HARTFORD WOLF PACK WIN EIGHTH STRAIGHT TO CLOSE REGULAR SEASON
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack hosted their final regular season home game on Friday night as they welcomed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the XL Center. Louis Domingue sent a raucous crowd of 6,226 fans home happy, stopping all 28 Penguins shots as the Wolf Pack earned their eighth straight victory with a 4-0 win over the Penguins.
Tim Gettinger gave the Wolf Pack a lead they would not lose just under 16 minutes into the opening stanza. A high-sticking call to Josh Maniscalco initiated the Wolf Pack’s second powerplay opportunity. Lauri Pajuniemi took a feed from Adam Clendening in the left circle and shot toward the Penguins’ net. The puck grazed off the leg of Gettinger and past Joel Blomqvist, putting Hartford in the lead for good. The goal was Gettinger’s first game-winning tally of the campaign.
The goal was Gettinger’s 62nd career goal, putting him tenth all-time on the Wolf Pack’s goal-scoring list.
Turner Elson stretched the lead to two about six and a half minutes into the second period. Ryan Carpenter freed the puck from a scrum along the back wall and sent a centering pass to Elson. Elson promptly blasted a shot by the blocker of Blomqvist to double the Hartford lead. The goal was Elson’s 40th point of the campaign, becoming the fifth member of the Wolf Pack to hit that mark.
Elson struck again just over four and a half minutes into the final stanza. Elson positioned himself in the slot and deflected a centering feed from Will Cuylle into the Penguins’ net to put the Wolf Pack up by three. It was Elson’s second straight game lighting the lamp twice. Elson has recorded six points (4 g, 2 a) in his last three games. The assist on the goal was Cuylle’s 20th of his rookie campaign.
Adam Edström capped off the scoring at 13:24 of the third period. Gettinger snapped a pass to Edström at center ice, and the rookie forward took the puck into the Penguins’ zone. Edström made a spectacular move to get by Maniscalco, skated to the slot, and beat Blomqvist by the blocker for his first goal in the American Hockey League.
The Penguins challenged Domingue after Wyatt Kalynuk was called for roughing at 16:59 of the third period. Still, the veteran netminder prevented the Penguins from getting on the board, and the Wolf Pack earned their eighth straight victory. The shutout was Domingue’s fourth overall on the season and was his ninth consecutive victory dating back to March 15th.
The Wolf Pack wrap up the regular season tomorrow as they hit the road to take on the Springfield Thunderbirds in the final installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ for the 2022-23 season. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.
The Wolf Pack will begin the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs next week. Hartford’s First Round opponent and game dates and times are still to be determined. For Calder Cup Playoff tickets and seeding information, please visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets/playoff-information.
ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
