By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
ALLENTOWN, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue their season-long five-game road trip tonight as they visit the PPL Center to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It is the second straight game for the Wolf Pack in Lehigh Valley. The sides met last Sunday evening at the PPL Center.
The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the third of six meetings between the Wolf Pack and Phantoms this season and the second of three at the PPL Center. The Wolf Pack returns to Lehigh Valley for the final time this season on January 12. The Phantoms, meanwhile, make their last two trips to Hartford on December 1st and 2nd.
The Wolf Pack took a 2-0 edge in the season series with a 4-1 victory over the Phantoms on Sunday afternoon. Riley Nash scored twice in the victory, with both goals coming at the net front and on the powerplay.
Nash opened the scoring 16:48 into the game, lifting a loose puck over the right pad of goaltender Parker Gahagen. Nash then potted the game-winning goal at 18:20 of the second period, lifting a rebound over Gahagen for his third goal.
Olle Lycksell drew the Phantoms within a goal at 11:04 of the third period, but Jonny Brodzinski ripped his sixth goal of the season by Gahagen at 16:59 to end the intrigue. Adam Edström added an empty-net goal at 17:47 to complete the scoring. Nash would assist on the goal, giving him 100 career AHL assists.
Hartford has won four straight against the Phantoms and is 3-0-0-0 at the PPL Center in their last three visits. The Wolf Pack scored a wild 6-4 win on February 19, then secured a 5-1 verdict on April 1 before last Sunday’s win.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack snapped their two-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon with their 4-1 triumph over the Phantoms.
The powerplay went 2-for-3 in the victory, marking the second time this season that Hartford has struck twice on the man advantage. Rookie forward Brennan Othmann notched three assists, giving him his first career three-point outing. Those three assists are the most in a single game by a Wolf Pack player this season.
The 21 shots allowed were a single-game low for the Wolf Pack this season. It was also the lowest output of the year for the Phantoms. The Pack are now 3-1-0-0 on the road this season, outscoring their opponents by a 12-8 margin.
Brodzinski leads the Wolf Pack in both goals with six and points with eleven (6 g, 5 a). He and Mac Hollowell (7 a) are riding seven-game point streaks. Alex Belzile, meanwhile, is on a six-game point streak in which he has recorded eight points (3 g, 5 a).
Phantoms Outlook:
The Phantoms dropped their third consecutive game on Wednesday night, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Hershey Bears. After a scoreless first period, the sides split four goals in the middle frame to send the contest to the third period deadlocked at 2-2.
Cooper Marody opened the scoring at 3:57, putting the Phantoms ahead 1-0. Nic Aubé-Kubel, a former Phantom, responded at 6:51 with his first goal as a Bear, and then Bogdan Trineyev put the Bears on top at 11:00 with his second of the season. Adam Ginning had the response for the Phantoms, tying the affair at 11:51.
Pierrick Dubé restored the Bears’ lead at 9:23, potting his fourth goal of the season, but again, the Phantoms had an answer. This time, it was Jon-Randall Avon who potted his first career goal at 15:07 to force overtime and grab a point for the Phantoms. Chase Priskie ended the proceedings at 1:32 of overtime, giving the Bears the victory.
Tanner Laczynski leads the team in both assists with seven and points with eight (1 g, 7 a). Lycksell, meanwhile, leads the team in goals with six.
The Phantoms received goaltender Felix Sandstrom on Tuesday via a conditioning loan from the parent Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). The Flyers recalled goaltender Cal Petersen on Thursday while assigning defenseman Victor Mete to the Phantoms. The Phantoms recalled goaltender Parker Gahagen and defenseman Darren Brady from loan to the ECHL’s Reading Royals on Thursday.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack continue their five-game road trip tomorrow night when they visit the Utica Comets at the Adirondack Bank Center. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to hit the air at 6:45 p.m.
The Pack returns home to the XL Center on Saturday, November 11, for a 7:30 p.m. tilt against the Providence Bruins. For more details and tickets, visit hartfordwolfpack.com.
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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 Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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