WOLF PACK WIN 2-1 ON BELZILE’S OT BUZZER BEATER
By: Jason Alwang, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT: The Hartford Wolf Pack (5-3-1-1) got a goal from Alex Belzile with just 6.6 seconds remaining in overtime to secure a 2-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch at the XL Center in Hartford. Dylan Garand made 31 saves, many of them brilliant in the net for the Wolf Pack.
Belzile’s game-winner was his first goal of the season and came after skating with power during the three-on-three extra session through two Crunch defenders. He fired a shot that found its way through the five-hole of former Pack Brandon Halverson. Belzile was on with Bo Groulx and Matthew Robertson, who each earned assists on the game-winner.
“I didn’t really know how much time I had on the clock,” Belzile said after the game. “I feel I had an opportunity to make a move there and it went in, and I was pretty happy.”
The fact that Bezile had gone that long hadn’t fazed him. His confidence remained high. “I knew eventually the puck would go in, and it went in at the right time.”
After two scoreless periods, the game’s first goal didn’t come until 5:55 of the third period.
Bryce McConnell-Barker scored his first professional goal off a Wolf Pack rush up the ice. His unassisted tally came while carrying the puck and wristing it past Halverson for the 1-0 lead.
“He’s starting to come. It’s been interesting because you look at him and (Dylan) Roobroeck, they’re so young,” Pack Head Coach Grant Potulny said of McConnell-Barker and Roobroeck. “You need your young players to be able to help and pinch in.”
Some penalties were called in the second period, but there were no significant consequences as neither team took advantage of its opportunities. However, the Crunch would exploit its chance in the third frame.
At 17:14, Joel Teasdale went to the box for a hooking call for the Crunch, but 47 seconds later, Brett Berard took a holding call while on the man advantage to even things up at four per side.
Crunch Head Coach Joel Bouchard is a former Wolf Pack and New York Ranger. He would pull Halverson in the final 47 seconds and give his team a 6-on-4 advantage. Garand made a valiant effort to keep the puck out of the Pack net over the final minute. Still, with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation, Joel Teasdale found the rebound of a one-timer by Connor Sheary, and he buried it for his third of the campaign and sent the game to overtime.
Garand came up huge for the Wolf Pack throughout the contest, especially in the first period, stopping all 12 shots, many of which were Grade A scoring chances. Garand kept the Pack in the game while they struggled to find any offense.
“I got a lot of shots early, which is kind of nice as a goalie. (It) gets you into the game and gets you some rhythm,” Garand said. “(I) worked hard and felt good, and tried to get the guys a chance to win and (we) came through in overtime to get a big two points.”
With less than three minutes to play in the opening period, Syracuse had serious control time in the Wolf Pack’s defensive zone. It led to a one-timer from the circle that Garand snagged with his glove to keep the game scoreless.
In the second period, the Wolf Pack began to turn things around with some offensive zone time. With 12 minutes left in the middle period, a double minor roughing penalty on Max Crozier of Syracuse was matched by a two-minute call to the Pack’s Jaroslav Chmelar, giving the Pack a power play. The Crunch found themselves with a tremendous shorthanded scoring chance as Gabriel Szturc came down the ice. Garand made a poke check but fell in the crease and recovered to make a pad save in the crease to rob Szturc’s second chance to keep the game scoreless.
“It was kind of a weird play the way the puck got dumped down, I was thinking about going to get it, and then I decided not to.” Garand on the pad save. “I tried to cover the puck, and all of a sudden the guy beat me to it, and I just kind of stuck my leg out.”
The Wolf Pack will look to build on this win when they travel to play the Rochester Americans on Friday night.
