By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – Late game heroics was the story of Thanksgiving weekend for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Tied through 40 minutes on Friday and Saturday night, the Wolf Pack came away with four points thanks to some clutch performances from all over their lineup.
The club wrapped up the month of November with a four-game winning streak both overall and on XL Center ice. In addition, the Wolf Pack finished the month all alone in second place in the Atlantic Division. The club’s 12-4-2-0 record gives them 26 points, the third most in the AHL behind the Hershey Bears (30 points) and Calgary Wranglers (27 points).
Friday, November 24th, 2023, @ Springfield Thunderbirds (4-2 W):
A season ago, the Wolf Pack went just 1-4-0-1 in six visits to the MassMutual Center. The club won just three of twelve meetings with the Thunderbirds and only two in regulation time. On Friday, the Wolf Pack matched or surpassed all those totals with a 4-2 victory in the ‘I-91 Rivalry’.
The Pack are now 2-0-0-0 at the MassMutual Center this season, are 3-1-0-0 against the Thunderbirds overall, and have won all three games in regulation time.
Friday’s victory came via a big third period for the club. Tied 1-1 after two periods, Brett Berard struck just 1:19 into the third to put Hartford ahead. Joseph Duszak tied the game at 10:29 on the powerplay, but Matt Rempe notched the game-winner at 12:12. Adam Edström hit an empty net at 19:11 to cement the victory.
Rempe’s game-winning goal was his first of the season and the second of his professional career. Louis Domingue, meanwhile, made a season-high 39 saves to collect his sixth victory of the season.
Saturday, November 25th, 2023, Vs. Belleville Senators (4-3 W, OT):
Riley Nash notched Hartford’s first overtime game-winning goal of the season 4:19 into the extra session on Saturday night. It marked Nash’s second straight two-point outing (1 g, 1 a) for the club.
Brennan Othmann scored twice in the victory, including the game-tying goal at 18:46 of the third period. It was Othmann’s second career two-goal game and the second time this season he has scored with the extra attacker. He also notched two goals on October 13th in Providence, a game he also scored with the extra attacker on.
Dylan Garand made 22 saves to pick up his second straight victory.
The win was the first in franchise history for the Wolf Pack at home against the Senators. They were previously 0-2-2-1 in five meetings with Belleville in Hartford.
Quick Hits:
- In three games, Brodzinski completed the week with seven points (1 g, 6 a). He picked up three points (1 g, 2 a) in Hartford’s 6-4 win over the Providence Bruins on Wednesday night, then collected a pair of assists on Friday and Saturday.
- Thanks to his seven-point showing, Brodzinski is now the AHL’s scoring leader. He paces the league with 25 points (11 g, 14 a) in 16 games.
- Defenseman Mac Hollowell picked up seven assists in just three games last week. He set a new career-high with four helpers on Wednesday night, added one on Friday, and then finished the weekend on Saturday night with two.
- Hollowell now leads the AHL in assists by a defenseman with 16 and is tied for second overall in the league. Only Ontario Reign forward T.J. Tynan (17) has more than Hollowell.
- Hartford’s win over Belleville on Saturday night was their first win over a Senators affiliate at the XL Center since February 26th, 2017. That night, the Wolf Pack defeated the Binghamton Senators 3-1.
- The Wolf Pack penalty kill went 8-for-9 on the weekend. They now rank fourth in the AHL with an 88% kill rate. That is fourth in the Atlantic Division, as five of the Division’s eight teams make up the top ten in league penalty kill percentage.
- The Wolf Pack’s powerplay is also in the top ten in the AHL. The club went 2-for-8 on the weekend and now sits seventh in the league with a success rate of 21.8%.
- Goaltender Louis Domingue, who made 39 saves on Friday night, remains second in the AHL in save percentage among qualified goaltenders with a .937 mark.
The Week Ahead:
- Friday, December 1st, 2023, Vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7:00 p.m., XL Center, specialty jerseys)
- Saturday, December 2nd, 2023, Vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7:00 p.m., XL Center, Teddy Bear Toss Night, specialty jerseys)
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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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