HARTFORD WOLF PACK OT LOSS IN GAME ONE TO HERSHEY BEARS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HERSHEY, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Thursday night at the Giant Center in Game One of the Atlantic Division Finals against the Hershey Bears but couldn’t get the game over the finish line. The Bears struck twice in the final frame, forcing overtime that they quickly ended on their way to a 3-2 victory.
Henrik Borgstrom entered the Wolf Pack zone on a two-on-one just minutes into overtime. Borgstrom walked into the right-wing faceoff circle, pulled up, and fired a shot that beat Dylan Garand for his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal just 4:41 into the first overtime period. The goal came off the Bears’ third odd-man rush of the period, as Hershey outshot Hartford 5-1 in the stanza.
Hartford opened the scoring after a wild few minutes, converting their first powerplay of the series. Zac Jones fired a shot from the left-wing circle that Hunter Shepard denied, but the rebound kicked to the top of the crease. There, Lauri Pajuniemi drove and found the loose change, which he chipped over Shepard for his fourth goal of the playoffs. The goal scored at 6:55 was Hartford’s third powerplay tally of the postseason.
Late in the period, forward Anton Blidh needed medical attention on the Wolf Pack bench. As a result, the first period was halted with 2:39 remaining. Blidh received treatment for a non-life-threatening upper-body injury after collapsing on the bench and was cleared to return to action.
When play resumed, the Wolf Pack extended their lead with their second powerplay goal of the night. Hartford’s top powerplay unit chimed in with Gabriel Carlsson in the penalty box for cross-checking. Tanner Fritz sent a pass into the left-wing circle that Brodzinski blasted home for his first goal of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Hartford would take a 2-0 lead into the third period, but the Bears quickly made things interesting. With Will Lockwood in the box for roughing, Logan Day stepped into a blast that beat Garand by the glove, rang the post, and found the twine just 2:52 into the final frame.
With Shepard sprinting to the bench and the Bears pressing, Hershey finally found the equalizer. Jake Massie stepped into a shot from the point that clipped Connor McMichael and found the back of the net at 17:51. The goal tied the game at 2-2 and forced the first overtime of the playoffs for both teams.
In overtime, Borgstrom ripped home the winner in his playoff debut, completing the comeback for the Bears and giving them a 1-0 series lead.
Game Two of the Atlantic Division Finals is set for Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at the Giant Center.
The Wolf Pack returns to the XL Center for Game Three of the best-of-five series on Wednesday, May 17th. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. To get tickets, visit HERE.
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.
