WOLF PACK’S COMEBACK FALLS SHORT TO ROCKET
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack stormed back on Friday night, striking twice in the third period to draw even with the Laval Rocket. A heartbreaking goal against in the final minute, however, proved to be too much as the Rocket won 4-3 at the XL Center.
Alex Barré-Boulet fed Logan Mailloux in the slot with just seconds remaining on the clock. Mailloux avoided coverage and set himself up with an open look from a high-danger scoring area. The defenseman ripped home his second goal of the night at 19:24 to give the Rocket the 4-3 victory.
Mailloux ended the night with three points (2 g, 1 a).
Mailloux opened the scoring 7:45 into the game, taking advantage of a turnover. Vincent Arseneau muscled his way to the net but was denied by Louis Domingue. The rebound came to the slot area to a Wolf Pack player, but Mailloux intercepted the clearing attempt.
The second-year defenseman fired a shot through traffic that beat Domingue for his seventh goal of the season.
Bo Groulx evened the tilt at 14:44, converting on the Wolf Pack’s first power play attempt of the night. Brett Berard played a puck from the left-wing wall to the bumper for Jake Leschyshyn. The veteran forward quickly tapped a backhand pass to the right-wing circle for Groulx, who blasted home a one-timer for his team-leading 14th goal of the season.
The tally gives Groulx goals in four straight outings.
Just 1:08 later, however, Owen Beck restored the lead for the visitors. A bobbled puck at the offensive blueline by the Wolf Pack ended up on the stick of Filip Mešár. Mešár entered the offensive zone and dropped a pass for Beck, who was the trailer on the left-wing side. Beck ripped home his tenth goal of the season at 15:52 to make it 2-1 through 20 minutes.
Just 1:30 into the second period, Laurent Dauphin extended the lead with his 13th goal of the campaign. Mailloux fired a shot that snuck through Domingue and sat in the crease, where Dauphin located it and jammed it home.
The Wolf Pack had numerous chances to cut into their deficit late in the frame but could not solve Cayden Primeau. The team’s best look came in the final moments as Chad Ruhwedel ripped a shot off the goal post from the high slot off a faceoff win by Groulx.
Berard got the Wolf Pack within one at 10:52, potting a backdoor feed for his eighth goal of the season. Blake Hillman sent a pass to Berard, who beat Tyler Wotherspoon to the net and deposited the tally.
Late in the period, the Wolf Pack elected to pull Domingue for the extra attacker, pressuring with a six-on-five advantage. Groulx took possession behind the Rocket goal and sent a pass to the front for an attacking Brennan Othmann. Othmann took the feed and labeled home his fourth goal of the season at 18:10 to make it a 3-3 game.
The goal was the club’s first six-on-five goal of the season.
Despite the frantic comeback, Mailloux stunned the crowd at 19:24, scoring the game-winning goal to hand the Wolf Pack their fifth straight home defeat.
The weekend continues tomorrow when the Wolf Pack play host to the Rochester Americans. The first 1,500 fans will receive a Matt Rempe bobblehead courtesy of Xfinity! It’s also ‘New York Rangers Night’ at the XL Center. We’ll be joined by former Wolf Pack and Rangers forward Boo Nieves.
The puck drop is set for 6:00 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.
