By: Jason Alwang, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT: The Hartford Wolf Pack (3-1-0-1) got a Bo Groulx goal 39 seconds into overtime to defeat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-3 at the XL Center Friday night. Jake Leschyshyn and Brett Berard recorded two points each for the Wolf Pack.
On the overtime game-winner, Berard sprinted up the ice and fired a shot that Phantoms’ netminder, Alexei Kolosov, fought off. The shot went behind the net. Berard got the biscuit to the front of the net, where Groulx was waiting to plant the game-winner in the net.
“I found a hole, and I was pretty happy when I found myself right in front,” Groulx said of his overtime winner. “Made a great play, heads up play.”
The game’s scoring began at 3:38 of the opening period. Berard scored his fifth of the season off an odd-man rush that allowed Nathan Sucese to get the puck to Groulx. In turn, Groulx found Berard on the other side of the ice. He sent the puck over to him, and in turn, Groulx put it through Kolosov’s five-hole to put the Pack up 1-0.
The Phantoms equalized the game at 11:00 of the first on a Rodrigo Abols goal. Abols’ first of the season came after he received the puck behind the net from Olle Lycksell. Abols moved to the right in front of Pack starter Dylan Garand and lifted the puck over his shoulder to knot the game at one.
The action picked back up in the second period when, at 6:38, The Phantoms’ Oscar Eklind got a shot from behind the net that trickled along behind Garand. The puck went past him on his right for the score, his second of the season, and to put the Phantoms up 2-1.
Matthew Robertson scored his first of the season after a faceoff win for the Wolf Pack. Robertson received the puck on a pass from Brandon Scanlin along the boards and put a shot on the goal that got through traffic and past Kolosov. The goal tied the game at two at 15:44 in the middle period.
The third period began with a lot of wild activity. First, Berard was sent to the box for two minutes and 39 seconds after a tripping call. However, just ten seconds later, Leschyshyn had a shorthanded breakaway opportunity and converted for a 3-2 Pack lead. The puck went in and out of the net so quickly that the referees reviewed it. While initially they had ruled it no goal, after their short review, the officials deemed it a good goal, and the Wolf Pack led.
The lead didn’t last long. On the same power play, 29 seconds later, the Phantoms responded. Samu Tuomaala scored from the left circle, and the game was tied at 3.
Matt Rempe played his first game of the season for Hartford. He was sent down on Thursday by the New York Rangers. Rempe recorded one shot in his return.
The Pack power play was affected by the injuries to Brennan Othmann (upper body) and Alex Belzile (undisclosed). The loss of those two key players caused Head Coach Ryan Potulny to shake up the power play units, which went 0-for-3.
Garand recorded 26 saves, many of them in crucial moments to keep the game close, and picked up his second win of the season.
The Pack are 3-0 on home ice at the XL Center this season and will play Sunday evening against the Springfield Thunderbirds for the second meeting on home ice against their I-91 rivals. The last meeting between the two saw the Pack come out on top in a 6-5 thriller.
