By: Jason Alwang, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT—Brett Berard scored 1:38 into overtime, and Bo Groulx recorded a four-point game (2g – 2a) as the Hartford Wolf Pack won a thriller at the XL Center against their intra-state rivals, the Bridgeport Islanders.
In overtime, the Wolf Pack received a 4-on-3 after the Islanders’ Marc Gatcomb was called for boarding as regulation ended. Bedard one-timed a pass from Casey Fitzgerald and blasted it past Marcus Hogberg for the victory. For Bedard, it marked his fourth goal in the season’s first three games.
“There really is no position to that point of the game,” Bedard said of the overtime goal. “But a goal is a goal, so it was pretty exciting.”
In the third period, after the Islanders scored a game-tying, power-play goal, exactly a minute later, Adam Sykora tallied his first of the season on a puck loose in the crease off a rebound to give the Wolfpack a 4-3 lead with 6:02 left to play.
The Islanders found the equalizer with 2:12 remaining when Fredrik Karlstrom scored his second goal of the game, beating Pack starter Dylan Garand to his right.
The first period saw the Wolf Pack score the game’s first goal at 14:13 off a takeaway in the offensive zone. Alex Belzile went to the middle of the two circles and found Giroux, who buried it past Hogberg.
The lead didn’t last long. 37 seconds later, the Islanders answered back when Karlstrom scored his first of the season after getting past the Wolf Pack defense and cut down the middle of the offensive zone on passes from Liam Foudy and Matthew Maggio.
The Islanders scored a goal 11:39 into the second when Wyatt Newpower sped his way to the net and beat Garand off passes from Maggio and Foudy, who earned their second assists.
Just 16 seconds after the Islanders took the lead, Cole Bardreau was whistled for holding, sending the Pack back on the power play. Thirty seconds later, the Pack tied the game, with Giroux scoring his second at 12:26 of the middle period. Casey Fitzgerald and Alex Belzile earned the helpers.
“The power play was maybe not as sharp as it was yesterday, but it showed up when we needed it the most.” Head Coach Grant Potulyn said of the team’s power play.
Over three minutes later, at 15:53, the Wolf Pack scored again.
Beard made it his third of the season after a series of shots for the Pack that had Hogberg scrambling before the puck went to the back of the net and a 3-2 Pack lead.
Garand recorded 30 saves in the win.
The Wolf Pack and Islanders will play again Sunday in a rematch, this time in Bridgeport. The Wolf Pack record improves to 2-0-0-1, and they look to keep their point streak alive.
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