HARTFORD WOLF PACK TAKE DECISIVE WIN OVER BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS 

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack moved a step closer to earning a spot in the playoffs by moving their clinching magic number to 4 points in the tight Atlantic Division playoff chase with a solid two-way 6-2 victory over the Bridgeport Islanders before a raucous crowd of 5,886, Friday night.

Tanner Fritz led the way with three assists, while Will Lockwood, Adam Clendening, and Karl Henriksson each had a goal and an assist. Pack Captain Jonny Brodzinski chipped in two assists.

The Pack entered the game having won a season-high, five straight, to put themselves in the playoff picture and push the Islanders out. This was a four-point game for both teams, and the Pack passed with flying colors.

The Wolf Pack have four games remaining in their season, while the Islanders, with a game-in-hand, have five. Any combination of Wolf Pack wins and Islander losses equaling 4 points, and the Pack return to the playoffs.

The Pack looks to keep the winning going and pick up another two points tonight in Providence at 7 PM.

“That game gave us a little breathing room,” Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We have a lot of good hockey players. They’re playing good hockey right now.”

THIRD PERIOD

The Pack continued their 200′ of defensive play in the third period. After being checked off on a sure goal on his last shift, Anton Blidh make his next one count.

Lauri Pajuniemi found him open on the left side and sent a backhander off the stick of an Islander defenseman and into the back of the net at 8:36.

“All of them, Blidh, (Will) Lockwood and (Adam) Clendening, had a good game. They’ve become comfortable with their game and their teammates, and it showed.”

The Islanders got the goal back on a goal by Kyle MacLean, his 10th of the season, coming off the left wing. William Dufour (two assists) slipped him the lead pass at 9:58.

Cullye made it 6-2, coming off the left-wing and drilling home his 25th of the campaign off a pass from Brodzinski at 11:24.

SECOND PERIOD

In the second period, the Pack picked up right where they left off in the first, on the power play, and extended their lead to three goals.

Fritz sent a pass from the right-wing back to the right point. Brodzinski one-timed a blast from the right point that an unchecked Carpenter tipped home his 20th of the year. He becomes the third Wolf Pack player to garner 20 goals. He pumped his right fist igniting the roar of the crowd at 2:35.

“Tanner’s been doing a very good job distributing the puck. Being up on the first powerplay unit helps.”

At 11:45, some rough stuff, as there always seems to be between these two intra-state rivals.

Carpenter tripped Vincent Sévigny to earn a penalty call. However, Sévigny face-washed Carpenter and pushed him, leading to some wrestling. Fritz and Jeff Kubiak bearhugged and wrestled in the corner.

The Pack maintained solid defensive pressure in the second half of the period limiting the Islanders again to only seven shots on goal and 14 total for the first two periods.

“Your best defense is a good offense. We did a very good job moving the puck around,” said Knoblauch.

FIRST PERIOD

It wasn’t a winner-take-all game, but at the start, it sure had the feel of it.

The XL Center had another large crowd infused by a pre-game and, between periods, autograph signing with the 2000 Calder Cup champion Wolf Pack team from 23 years ago.

Riding the energy and a strong game plan, the Pack jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first five minutes.

Clendening took a Fritz pass and slid from the right point to the center-left point position before drilling his fifth overall and second as Wolf Pack over Jakub Skarek’s glove hand at 1:21.

The second goal came off Lockwood’s stick. Part of the trio of acquired players at the trade deadline, all three were involved in the good offense Knoblauch talked about. Lockwood was in front and found the rebound of Turner Elson’s shot. Skarek was too far to his right allowing Lockwood the space to put in his 14th overall goal at 3:45.

“Everybody in the locker room knew what we needed to do and we had four lines out rolling together right off the bat. It was a crazy win. It was kinda of a funny play (when he scored). Karl got it out there (in front). I was searching around for it, but we had good support all night, and I was able to find it and put it in, “Lockwood said in his post-game remarks to the media. Fritz was receiving post-game medical treatment.

Bridgeport cut the lead down as Sévigny matched his father, Pierre Sévigny, a Pack player from 25 years ago, by scoring in Hartford. He rifled his fifth goal of the season from the right point past the blocker side of Louie Domingue.

It was the first father-son duo to score at the XL Center, albeit for different teams, since the Howe duo did it more than 40 years ago.

The Wolf Pack answered right back just 1:39 later. Clendening had his shot stopped from the lower left-wing side, but the rebound returned to him. He found a wide-open Henriksson on one knee in the shooter’s position. Henriksson fired his seventh goal of the campaign past Skarek at 10:46.

“That (goal) was one of the big factors in the game, and when we went up 3-1, the penalty kill late in the first period did an excellent job keeping them off the board. We went into the second period feeling good about ourselves. If they score there and make it 3-2, it makes a big difference and a whole different game. That (fourth) line might not score every game, but they get chances every night. Tonight they had a lot of offensive zone time and are tough to play against. That’s all we want,” said Knoblauch.

Lockwood said the crowd and getting the lead were important.

“It was good way to play hockey, getting ahead like that. Playing in front of a good crowd, makes it fun to play. Our PK has been very good as of late and not letting any (opponents) get momentum (from it),” commented Lockwood.

His line’s chemistry has been quietly mojo.

“We started off well, and then we had a little (lull). We have just clicked lately. We responded well, and that’s where the chemistry builds, and we’re always on the same page and in constant communication, and it’s paying off for us, “said Lockwood.

The Pack had a season-best 21 shots at Skarek, led by Lockwood and Cullye with four apiece.

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 #27 (healthy)
-Adam Sýkora  #29 (healthy)
-Bryce McConnell-Barker #8 (healthy)
-Matt Robertson (upper body, week-to-week. He could be ready by the first round of the playoffs)
-Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery).
-C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season

NOTES

West Hartford native, Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Canterbury/Quinnipiac University), was one of the two referees working the game.

Adam Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award. Minnesota and Quinnipiac University play for the national title Saturday night in Tampa. Fantilli will likely go #2 behind Connor Bedard.

After changing his line often, for the fifth straight game, Knoblauch mostly kept his lineup intact with minor tweaks.

Ex-Pack Paul Thompson and Libor Hájek battled with 10.2 seconds to go. Neither got an instigator in the last five minutes called. Domingue got a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct call for shooting the puck down the ice in frustration when the scrap started next to him.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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