HARTFORD WOLF PACK ADVANCE IN PLAYOFFS 

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack received two-point performances from Ryan Carpenter and Turner Elson, while Jake Leschyshyn added two goals. Dylan Garland was masterful, making 32 saves to eliminate the Providence Bruins in a 4-0 shutout. The Pack wins the series in four games.

The Wolf Pack now advances to play the Hershey Bears for the Atlantic Division title. The series will be a best-of-five starting next Thursday, with the first two games at The Giant Center before returning for Game 3 and, if necessary, Game 4 at the XL Center. After that, a potential Game 5 would be back at The Giant Center.

GARAND GETS AND DESERVES PRAISE

“Dylan played well in the playoffs; that’s an understatement. He played with confidence. He made the big saves and moved the puck really well. He made the defenseman’s job a lot easier.

“He showed a lot of composure and made big saves on the penalty kill. Dylan came ready to play,” Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch stated.

Forward Turner Elson appreciates Garand’s efforts as well. “He’s a good goalie. He’s young, but he wants to be out there. Hopefully, he keeps doing it and keep this ride going.”

After the game, Garand was deservedly all smiles. He spoke of how well his team has played while winning 15 of their last 18 games. “This last little stretch of ours, our defense has been incredible. The D-corps and our forwards, really tracking hard and coming back to the middle. Not giving up those Grade A’s (chances). It’s all I can ask for, “Garand said.

Garand has grown as a goalie. “I’m trusting the process and not getting caught up in the winning, losing, and the outcome. That process is tracking the puck, focusing on things structure wise, and the outcome comes to us.”

“With a rookie goalie in his first year in the American (Hockey) League, you never know what you’re going to get. (Garand) enjoys the pressure,” Knoblauch said.

SCARY MOMENT

Brandon Scanlin dumped the puck into the Bruins’ end nine seconds into the third period. The Bruins’ defenseman, Michael Callahan, went to play the puck in the corner with his back to Will Lockwood, the Pack forechecker. Lockwood hit Callahan while in a vulnerable position, but not in an overly aggressive manner. Callahan went head first into the boards and remained down. His injury required EMS to come to his aid on the ice. They put him in a neck brace and stretchered him off. Fortunately for Callahan, he did not require hospitalization.

A scrum ensued after the hit, and following a ten-minute delay to tend to Callahan, the Pack lost Lockwood for the remainder of the game. The referees assessed the Pack forward with a major for boarding and a game misconduct. The league will likely review the penalty for a possible suspension.

While Knoblauch was horrified by what happened to Callahan, he didn’t believe it to be a suspendable offense.

“I feel awful, but we were told it was a shoulder-to-shoulder hit gone in awkwardly. I really don’t think, based on everything people have told me there will be a suspension. It seemed like a very innocent play that went sideways, because he fell awarkedly,” commented Knoblauch

The Pack did get a tremendous shorthanded chance from Will Cuylle. At 3:40, he went to his backhand on a net-front open chance but hit the post. The puck returned to him, and Bruins’ goaltender, Brandon Bussi, was down and out. Cullye hit him square in the numbers.

The Pack’s team defense and goaltending, which was strong all game long, shut the Bruins down the rest of the way.

WHAT PROVED TO BE THE GAME-WINNER

The Wolf Pack gave the lower bowl sellout crowd white towels, and the waving gave a whiteout feel early in the game.

Upon entering the Bruin’s zone, Carpenter wrapped the puck around the boards. Didier was unable to control it at the left side half-boards. Lauri Pajuniemi swept in to take the puck from him and went behind the net, where he fed Carpenter back now on the right since half boards. Carpenter took it and found Elson, who found open space between Callahan and forward John Beecher in front of the net. Elson put it on the net to Bussi’s left and took a couple more whacks at it with the puck still loose. Finally, the puck found space between Bussi and the post, and Elson gave the Pack the 1-0 lead with what proved to be the game-winner at 3:48 of the first period.

KUDOS TO ELSON AND THE CROWD

“The crowd was great tonight. It was good to get the first goal. It was a tricky goal. I was blacking out during the celebration,” Elson laughed. “It was a fun series. We battled hard. We did a very good job tracking back pucks. That was the best (team) defense we had all year. Forwards were coming back, and defenseman were using their sticks well to block shots and used their (bodies) to hit. They did everything they could.”

“That was a big goal. To get the first goal of the game and get the crowd going into it early. It was a good play. It was good for him to score too. He’s been up and down the lineup. He’s played with Karl (Henriksson) and Bobby (Trivigno). This is one of the best games I’ve seen. We got contributions wherever they were slotted,” said Knoblauch

WOLF PACK MAKE IT 2-0 IN THE SECOND PERIOD

The Wolf Pack scored their second goal early in the second frame.

Lockwood sent Tim Gettinger off a rush up ice, got inside position, put a shot on net off the right wing, and Bussi made the save but couldn’t get to the rebound.

Jake Leschyshyn was trailing the play and chipped the loose biscuit into the air. The puck went over Bussi and into the net. The Bruins protested and called for a review claiming the puck had come off its moorings and was elevated. Had that been the case, it would have negated the goal. However, after a short review by the referees, the call on the ice stood, and the call was a good goal. It was Leschyshyn’s first goal of the postseason and came at 4:49.

“That was a big goal. Lockwood won the one-on-one battle, set the whole play (in motion). We won the race down (by Gettinger). That second goal helped our momentum getting that second goal,” said Knoblauch.

A cheap hit from behind on Bobby Trivigno by Shane Bowers, a former Hockey East opponent, set off a minor skirmish.

Wyatt Kalynuk and Nick Wolff exchanged pleasantries as the period expired.

PACK MAKE IT 3-0

The Wolf Pack extended the lead getting the all-important third goal.

Ty Emberson at the right found Jonny Brodzinski on the left, and he fired it back right side found Ryan Carpenter but still had enough open net to fire in his second of the playoff at 15:23, setting off the” we want pizza” chants once again.

“We put that line together and we got something from them,” said Knoblauch.

BLAKE HILLMAN

Hillman, a member of the Bruins last season, was inserted into the lineup for Adam Clendening, who the AHL suspended for three games for his Game 3 hit on Fabian Lysell. It’s speculated the hit from Clendening concussed Lysell, and he did not play.

Overall, Hillman had a strong night. He had one PK shift with a blocked shot, took out an opponent, and tracked down and cleared the puck.

“It was a very tough decision to take Hillman out for game 3. He was playing so well in the playoffs, but when Libor (Hájek) returned, we had to take somebody out.

“Blake, unfortunately, has been that guy this season. Talk about a guy stepping up when he was needed. He didn’t play a game as a defenseman for about three months.

“Then, at the end of the (regular) season, he stepped up the last two season games when we knew we were going to be losing Libor, and we needed him. He has been playing well and has been good again.

Hillman was an exceptional teammate in 2022-23, as he even took a spell at left wing during the regular season when the team was shorthanded.

KNOBLAUCH MAGNANIMOUS IN VICTORY

“That’s a good team over there. Ryan (Moungel) has had his team at or near the top all year. We were gonna be challenged, but our team has been playing well, especially our defensive play. Our breakdowns and there are gonna be some Dylan truly stepped up. Even in the game where they got four on him, he played very well, and he was so good in the other games too.”

LINES:

Brodzinski-Carpenter-Cullye
Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh
Leschyshyn-Gettinger-Lockwood
Elson- Henriksson-Trivigno

Jones-Emberson
Blake Hillman-Scanlin
Hájek-Kalynuk

Garand
Domingue

SCRATCHES:

Adam Clendening (suspended three games)
Talyn Boyko #40
Adam Sýkora (healthy)
Matt Rempe (upper body, day-to-day)
Louie Roehl #4 (healthy)
Bryce McConnell-Barker #8 (healthy)
Brett Berard #27 (healthy)
Maxim Barbashev #18 (healthy)
Ryder Korczak  #38 (healthy)
Matt Robertson (upper body, may return in the next round of the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery)
C.J. Smith (season-ending hip area surgery)

NOTES:

 Clendening sat for this game and will miss the first two games of the next series with Hershey.

Libor Hájek was paired with Wyatt Kalynuk. Hillman was paired with Scanlin.

Knoblauch changed three of his four lines. He brought Jonny Brodzinski to the first line and sent Trivigno back to the fourth line with Henriksson. Leschyshyn was put between Gettinger and Lockwood. The only line to stay intact was Anton Blidh-Tanner Fritz-Pajuniemi.

With Marc MacLaughlin (upper body) injured, Jakub Lauko took his spot in the lineup.

Providence got back their valuable pivot, Chris Wagner, after the birth of his daughter on Friday afternoon.

Ex-Pack Vinni Lettieri has been nursing a lower-body injury suffered in Boston late in the season. As a result, complications have arisen, and he was not a factor in the series.

Hershey scored the last six goals and eliminated Charlotte 6-2 last night.

The return of Louie Domingue allowed the Wolf Pack to reassign Parker Gahagen back to the Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL) yesterday.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

Filip Lindberg, a former collegiate teammate of the Wolf Pack’s Zac Jones and Trivigno, becomes the sixth AHL’er to sign on the dotted line and the second player for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to head back to Europe. More still to come.

A NEW D3 COLLEGE TEAM COMING SOON

Hockey movement on the Division III front as a new program will commence in Dallas, PA, a suburb of the Wilkes-Barre.

The UCHC conference has announced it will expand its men’s membership to 12, with Misericordia University joining the league in 2024-25.

Misericordia University Cougars will become the newest member of the UCHC conference and have an instant rivalry with Wilkes University.

The Cougars will play and practice at the Toyota SportsPlex in nearby Wilkes-Barre with fellow UCHC rival Wilkes University. The facility is the practice home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In addition to the Toyota SportsPlex, the team will also have the opportunity to practice at Casey Plaza at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township. This 8,300-seat venue is the home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN

Several sources revealed the University of New Haven is going D1 in all sports. The University has decided to shelve plans to revive the hockey program at either DIII or DI for now. They will continue to have a Men’s club hockey team playing D3 in the CHF.

The last NCAA hockey team was Division II in the ECAC North in 1982-83.

Its two most famous hockey graduates are Dean Lombardi, who spent 35 years in the NHL and was the former GM of the Los Angeles Kings. He is s a senior adviser with the Philadelphia Flyers for the last five years. The other alumnist is Jay Leach, a former AHL head coach with the Springfield Indians in the early 1990s and an assistant to the late Red Gendron (Assistant at Yale) at Maine (HE) until he retired.

BENTLEY COACHING CHANGE

At the Division I level, Ryan Soderquist is, out at Bentley College as head coach after one year at the Division I level. Soderquist spent 21 years at Bentley. The school has announced he will leave the program on June 30, and they have begun searching for a new coach.

In Soderquist’s 21st season behind the bench at his alma mater, the Falcons finished 11-21-2 overall (8-16-2 Atlantic Hockey).

He was a three-time Coach of the Year (Atlantic Hockey, 2009 and 2012, MAAC, 2003). Soderquist is the winningest coach in program history with 277 career victories. He is one of just 18 active NCAA coaches to have surpassed the 250-win milestone.

Overall, Soderquist’s overall record is 277-377-85. Of his 21 seasons, just six teams were at or above the .500 mark.

ANDY BRANDT

Wisconsin assistant coach Andy Brandt has been named the new head coach and general manager of the USHL’s Madison Capitols.

Brandt takes over the franchise after spending one season behind the Badgers bench as an assistant coach.

Brandt played for Wisconsin’s 2006 NCAA championship team before starting a professional playing and coaching career.

As a Badger, Brandt skated from 2003 to 2007 and scored five goals and 14 points in 130 games played. He was voted the Jim Santulli 7th Man Award winner by Badger fans for both the 2004-05 and 2006-07 seasons.

Brandt joins a Madison organization led by Andrew Joudrey, the team president for the last four years. He is an ex-Springfield Falcon and a former Badger teammate of Brandt’s, including the 2006 NCAA title championship-winning team. The Capitols ownership group includes former Badgers Ryan Suter and Tom Sagissor.

Brandt will also take over for former Badger Tom Gilbert, a 10-year NHL veteran of over 600 games. He finished the 2022-23 season as interim head coach and general manager of the Capitols, like Joudrey, an All-American and a 2006 NCAA champion teammate of Brandt’s.

A 2017 Wisconsin graduate, Luke Regner returns to Madison as the men’s Director of Hockey Operations.

IIHF

At the IIHF Division 1 Group A in Nottingham, England, five teams duke it out with host Great Britain. They are Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and South Korea.

The South Korean team features one-time P-Bruin in net, Matt Dalton. The British have Jackson Whistle in goal. He is the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk Rob Whistle, plus former Sacred Heart University Pioneer Ben Lake, and Italy has ex-Springfield Falcon Thomas Larkin.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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