WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: NOVEMBER 30th, 2023
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack ended the month of November with two victories following the Thanksgiving holiday. The club has now rattled off four consecutive victories at the XL Center.
Now, after a few days of practice and rest, the Wolf Pack is set to host a pair of home games to kick off the month of December. These will be the second and third games of a four-game homestand that concludes next Wednesday night when the Cleveland Monsters come to town.
Friday, December 1st, 2023, Vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms:
The Phantoms come to town for a pair of games in their final visit to the Connecticut capital this season. Friday night will be the fourth of six overall meetings this season between the divisional opponents and the second of three in Hartford.
The Wolf Pack claimed a convincing 5-1 victory on October 21st in the only prior meeting at the XL Center this season. That game was the 1,000th victory in Wolf Pack franchise history. Alex Belzile recorded the game-winning goal, his first with the club.
Hartford also took a 4-1 decision over the Phantoms at the PPL Center on October 29th, where Riley Nash struck twice on the powerplay to propel the visitors.
The Phantoms got their revenge with an overtime victory in Allentown on November 3rd by a final score of 5-4. Samu Tuomaala had the game-winner 1:09 into the extra session.
This marks the first of back-to-back nights where the Wolf Pack will wear specialty jerseys. The club will don special Teddy Bear Toss jerseys inspired by CT Children’s Hospital. The jerseys will be auctioned off on DASH!
Saturday, December 2nd, 2023, Vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms:
The Wolf Pack and Phantoms wrap up the Hartford portion of their season series on Saturday night at the XL Center. The season series wraps up in Allentown on Friday, January 12th, 2024, at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday night is the Wolf Pack’s annual ‘Teddy Bear Toss Game’! Fans are encouraged to throw a teddy bear or stuffed animal onto the ice following the Wolf Pack’s first goal of the night. In addition, the first 1,000 fans 12 and under will receive a youth replica jersey. The youth replica jersey will match the Wolf Pack’s specialty Teddy Bear Toss jerseys worn in both games over the weekend.
The puck drop for both nights is set for 7:00 p.m., while tickets for both games are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
Quick Hits:
- On Tuesday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) recalled forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edström from the Wolf Pack. Brodzinski remains with the Rangers, while Edström was reassigned to Hartford on Tuesday.
- On Thursday, the Wolf Pack recalled forwards Matej Pekar and Cristiano DiGiacinto from loan to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones.
- Pekar will wear number 10 with the Wolf Pack, while DiGiacinto will wear his familiar number 96.
- Hartford’s current winning streak of four games is tied for the longest of the season. The club opened the season with a four-game winning streak that the Springfield Thunderbirds snapped on October 27th.
- This weekend is the only time this season that the Wolf Pack will host the same team at the XL Center on back-to-back nights.
- The Wolf Pack will visit the same team four times this season on back-to-back nights. They will do so for the first time next weekend when they see the Laval Rocket on Friday night (7:00 p.m.) and Saturday afternoon (3:00 p.m.)
- Hartford will also play back-to-back nights in Cleveland (January 26th and 27th) and Charlotte (March 12th and 13th).
- The club will play a pair of back-to-back afternoon tilts in Charlotte on April 6th (4:00 p.m.) and April 7th (1:00 p.m.).
- The Wolf Pack posted a 3-1-0-0 record against the Phantoms last season and are 10-5-2-1 against them throughout the previous five seasons.
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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.
