WOLF PACK COMEBACK TO STUN ISLES 4-3 IN OT
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack stormed back for just their second victory this season when trailing after two periods. Down 3-1 after 40 minutes, the Wolf Pack struck twice in the final frame before completing the comeback in overtime, downing the Bridgeport Islanders 4-3.
Brennan Othmann struck 4:18 into overtime, ripping home a shot on a two-on-one. Othmann fired the puck from the right-wing circle, cleanly beating Henrik Tikkanen by the blocker.
The goal was Othmann’s second of the night and his third point (2 g, 1 a).
The Islanders opened the contest with a goal 11:17 in. Liam Foudy chipped a puck into the offensive zone, won a footrace, and got a scoring chance on Dylan Garand. Garand made the initial save, but the puck trickled through the five-hole and sat on the goal line. Chad Ruhwedel tried to clear the puck, but it hit Matthew Maggio’s stick and ended up in the back of the net.
The goal was Maggio’s sixth of the season.
Riley Piercey extended the lead to 2-0 at 18:22, tipping home his first career AHL goal. Travis Mitchell fired a shot from the point that Piercey got a piece of in front of the crease, beating Garand.
Erik Brännström got the Wolf Pack on the board with his first goal with the club at 2:05 of the middle stanza. Brännström took a pass from Othmann and danced his way into the slot. He fired a backhander that beat Tikkanen to make it a 2-1 game.
The goal was Brännström’s third of the season and first with the Wolf Pack in his third game with the club.
Despite a strong push from the Wolf Pack, Tikkanen kept it a 2-1 spread until late in the period. That’s when Chris Terry struck to make it a 3-1 game.
Terry entered on the left-wing side, walked down the wall, and ripped a shot over the glove of Garand for his 15th goal of the season at 18:49. The goal was Terry’s sixth point (1 g, 5 a) in six games against the Wolf Pack this season.
Maggio was whistled for hooking late in the second period, giving the Wolf Pack 1:57 of power play time to open the final period.
Although the Wolf Pack was unsuccessful on the power play, it did start a strong stretch of play for the club.
Finally, on their 19th shot of the period, Connor Mackey made it 3-2 with his third goal of the season. At 12:34, Mackey fired a shot that grazed Tikkanen’s glove and found the back of the net.
At 18:31, Othmann tied the game with his second six-on-five goal of the season. The puck bounced to Othmann in the right-wing circle, where he fired a shot that beat Tikkanen to make it 3-3.
Brännström picked up the primary assist on the goal, his second point (1 g, 1 a) of the game. Brett Berard picked up his second secondary assist of the night on the goal.
In overtime, Garand was sensational for the Wolf Pack, making five saves. Late in the extra session, Othmann gave the Wolf Pack their second multi-goal comeback of the season and their 20th victory overall.
The Wolf Pack hit the road for three straight games, starting with a weekend back-to-back in Charlotte this Saturday and Sunday. The series begins with a 4:00 p.m. puck drop on Saturday afternoon, with coverage starting at 3:45 p.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Feb. 21, when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins come to town. 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 www.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 its 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.
