HARTFORD WOLF PACK WIN SEASON OPENER
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack, for the second season in a row, had a shootout decide the outcome of the season opener. Johnny Brodzinski scored the only goal in the shootout to give the visiting Pack a 3-2 win over the Providence Bruins.
Brodzinski’s goal and Pack netminder, Louie Domingue, led the Pack to the win. Domingue stopped all three Bruin attempts, first from ex-CT Whale, Jayson Megna, then Jasper Bogqvist, and finally Reilly Walsh.
The game went to the shootout after neither team tallied during the five minutes of a back-and-forth three-on-three overtime, which saw each goalie making spectacular saves along the way to keep their team alive.
The Bruins had a great chance to win in the opening minute of overtime, but Domingue denied Luke Toporowski. The Bruins’ netminder also did his part after Brandon Bussi robbed Karl Henriksson to send the game to the shootout. Both goaltenders were excellent.
The game was tied late when prized rookie Brennan Othman scored his second goal of the game on a power play with 3:06 left after Alec Regula was hit with a cross-checking minor that came following a net-front scrum.
To give themselves better odds of getting the equalizer, the Wolf Pack pulled Domingue to create a six-on-four, with five forwards on the man advantage. The Wolf Pack had four chances that came from Jake Leschyshyn, Riley Nash, Alex Belizle, and then Brodzinski. Bussi’s left pad save on the Pack captain went right to Othmann, who was 20 feet out.
Othmann then waited patiently for Bussi to go down and deposited a goal in the upper part of the cage to tie the game at 17:19.
The Bruins got the lead after Oskar Steen cruised in front and made a perfect deflection on Michael Callahan’s shot at 11:36 of the third.
The Pack outshot them 43-26, and Nash had a team-best four shots, and Brett Berard had three.
The first ten minutes saw each team feeling things out before settling into their game in the second half of the period.
Mason Lohrei had a chance for the P-Bruins, and Steen had another. The Pack had the game’s first two shots finding their groove. Then Connor Mackay had a chance, as did big Adam Edström for the Pack.
The game’s first and only goal came off an early lost one-on-one battle.
The Bruins got a three-on-one break as newcomer Walsh, acquired from the Devils’ organization in the off-season, fired the puck to Luke Toporowski. The Bruins winger, who had productive time against the Wolf Pack season, fired it from the left wing as Megna was open on the right wing and put in his first at 13:51.
The second period saw a 16-6 shot advantage and had a case of Bussi-itis as they only got one past Bussi. They would hold the advantage in the second, third, and OT.
The Wolf Pack’s first goal came on its third power play of the period as Brodzinski was open on the left wing and fired back cross-ice to Othmann.
A top prospect, the tall winger showed his skill by one-timing it past Bussi at 13:03.
Before then, Bussi thwarted the Pack at every turn.
First, he turned aside Henriksson from 20 feet out. He then stopped Brodzinski, a beneficiary of strong forechecking from Edström, who used his size for the hit, then got the loose puck and found Brodzinski open on the left wing.
30 seconds later, Nash was denied on a right pad save by Bussi, who was on his game and seemed destined to post a goose egg on the Wolf Pack.
From the left point at 13:11, Nikolas Brouillard, 90 seconds after the Bruins netminder denied Edström, was impressive.
NOTES:
It was the first opening night victory since October 15, 2021, a 2-1 win over Bridgeport.
It wasn’t Othmann’s first pro goal in North America. He scored a pro goal when he played with EHC Olten (Switzerland-LNA) in the pandemic year when the OHL canceled its season.
Former Sound Tiger player Alan Letang was named head coach of the Canadian WJC team.
#20th ranked UCONN (HE) dropped their game to AIC (Springfield) (AHA) 2-1.
