HARTFORD WOLF PACK ARE BOUND FOR THE PLAYOFFS
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack extended their winning streak to seven games with a 5-3 win over the Providence Bruins. Combined with a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 8-2 thrashing of the Bridgeport Islanders to clear the last hurdle, the Pack ended an eight-year playoff drought.
The Pack extended their winning streak to seven games and punched a playoff ticket in the process on Libor Hajek’s early third-period goal, which stood as the game-winner.
The winning streak, the first since the late season run in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, along with the deadline acquisitions of Will Lockwood, Anton Blidh, Wyatt Kalynuk, and Adam Clendennine, paid off.
With the win, the Pack returns to the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. The last playoff series the team won was against the Hershey Bears, with two of the home games played in Worcester. The eventual Calder Cup champions, the Manchester Monarchs, swept them in the conference finals.
The Wolf Pack started the third like they did the first – by scoring.
Bobby Trivigno had a game-best three assists. He was stopped from the right wing. Turner Elson, already with two goals in the contest, made a hat trick. However, he was stopped as he went to play the rebound attempt. Karl Henriksson took a swing-and-a-miss, but Libor Hájek came in off the left point and caught the puck instead. His blast made it 4-2.
Josiah Didier made it 4-3 and doubled his goal total with a right-point low shot with two Bruins in front, creating havoc as the puck eluded Pack netminder Dylan Garand.
Tanner Fritz scored his tenth into an empty net at 19:34 to clinch the game and secure a career-best 42 points.
In the second period, the Pack took the lead and showed resilience.
Trivigno started with a shot toward the net that hit some skates and sticks and came to Tim Gettinger. He tried a wraparound that went to Ryan Carpenter, who fired his 21st goal of the season at 6:03
The Pack had the game’s first goal.
The team has been getting solid offensive zone entries. Henriksson came across and found Zac Jones. He, in turn, found Elson as he deposited his 14th from the right-wing circle.
Ty Emberson, who seems to have one big hit per game during the recent surge, took down Didier early.
Providence showed why they have been at or near the top Atlantic Division most of this year.
Didier curled off the right-wing wall and fired into traffic. Samuel Asselin moved in front and created a screen getting Didier’s shot past Garand.
Then the Bruins took a 2-1 lead as Luke Toporowski, back from an early season injury, was on the left wing side. He zipped his 14th into the net using Jones as a screen as he beat his former junior teammate at 10:54.
Elson tallied his second of the night and 15th of the season as he filled the gap in front of the net while Kale Keyser made a shoulder save. Elson found the loose biscuit and put the Pack in a two-two tie at 16:46.
The Pack saw the Bruins nearly score late in the first period as Wyatt Kalynuk intercepted Justin Brazeau’s feed bound for Toporowski.
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, may be ready by the first of the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery).
C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season).
NOTES:
Wilkes Barre/Scranton romped over Bridgeport 8-2 at the Total Mortgage Arena. The win by the Penguins also sent Charlotte and Springfield to the Calder Cup playoffs.
On a set play, Quinnipiac University’s Jacob Quillan zoomed in on the left wing, taking Arizona Coyotes draftee Sam Lipkin’s backhand pass ten seconds into OT to score and secure the Bobcats their first NCAA title of any kind for the Hamden-based school defeating midwestern powerhouse Minnesota.
