By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack are back on the road for two games this coming weekend. The Wolf Pack will visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night, then take the bus to Utica, New York, for a date with the Comets on Saturday night.
These are the third and fourth games of a season-long five-game road trip for the club. The Wolf Pack will conclude the trip on November 10th in Bridgeport against the Islanders.
Friday, November 3rd, 2023 @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms: This is the third of six meetings between the Wolf Pack and Phantoms this season and the third meeting in just 13 days. The Wolf Pack scored a 5-1 victory over the Phantoms on October 21st in Hartford, then nabbed a 4-1 win last Sunday night at the PPL Center.
Dylan Garand (32/33 saves, 10/21) and Louis Domingue (20/21 saves, 10/29) are both 1-0-0 against the Phantoms this season, while Cal Petersen (31/36 saves, 10/21) and Parker Gahagen (23/26 saves, 10/29) have both suffered losses.
Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski has recorded four points (2 g, 2 a) in two games against the Phantoms this season, while Olle Lycksell has scored both of the Phantoms’ goals in the season series.
Saturday, November 4th, 2023 @ Utica Comets: This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season and the lone visit for the Wolf Pack to the Adirondack Bank Center. The Comets make their only visit to the XL Center on March 16th, 2024.
The sides split two meetings last season, with the home team winning both. The Comets took a 3-2 shootout decision on January 6th in Utica, with Graeme Clarke pacing the attack with two points (1 g, 1 a). Clarke assisted on Joe Gambardella’s second-period goal, then tied the game 6:50 into the third period. He also notched the shootout winner.
The Wolf Pack got revenge on February 3rd, scoring twice in the third period to snag a 4-3 victory. Sammy Blais tied the game 1:38 into the final frame, then popped home the winner at 17:29. Tim Gettinger recorded two assists in the win, while Brian Halonen lit the lamp twice in the loss for the Comets.
Hartford’s last victory in Utica came on January 8th, 2022, by a score of 2-1. Alex Whelan scored the game-winning goal 6:44 into the second period.
Quick Hits:
– The Wolf Pack went 1-2-0-0 last weekend. The club fell 5-2 to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night and 4-2 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday before beating the Phantoms 4-1 on Sunday.
– Jonny Brodzinski (6 g, 5 a, 11 pts) and Mac Hollowell (7 a, 7 pts) each have seven-game point streaks entering the weekend.
– Defenseman Ben Harpur currently sits at 199 career AHL games. He is slated to play his 200th game this weekend.
– Brodzinski is tied for third in the AHL in goals scored with six on the season. He is tied with Jiri Kulick (ROC), Riley Tufte (COL), and Olle Lycksell (LHV).
– Both Dylan Garand (.939 sv%, seventh) and Louis Domingue (.934 sv%, tenth) are in the top ten in save percentage in the AHL.
– The Wolf Pack sit fifth in the Eastern Conference in powerplay percentage with a 20% success rate.
– Rookie forward Brennan Othmann set a career-high with three assists in Sunday’s 4-1 win at Lehigh Valley.
– The Wolf Pack surrendered a season-low 21 shots in Sunday’s victory over the Phantoms.
– Forward Alex Belzile recorded his 200th career AHL point, an assist, on Anton Blidh’s goal at 14:27 of the third period on October 27th against the Thunderbirds.
– Forward Riley Nash collected his 100th career AHL assist on Adam Edström’s empty-net goal on October 29th against the Phantoms.
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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 Ranger’s newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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