By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack opened the 2025 calendar year with a pair of road games over the weekend, splitting the set with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Bridgeport Islanders.
Following this weekend’s games, the Wolf Pack sit with a record of 15-14-2-1. Their 33 points are good for sixth place in the Atlantic Division.
Saturday, January 4th, 2025, at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (5-0 L): Despite outshooting the Penguins 14-8 in the first period and largely outplaying the home side, the Wolf Pack found themselves down 1-0 following the opening stanza on Saturday night.
The first of two goals in the game by Rutger McGroarty came 13:44 into the game, as the rookie stuffed home a wraparound bid. McGroarty’s second goal came 5:11 into the middle frame as he beat Talyn Boyko by the blocker on a backdoor feed from Vasily Ponomarev on the power play.
Ponomarev made it 3-0 at 18:25, taking a centering pass from Filip Král from behind the net and potting his sixth goal of the season.
Emil Bemström struck twice in the third period, making it 4-0 at 36 seconds before striking again at 10:54.
The shutout loss was the fifth straight loss for the Wolf Pack at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. The victory gives the Penguins a 3-0 edge in the six-game, head-to-head season series.
The loss also marked the third shutout defeat of the season for the Wolf Pack.
Sunday, January 5th, 2025, at Bridgeport Islanders (5-1 W): The Wolf Pack bounced back in a big way on Sunday, cruising to a 5-1 victory in Bridgeport over the rival Islanders.
Bo Groulx opened the scoring 19:34 into the hockey game, blasting home a centering pass from Alex Belzile. Belzile won puck possession in the left-wing corner before feeding Groulx for the ice-breaker.
Groulx potted the game-winning goal 3:27 into the second period, striking from the bottom of the right-wing circle on the power play. Belzile fed Brennan Othmann in the slot, who dished off to Groulx. Groulx’s one-timer beat Jakub Skarek to make it 2-0.
Adam Sýkora made it 3-0 at 4:32, beating Skarek by the glove on a breakaway attempt. Sýkora was sprung in via a nifty feed from Ben Harpur inside the offensive zone.
Anton Blidh’s ninth goal of the season came at 9:52, as he buried a pass from Dylan Roobroeck at the front of the crease.
Brian Pinho got the Islanders on the board at 10:49 with a power play goal, but Nathan Sucese’s second goal of the season at 18:40 restored the four-game edge for the Wolf Pack heading into the final frame.
Dylan Garand made 29 saves to collect his tenth win of the season. He is now 3-0-0 against the Islanders this season.
Quick Hits:
- Following his two-assist performance on Sunday, Belzile sits tied for eighth in the league, scoring 31 points (10 g, 21 a). He is tied with Charlotte Checkers forward John Leonard.
- Following Sunday’s win, Garand sits tied for seventh in the league in victories with ten.
- Garand is also among the top ten AHL goalies in save percentage (.929, sixth), goals-against average (2.17, eighth), and shutouts (two, tied for eighth).
- The Wolf Pack are 2-1-0-0 on their current four-game road trip. They have outscored their opponents 12-6, with a goal differential of +6.
- Goaltender Louis Domingue started for the parent New York Rangers on Sunday, making 25 saves and collecting the victory in the club’s 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Week Ahead:
- Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7:05 p.m., PPL Center)
- Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7:00 p.m., XL Center)
- Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, vs Springfield Thunderbirds (5:00 p.m., XL Center)
About OVG360: OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources, and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and safety, and more.
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.
