By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack hosted the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Teddy Bear Toss Night in the backend of a two-game series at the XL Center on Saturday night. In a back-and-forth affair that saw several lead changes, Brennan Othmann’s two-goal night powered Hartford past Lehigh Valley 5-4 in overtime.
It was a night to remember for Othmann, who secured the victory in overtime with his second goal of the contest, beating Felix Sandstrom up high with a shot from between the circles. The goal was Othmann’s first overtime-winner in the AHL and his first game-winning goal. Mac Hollowell and Nikolas Brouillard each recorded their second assist of the night on the goal, which came at 3:52 of overtime.
The opening minutes saw an even number of chances generated by each side. The Wolf Pack killed off an early penalty before finding themselves down a man moments later as Riley Nash went off for tripping at 8:51. With 15 seconds remaining on the Phantom powerplay, Ronnie Attard took a shot from the point that pinballed to the stick of Wade Allison, who slipped it by Dylan Garand to make it 1-0 Phantoms.
Lehigh Valley got on the board again moments later, as Helge Grans sped down the right wall before beating Garand short side for his first of the year, making it 2-0 Phantoms. Penalties were dished out to both clubs as the physicality ramped up in the final minutes, with Lehigh Valley getting 31 seconds of powerplay time to start the second period.
The Wolf Pack killed off the short powerplay to begin the middle stanza and drew a hooking penalty shortly after that. They made quick work of their second advantage, getting their first goal of the game just nine seconds in as Othmann sent the teddy bears flying after beating Sandstrom through the five-hole with a point shot that got through a screen, making it 2-1.
Only 24 seconds later, Matt Rempe potted his third of the season to tie the game 2-2. Matej Pekar recorded an assist on the tally, his first AHL point of the season, as he fired the puck into a scrum before Rempe got ahold of it to finish the job.
Garand robbed a Phantoms chance in tight with the paddle of his stick to keep the game tied, and minutes later, it would be Karl Henriksson notching his third goal of the season, tipping a Hollowell shot above the shoulder of Sandstrom to give Hartford the 3-2 lead.
Samu Tuomaala tried to wait out Garand in tight, but Alex Belzile stripped him of the puck, leading to a counterattack that resulted in Brett Berard’s fifth goal of the year. Berard’s initial try was blocked, but the follow-up shot beat a screened Sandstrom to make it 4-2 Wolf Pack at 5:52
The Phantoms responded 33 seconds later, courtesy of a Jordy Bellerive one-timer to make it 4-3. In the ensuing minutes, it was a back-and-forth affair as Garand made some tough saves to preserve the lead. The continued pressure from Lehigh Valley led to a game-tying goal from Garrett Wilson, who made it a 4-4 game at the 16:01 mark when he tipped home a shot from Attard.
Extra time was necessary for the second time in the series, but not before Garand made a sprawling glove save at the buzzer to keep the game tied. Garand fully extended to make his second highlight reel save of the game and earn a point for the Wolf Pack.
After killing off a late third-period penalty in overtime, Hartford got a powerplay of their own as Tuomaala was called for tripping. Othmann was the hero, sealing an emphatic 5-4 win off of a pinpoint shot that extended the Wolf Pack’s win streak to six overall and six at the XL Center.
The Wolf Pack are back at the XL Center this Wednesday night as they welcome the North Division’s Cleveland Monsters! The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at 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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