By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Hartford Wolf Pack snapped their three-game losing streak on Saturday night, knocking off the Charlotte Checkers 3-2 in overtime at the Bojangles Coliseum. All three Wolf Pack goals were scored by defensemen.
Chad Ruhwedel entered the zone on the right-wing side late in overtime, taking a pass from Brennan Othmann. Without a lane to the goal, Ruhwedel elected to shoot from the right-wing circle. He sniped his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack by the glove of Chris Driedger at 4:24 to give Hartford a crucial second point.
The Wolf Pack opened the scoring 68 seconds into the hockey game. With an offensive zone faceoff to the right of Driedger, Blade Jenkins dug in for Hartford. He won the draw directly back to Brandon Scanlin, setting up the icebreaker.
Scanlin stepped into a blast that breezed by Driedger to make it a 1-0 game. The goal was Scanlin’s fourth of the season and his second against the Checkers.
The sides traded chances throughout the period, but the Checkers were able to even things up late.
Matthew Robertson was whistled for tripping at 18:08, giving the Checkers their second power play of the period. Mike Benning’s shot was denied by Louis Domingue, but the rebound sat in the blue paint for Oliver Okuliar.
Okuliar found the loose puck and jammed home his 11th goal of the season to send the sides to the intermission tied 1-1.
Neither side struck in the second period, but each team had solid looks. Anton Blidh had the best look for the Wolf Pack, as he was set up from a dangerous area. Blidh beat Driedger but struck the iron, keeping it a 1-1 spread.
Justin Sourdif had the best look for the Checkers, as he was sprung in on a shorthanded breakaway during the Wolf Pack’s second power play of the game. Sourdif was denied by the left pad of Domingue, however, who made 16 saves in the period.
Scanlin restored the lead for the Wolf Pack at 7:10 of the third period, earning his first career multi-goal game as a pro. Scanlin danced around Will Lockwood before snapping a shot by Driedger for his fifth goal of the season.
Brett Berard and Casey Fitzgerald, in his return to Charlotte, picked up the assists on the goal.
John Leonard drew the Checkers even at 15:00, potting his 16th goal on an impressive individual effort. Leonard maneuvered around numerous Wolf Pack players before waiting out Domingue and burying a backhand bid.
In overtime, both teams had numerous good looks, but it was Ruhwedel who pushed the Wolf Pack to 3-0-0-0 in the head-to-head season series.
The Wolf Pack conclude their road trip with a rematch against the Checkers tomorrow. The back-to-back set ends with a 4:00 p.m. puck drop.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Jan. 24, when the Laval Rocket make their second and final visit to the XL Center this season. 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.
