By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
SPRINGFIELD, MA – Talyn Boyko made his first career AHL start on Tuesday afternoon, making 32 saves to pick up his first career shutout and victory in the Hartford Wolf Pack’s 7-0 triumph over the rival Springfield Thunderbirds.
The win snapped a four-game losing skid against the Thunderbirds.
Adam Sýkora broke the ice 11:09 into the hockey game, tipping the icebreaker home on the power play. With Marcus Sylvegard in the penalty box for tripping, Matthew Roberton fired a shot from the left-wing point that Sýkora got a piece of. The goal was his fifth of the season.
Blade Jenkins extended the lead at 12:19, potting his second goal of the season. Jenkins rushed into the zone on the left-wing side and muscled his way by a Thunderbird defender to the front of the goal. He snuck a shot by Vadim Zherenko’s five-hole to extend the lead.
Boyko picked up the secondary assist, his first in the AHL.
Anton Blidh made it 3-0, capping off a stretch of three goals in 4:10. Jaroslav Chmelař rushed into the offensive zone on the right-wing side, beating a defender and creating a passing lane. Chmelař’s feed to the front of the net went off the skate of Blidh and by Zherenko at 14:19.
The goal was Blidh’s eighth of the season, while Chmelař’s assist was his second of the period.
Blake Hillman’s second goal of the season came 10:22 into the middle frame as he extended the Wolf Pack’s lead to 4-0. Zherenko denied a shot from Jenkins but could never corral the rebound. Hillman crashed the net and jammed home the loose puck to quiet the crowd even further.
Jenkins’ assist was his second point (1 g, 1 a) of the game.
Two minutes later, Brennan Othmann buried his third goal of the season. Othmann took a pass from Alex Belzile just outside the Thunderbirds’ zone, then entered on the left-wing side. Othmann ripped a shot that beat Zherenko at 12:22, making it 5-0.
Othmann’s goal was his third against the Thunderbirds this season.
Sýkora picked up his second goal of the contest 4:58 into the third period. Nathan Sucese sprung Sýkora in on a breakaway, where he snapped a shot by the glove of Zherenko. For Sucese, it was his second assist in as many games against the Thunderbirds.
Dylan Roobroeck tacked on his sixth goal of the season and second point (1 g, 1 a) of the game at 13:52 of the third period. With Will Cranley now tending the goal for the Thunderbirds, Roobroeck fired a shot from the right-wing circle just snuck by Cranley to make it 7-0.
The Wolf Pack continue their four-game road trip on Saturday evening when they visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Saturday, Jan. 11, when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms come to town! Join us as we celebrate a special milestone: 50 years of professional hockey in Hartford!
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
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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.
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