WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: DECEMBER 16th, 2024
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack split a back-to-back set over the weekend, closing out their four-game homestand with a victory before opening three straight games against the Providence Bruins with a defeat on Sunday.
Saturday, December 14th, 2024, Vs. Laval Rocket (4-2 W): Adam Sýkora opened the scoring 18:50 into the hockey game on Saturday night, giving the Wolf Pack a lead they never lost against the Rocket.
Jake Leschyshyn extended the lead at 9:24 of the second period, tipping home a Matthew Robertson shot on the power play. Alex Belzile then made it a 3-0 game at 11:25, sniping his ninth goal of the season over the right shoulder of Connor Hughes.
The Rocket struck twice in the third period, with Zack Hayes and Sean Farrell making it a 3-2 game with goals at 3:34 and 13:16, respectively. Dylan Garand held the fort in the final minutes, making numerous saves before Ben Harpur cemented the win at 19:54 with an empty net tally.
Garand made 34 saves in the victory, improving to 9-2-2 on the season.
The win improved the Wolf Pack to 2-0-0-0 at home against the North Division this season.
Sunday, December 15th, 2024, at Providence Bruins (5-2 L): Three goals in the second period did the Wolf Pack in on Sunday afternoon, as they fell 5-2 to the Providence Bruins. Patrick Brown opened the scoring at 8:44 of the opening stanza for the Bruins, jamming a rebound by the right pad of Louis Domingue.
Ryder Korczak tied the game at 16:35, snapping home his second goal of the season from the right-wing circle right as the club’s second power play expired.
Matt Poitras restored the lead for good 6:04 into the middle frame, burying a centering feed from Vinni Lettieri. Tyler Pitlick pounced on a rebound at 9:01, scoring the eventual game-winning goal. Jeffrey Viel then potted a rebound of his own at 12:50, capping a stretch of three goals in 6:47.
Leschyshyn got the Wolf Pack within two at 2:35 of the third period, tapping home a backdoor feed from Belzile on a five-on-three power play.
Despite hitting three goalposts in the final frame, the Wolf Pack could not draw closer than 4-2. Georgii Merkulov hit the empty net at 16:09, ending the comeback bid.
Quick Hits:
- With his win on Saturday night, Garand is now 9-2-2 with two shutouts, a 2.20 goals against average, and a .926 save percentage this season.
- Garand sits in the top ten in the AHL in goals against average (seventh), save percentage (sixth), wins (tied for fourth), and shutouts (tied for sixth).
- With his power play goal on Sunday, Leschyshyn has goals in five straight games. He has six goals during this stretch. It is the longest goal-scoring streak of the season by a Wolf Pack player.
- Thanks to his assist on Sunday, Belzile now sits tied for eighth in the AHL in points with 25 (9 g, 16 a). He sits tied with Ontario Reign forward Glenn Gawdin and Calgary Wranglers forward Dryden Hunt.
The Week Ahead:
- Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, Vs. Providence Bruins (7:00 p.m., XL Center)
- Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, @ Providence Bruins (7:05 p.m., Amica Mutual Pavilion)
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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.
