By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack open up a stretch of three straight games and four out of five against the Providence Bruins this afternoon at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in downtown Providence.
The puck drop is set for 4:05 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the third of ten meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Bruins this season. It is the second of five meetings between the foes in the Rhode Island capital. The sides will meet three more times this month, with the Bruins visiting the XL Center on Dec. 20 and Dec. 28. The Wolf Pack return to Providence next Saturday night, Dec. 21.
The sides split a pair of 4-2 decisions in the first two meetings, with the home team winning both.
The Bruins drew first blood, winning 4-2 on home ice on Nov. 10. Marc McLaughlin’s tally 2:12 into the third period, which made it 3-1 at the time, proved to be the game-winning goal. Max Jones, Tyler Pitlick, and Patrick Brown also scored in the victory, while Bo Groulx and Adam Sýkora struck for the Wolf Pack.
The Pack got their revenge on Nov. 16, winning 4-2 at the XL Center. Blake Hillman and Vinni Lettieri exchanged goals in the first period. They would be the only two tallies of the first 40 minutes, as the sides went to the third period tied 1-1.
Casey Fitzgerald broke the tie at 5:42, blasting home his third goal of the season. Connor Mackey potted the eventual game-winning goal at 8:15, making it 3-1.
McLaughlin got it to 3-2 at 16:12, but Matt Rempe sniped home his first goal of the season at 16:35 to put the Wolf Pack out of reach.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack improved to 4-1-0-0 in their last five games with a 4-2 triumph over the Laval Rocket the previous night on home ice.
Sýkora opened the scoring 18:50 into the game, burying a rebound for his fourth goal of the season. Jake Leschyshyn then extended the lead to 2-0 at 9:24 of the middle frame, tipping home a Matthew Robertson shot for his sixth goal of the campaign.
Alex Belzile made it 3-0 at 11:25, collecting a puck after Anton Blidh blocked a point shot. Belzile weaved through the neutral zone, gained the Rocket zone, and then sniped home the game-winning goal.
Zack Hayes and Sean Farrell got the Rocket within one with two third-period strikes, but Ben Harpur cemented the victory at 19:54 with an empty net tally.
The win completed a four-game homestand for the Wolf Pack in which they posted a record of 3-1-0-0. Dylan Garand made 34 saves to improve to 9-2-2 on the season.
Belzile leads the Wolf Pack in both goals with nine and points with 24 (9 g, 15 a).
Bruins Outlook:
The Bruins won their fifth straight game on Friday night, knocking off the Bridgeport Islanders by a score of 5-3.
The Bruins jumped out to a 4-1 lead on goals from Matt Poitras, Fabian Lysell, Mason Millman, and Brown. Poitras’ goal came just 1:38 into the game, while Lysell made it 2-0 at 4:11. Marc Gatcomb struck at 10:01 for the Islanders, making it 2-1 at the time.
Brian Pinho potted his 14th goal of the season on the power play 4:11 into the second period, but Jones restored the three-goal lead just 64 seconds into the third period. Alex Jefferies found the back of the net at 13:22 of period three, but that would be as close as the Islanders got it.
With the win, the Bruins are now 7-3-0-0 in their last ten games.
Lettieri leads the Bruins in both goals with ten and points with 25 (10 g, 15 a).
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN: Mixlr
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 3:50 p.m. on both AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Dec. 20, when the Bruins come to town! Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission!
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
About Oak View Group (OVG): Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues, and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues, either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
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.
