WOLF PACK LOSE FRONT END OF HOME-AND-HOME 

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Providence Bruins rallied behind a 37-save performance from Michael DiPietro to shut out the Hartford Wolf Pack 2-0 in front of 6,349 at the XL Center on Hockey Fights Cancer Night.

Despite holding a two-to-one shot advantage in the game, 37-19, and blasting 19 shots in the third period alone, the Pack were unable to put any past DiPietro.

“We came on strong in the first ten minutes and the last twenty minutes. In between just wasn’t good enough. If we had capitalized on our chances early would have been a different game,” Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We had chances early, (Riley) Nash on the power play and (Adam) Edström (short-handed) breakaway on the penalty kill, and Sykora off the post, a couple of other plays. We get a lead it’s a different game.”

Providence cashed in for the game’s first goal as Luke Toporowski won the draw from Karl Henriksson. Ex-Yale Bulldog Curtis Hall got to the loose puck and fired home his first goal of the year.

The Bruins tallied their second goal after Pack rookie Mark Cairns failed to clear the puck. He was boxed in down low and tried to clear it, but Curtis Hall, stationed on the right wing wall, intercepted it. Hall then fired a pass to Dan Renouf at the left point. He walked it in and blistered his third goal of the season past starting netminder Olaf Lindbom at 8:34.

“Yeah, we should have gotten the puck out and we came late and we spent more time in the D zone than we wanted to. Ultimately it cost us. It didn’t cost the game, but it make it more difficult to come back down two as opposed to just one,” remarked Knoblauch.

With so many moving parts shuffling in and out of the lineup, it has been a challenge for Knoblauch to set his lines up so they can develop the necessary chemistry to find sustained success.

“We were fortunate not to have much issue in that regard last year, but this stretch has been a bit (of an issue), losing both goalies the other night and (Connor) Mackey today. The defense, whether it’s been injuries or call-ups, makes it a little more difficult. We’re missing three of our top six in our rotation. The guys we called up have done an outstanding job. (Blake) Hillman, being here not playing regularly, has done very well and stepped up for us, and the guys who have regularly played for us, but that’s the American (Hockey) League. Over the course of a season, it will work out for us,“ Knoblauch explained.

In the second period, the Pack didn’t challenge DiPietro, sending just three shots on net. Justin Brazeau stole the puck from Cairns, turned, and fired it at Lindbom, but hit the post.

Meanwhile, the Bruins picked up their game and pumped more shots in the first 7:30 of the period than they had in the entire first period.

The Bruins received a four-minute power play after Zack Berzolla put a significant laceration on Toporowski in the Pack zone. He was lucky not to receive a major penalty despite the very noticeable bleeding.

The Pack went with short shifts because they knew they had a third game of the weekend on Sunday. They held a decided shot advantage at 11-4. The tally would have been higher, but they missed the net several times.

Their best chance came before Providence got their goal when the puck hopped over the stick of Frederic Brunet at 1:18, and Edström pulled away for a shorthanded breakaway that DiPietro stopped.

At the end of the second period, after a fairly normal scrum, ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Parker Wotherspoon, who was returned from a Boston recall, received a game misconduct after a battle with Anton Blidh, likely for abuse of officials, after what he allegedly said to them.

The Pack completes their second three-in-three weekend with the tail-end of a home-and-home with Providence on Sunday.

LINES:

Henriksson – Sýkora – Blidh
Belzile – Brodzinski – Othmann
Edström – Nash – Berard
Rempe – Elson – Korczak

Robertson – Scanlin
Hillman – Brouillard
Berzolla – Cairns

Olaf Lindbom
Dylan Garand

SCRATCHES:

D Ben Harpur (upper body, week-to-week)
D Mac Hollowell (upper body, day-to-day)
F Jake Leschyshyn (upper body, week-to-week)
F Bobby Trivigno (healthy)
F Drew Worrad (not in residence)

NOTES:

The Rangers recalled D Connor Mackey. Hollowell and Leschyshyn are out with injuries. Trivigno was the only healthy scratch.

Knoblauch was undecided on starting Garand on Sunday. “I haven’t decided yet.”

It wasn’t his being coy with the media. There was no way to know if Garand might be recalled in the morning before they boarded the bus bound for Providence.

Lindbom made his second-ever AHL start. Cairns made his AHL debut and became the second Cairns to play for Hartford in its 27 years. He is unrelated to Eric Cairns, the Islanders Director of Player Development.

The nephew of ex-Hartford Whaler and the New Haven Nighthawk Archie Henderson, Max Henderson, was traded from Weyburn (SK) Red Wings (SJHL) to the LaRonge (SK) Ice Wolves (SJHL) in his last season of Junior A hockey, once step below major junior. His twin brother Nolan stays with Weyburn.

Archie is the head of Player Development in Edmonton. The Oilers are struggling mightily.

Mark Mowers, a Minnesota Wild pro scout (the last five years), was in attendance. He had a short NHL career, a strong AHL and IHL career (Milwaukee), where he won the Ken McKenzie IHL Best US Rookie of the Year Award. He played in Hockey East (UNH) and had a stellar European career in Switzerland and one season in Sweden.

Hockey East announced that UConn’s sophomore forward, Tristan Fraser (West Vancouver, B.C.), has been suspended for one game. The suspension stems from a game on Friday, November 10th, against Merrimack. He received a major for kneeing and game misconduct at the Toscano Family Ice Forum. Fraser will be able to return to the Huskies’ lineup next Friday against the #1 ranked Boston College.

Friday’s loss left head coach Mike Cavanaugh in a surly disposition as he torched his team in remarks he made to Dan Connelly of the UCONN Blog and radio voice of UCONN hockey of WTIC. “I’d like to apologize to the fans who came out here tonight. Because we completely self-destructed, and that’s on me. If you’re gonna put your own selfish needs above the team, then you just won’t play.”

A month ago, the team was ranked #20 in the nation. Now, who’s going to play is the major discussion.

Off the ice, according to alumni donors sources, they’re being hit up heavily for donations by hockey and football. The $70M Toscano Family Ice Forum has not been a friendly environment for the Huskies.

The team responded to all of the drama around the team by edging Merrimack 4-3 as Andrew Lucas scored with 48 seconds left to split the series.

Simon Kjellberg, the son of Rangers’ scout Patric Kjellberg and a 2018 Ranger draftee, announced his retirement from the game after playing at Northern Michigan (CCHA) as a transfer from RPI (ECACHL).

Congratulations to Head Equipment Manager Craig Lewis. He was honored for his 1,000th game last Saturday in Lehigh Valley. GM Ryan Martin presented him with a plaque to commemorate the event.  A short video vignette was shown on the scoreboard prior to the game. He was presented with a jersey. His family, wife, and children were on hand as part of the pre-game ceremony.

All of Providence’s players wore black turtlenecks with neck guards. Only one Wolf Pack player, rookie Brett Berard, donned the neck gear.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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