyshyn had an assist and a late goal, and the overtime winner at 1:12 propelled the Hartford Wolf Pack to a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Toronto Marlies. The win was the Pack’s fifth straight and in their last non-conference opponent of the season.
“We’re happy to get two points out of that (game). It’s a big game for us standings-wise. Coming down the stretch, every game is huge for us,” Leschyshyn said. “Libor made a huge play for us on the goal. He got out in front, and I got the first shot off. It wasn’t a great shot. It’s kind of opened things up and I was able to put the second one past him.”
Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch was all smiles post-game. “The line he and Blidh have been on has just gotten better and better and that showed at the end of the game.”
The already python-like playoff squeeze was made even tighter as the Bridgeport Islanders won a controversial game on Tuesday morning in OT over the Springfield Thunderbirds, who were last year’s Calder Cup runner-up.
This now sets up a monumental game Friday night between Bridgeport and Hartford. Following a Wolf Pack 2000 Calder Cup championship Celebration Night, the game will be played with ten former players in the house, including the former captain and head coach Ken Gernander.
Since being sent down, Lechyshyn has found some hockey nirvana in Hartford.
“It’s the first time coming to a team (traded) in my pro career. The guys have been so helpful, created the chemistry we needed and now we have to not take a step back, and it’s good to get the ice time. I think I have had a good opportunity with more ice time here in all situations that I did combined its all the other places I played (this year),” remarked Leschyshyn.
In the third period, after some pinball-like play, where the Pack struggled to get the puck out of the zone, the Marlies’ Kyle Clifford found the puck and had an open chance on the right wing but hit the post at 1:53.
Keith Petruzzelli squared on Tim Gettinger, took away the short side as a shooting option, and stopped him at 3:42.
Toronto’s Graham Slagggert followed with an inadvertent high stick on Ty Emberson behind the net and went to the penalty box. After the refs checked to see if there was blood, and when there was none, he went for a two-minute minor. It opened the door for the Wolf Pack.
While shorthanded, the Marlies Pontus Holmberg got around Ryan Carpenter, but netminder Louie Domingue moved right across the top of the crease to stay with him and make the save at 10:46.
The Wolf Pack finally broke the scoreless duel late in the third.
After solid board work and puck possession by Tanner Fritz and Lauri Pajuniemi, Emberson sent a good low shot from the right point. Leschyshyn got to the rebound first and was stopped.
Anton Blidh got a second crack at the puck and put his 12th of the season past Petruzzelli with just 1:12 left in regulation.
“It was similar to the goal we had in Toronto. Late in the game. A last second tying goal to force overtime. It was a good all-around effort by everybody to get that goal,” remarked Leschyshyn.
The Marlies are holders of the league’s fifth-best record. They demonstrated why, showing no quit.
With Petruzelli pulled, the Marlies’ Alex Steeves had a great chance with 32 seconds left to tie it from the right-wing side, but Domingue made a 10-bell save.
“He’s one of those guys we lean on, maybe a little too much sometimes. We got rewarded with his play tonight with a win,” said Leschyshyn.
With 12.2 seconds left, they managed to tie the game. Topi Niemelä registered his first goal of the season when he picked up the rebound of Steeves’ shot and buried it to force extra time.
“It was a tough game all night for both teams to get real good chances and find open ice. There wasn’t a lot going on for much of the game at times. We stuck with it, stayed patience and it paid off for us by persevering,” commented Leschyshyn.
LINES:
Cullye-Leschyshyn-Brodzinski
Gettinger-Lockwood-Carpenter
Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh
Elson-Henriksson-Trivigno
Jones-Emberson
Hájek-Scanlin
Clendening-Kalynuk
Domingue
Garand
SCRATCHES:
Matt Rempe (Healthy)
Blake Hillman (Healthy)
Adam Edström #34 (Healthy)
Brett Berard (Healthy)
Adam Sýkora #29 (Healthy)
Bryce McConnell-Barker #8 (Healthy)
Matt Robertson (Upper-body, Week-To-Week – Could be ready for the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (Season-ending shoulder surgery).
C.J. Smith (Hip surgery, Done for the season)
NOTES:
The Marlies are coached by ex-Pack captain/Sound Tiger/Springfield Falcon Greg Moore. He has been at the helm for a year and a half.
Former UCONN forward Ryan Tverberg just signed his NHL ELC deal with the Maple Leafs. His Marlies ATO deal came two weeks ago. he will be forgoing his senior season at Storrs. He was a scratch for the game.
The other CT connection is G Keith Petruzzelli (Quinnipiac University). His alma mater is in the Frozen Four in Tampa Bay against Michigan Thursday night; the ETA of the game is 8:30 pm on ESPN.
The NHL parent Toronto Maple Leafs recalled forwards Nick Abbruzzese and Wayne Simmonds on emergency recall.
Off to St. John’s, Newfoundland (ECHL) are Todd Skirvington, Matt Hellickson, and Jack Badini (Old Greenwich).
Jonny, Brodzinski was the second Wolf Pack this year to win an in-season AHL award as AHL Player of the Month for March.
Cayden Primeau, son ex-Whaler Keith, was recalled again from the Laval Rocket to the parent Montreal Canadiens.
Springfield signed Garrett Sparks after being sent back to Orlando (ECHL) as St. Louis recalled Vadim Zherenko.
So too, was defenseman Matt Kessel.
Lehigh Valley gets Samuel Ersson back in goal from Philly, sitting in for Connor Hart. He was suspended from the Canadian National Team with the WJC team because of a sexual assault incident that happened years ago. The claim was settled with the Canadian WJC team and, in turn, sent Pat Nagle back to the Reading Royals (ECHL).
Peter DiLiberatore, is reassigned to Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Jon Gillies (Salisbury School) continues his shuttle between Columbus and Cleveland.
Luke Stevens (Yale University-ECACHL) is reassigned to Kansas City (ECHL) by Coachella Valley Firebirds.
CHICAGO WOLVES
The Chicago Wolves sent a press release to all agents of minor league players yesterday that they will operate as an independent team next year, jettisoning Carolina after just two years.
They aren’t any more independent teams in the AHL. The last two were the Worcester (MA) Ice Cats in their first season under the late Roy Boe in 1993-94. The 1991 New Haven Nighthawks were the other.
Worcester is no longer in the AHL. It’s now an ECHL city and long gone.
The Nighthawks were comprised of Quebec Nordiques (nee Colorado Avalanche) farm hands and free agents.
Dual affiliations are a thing of the past too. The Charlotte Checkers were being split by the Florida Panthers and Seattle Krakken last year while the new building in the California desert was being built. This was the first one since the ill-fated, two-year experiment called the Beast of New Haven in the late ’90s, which Carolina and Florida shared.
Chicago has had four affiliations in the last seven years. They have had a tough going with every NHL affiliate. Several years ago, a St. Louis organizational source said, “We’ll never go back there. We rather be in Mexico City than deal with them!”
The owner of the defending Calder Cup Champion Wolves is Donald Levin; he likes winning titles and entertaining fans. He has the money to do this. This divorce comes two years earlier than was expected. It’s been reported to be difficult to deal with Tom Dundon of the Carolina Hurricanes since he brought the team from Peter Karmanos.
CARON BRIERE
Caron Brière, the eldest son of current Flyer GM and a former Springfield Falcon, Daniel Brière, was dismissed from his second NCAA team. Mercyhurst University (Erie, PA) (AHA) did so for his despicable actions in knocking an unoccupied wheelchair down a long flight of stairs to a bathroom area of a local Erie nightclub. The act was caught on a video surveillance camera and posted on Twitter.
Brière was dismissed before even playing a game for Arizona State University (NCAA Independent).
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