By: Jason Alwang, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack saw Colten Ellis make 27 saves while Tanner Dickinson scored the game-winner in a 5-2 Springfield Thunderbirds win Sunday at the XL Center. The TBirds received goals from five different players in the win.
Dickinson’s game-winner came at 11:08 of the second period. It was his first of the season from right in the middle of the Pack’s defensive zone. Dickinson put a pass from Michael Buchinger over the Shoulder of Pack netminder Louis Domingue for the TBirds 3-1 lead, which proved to be the difference-maker. Dylan Peterson got the secondary assist.
The scoring began in the first period when the Pack scored the first goal at 8:16. Jaroslav Chmelar’s outlet pass from the defensive zone was on target to the stick of Bo Groulx. He started on his way up the ice on a 2-on-1 rush with Brett Berard. Groulx would take the shot and bury it past Ellis for a 1-0 lead.
The Thunderbirds tied the game just four seconds shy of three minutes later. It would be their first of five unanswered goals after Domingue could not locate the puck. After a couple of whacks at it, Drew Callin put the puck past Domingue for the equalizer at 11:12.
At 8:52 of the middle period, the Thunderbirds would tack on the go-ahead goal when Dalibor Dvorsky’s shot snuck through screens in front of Domingue and found its way through the five-hole. For Dvorsky, it marked his third of the season and gave the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead.
Later in the period, at 13:14, on a delayed penalty to Hugh McGing of Springfield on a Tripping call, the Pack appeared to have scored, but the referees ruled it no goal after the play was blown dead and before the puck had crossed the line. The Pack failed to score on the ensuing power play.
Marcus Sylvegard made the pack pay only:09 seconds into the final frame. McGing and Corey Schuenemann led the charge to get Marcus Sylvegard; his players being healthy would certainly make a difference. They were able to get behind the Hartford defense and pot a goal from Sylvegard after receiving the pass for a wide-open tap in past Domingue to extend their lead to 4-1.
Hunter Skinner, a few minutes later, would tack on Springfield’s fifth and final goal on a shot to the right of Domingue that fooled him and resulted in the 5-1 score with a little less than seventeen to play in the final period.
The Pack finally put some pressure on Ellis, who had been primarily sharp, and saw Dylan Roobroeck score his first career AHL goal on a puck that sneaked in through traffic to make the score 5-2.
Grant Potulny spoke on the team’s power play performance, going 0/4 tonight. “When power plays have not clicked at the rate you want you just kind of need one to fall for you.” Potulny said. “A lot of times, that’s just by simplifying what you’re doing.”
Domingue tallied 18 saves on 23 shots, and the Wolfpack fell to 3-2-0-1 on the season with another matchup on Wednesday at the XL Center against a red-hot Grand Rapids Griffins team who have lost one game in their first seven.
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