By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack concluded their four-game road trip on Friday night in Allentown, opening a weekend back-to-back set. The club then trekked through the night back to Hartford before playing their first home game of 2024 on Saturday night.
The Pack earned the weekend split thanks to Saturday night’s comeback effort and now sit at 19-9-5-0.
Friday, January 12th, 2024, @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms (4-1 L): Olle Lycksell scored twice in the opening period for the Phantoms, giving them a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes that they never lost. His goal 19:32 into the opening frame, a one-timer from the right-wing circle, would stand as the game-winner.
Brandon Scanlin scored his second goal in as many games 4:39 into the second period, getting Hartford within one. However, that would be as close as the Pack would get, as the Phantoms added two goals in the third period to pull away.
Jacob Gaucher potted a rebound 2:41 into the third period to make it a 3-1 game, then Victor Mete scored at 12:07 to extend the lead to 4-1.
The win was the Phantoms’ first regulation victory in the season series and snapped the Wolf Pack’s seven-game head-to-head point streak (6-0-1-0). Despite the loss, the Wolf Pack did win the season series 4-2 (4-1-1-0).
Saturday, January 13th, 2024, Vs. Providence Bruins (3-2 OTW): For the second time this season, the Wolf Pack defeated the Providence Bruins when trailing after two periods of play. It was also the second time this season that the Pack picked up a victory over the Bruins in a game they never led.
Jayson Megna got the Bruins on the board 15:43 into the hockey game, potting a powerplay goal. The Pack responded with a powerplay goal of their own 10:44 into the middle frame, as Karl Henriksson fired a shot from the left-wing circle home.
Just 28 seconds later, Alec Regula restored the lead with a shot from the slot for his third goal of the season.
For the second time in as many meetings, the Pack would storm back when trailing after two against the Bruins. Mac Hollowell tied the contest 10:42 into the period when he blasted home a shot from the right-wing point. The goal was his second as a member of the Wolf Pack.
1:44 into overtime, Scanlin would complete the comeback when he jammed home a loose puck at the side of the goal. The tally was Scanlin’s first career game-winning goal in overtime.
Quick Hits:
- Scanlin’s goal on Saturday night wasn’t just his first career overtime game-winning goal but also gave him his first career three-game goal-scoring streak.
- Hartford’s comeback over the Bruins on Saturday night was their second victory this season when trailing after two periods of play. They defeated the Bruins 6-4 on November 22nd after trailing 4-2 after two periods.
- On Saturday night, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) assigned forward Jake Leschyshyn to the Wolf Pack.
- On Sunday, the Rangers assigned forward Anton Blidh to the Wolf Pack.
- Over the weekend, the Wolf Pack released two players from professional tryout agreements (PTO). First, the club released defenseman Grant Gabriele on Saturday night. Then, the club released forward Blade Jenkins on Sunday morning. Jenkins previously signed with the club on Saturday.
- The Wolf Pack will be well-represented at the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto next month. In addition to Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, the following Wolf Pack alumni will be at the event: goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (Colorado Avalanche), goaltender Cam Talbot (Los Angeles Kings), and forward J.T. Miller (Vancouver Canucks).
- Hollowell has a six-game point streak following his goal on Saturday night. The defenseman has one goal and five assists in that span. It is his second-point streak of six games or more this season.
The Week Ahead:
- Friday, January 19th, 2024, Vs. Hershey Bears (7:00 p.m., XL Center, New York Rangers Night)
- Saturday, January 20th, 2024, @ Bridgeport Islanders (7:00 p.m., Total Mortgage Arena)
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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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