By: Jason Alwang, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT: A third-period rally and Brennan Othmann’s overtime game-winner on Wednesday gave the Hartford Wolf Pack a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory over their interstate rival Bridgeport Islanders at the XL Center.
Othmann’s game-winner was his second of the game. It came with 40 seconds left in the overtime period when he and Brett Berard rushed up the ice for a two-on-one attack. Othmann held the puck and fired a laser that beat Islanders’ netminder Henrik Tikkanen (39 saves), completing the Wolf Pack’s comeback.
“That’s the team we are capable of being,” commented a thrilled Wolf Pack Head Coach Grant Potulny of his team’s third-period play, where they put 25 shots on goal. “Tonight, we got it done.”
At 10:17 of the opening period, a streaking puck headed toward Hartford netminder Dylan Garand (35 saves). It was grabbed by Liam Foudy, who went backhand off the breakaway but was denied by Garand. Garand thought he had it covered, but a streaking Matthew Maggio found the loose puck in the crease and tapped in the rebound, registering his sixth of the season for the 1-0 Bridgeport lead.
Bridgeport made it 2-0 at 18:22 after a sustained offensive shift that resulted in a deflection goal. Travis Mitchell took a shot from near the blue line. Riley Piercey deflected the shot and tallied his first AHL goal, beating Garand clean just before the first period ended.
The newly-acquired Erik Brannstrom scored his first goal since joining the Wolf Pack as part of the trade that sent one-time Wolf Pack, J.T Miller back to the parent New York Rangers. Brannstrom collected the puck in front of the blue line, moved up to the middle of the zone, and spun around with a backhand shot that beat Tikkanen up high to the top shelf, making it 2-1 just over two minutes into the second period. Othmann and Berard recorded the assists.
“Good player; he can dance out there with the puck,” Othmann said about Brannstrom. “We’re really happy to have him.”
At 18:49 of the second period, Chris Terry beat Garand off a race for the puck along the boards. Terry got to it first and fired an off-angle shot that extended Bridgeport’s lead to 3-1 as the second period ended.
Connor Mackey fired a laser of a wrist shot 12:34 into the third period, beating Tikkanen as he skated into the circle, cutting the Bridgeport lead to 3-2. Anton Blidh and Bo Groulx recorded the assists on Mackey’s tally.
With 2:10 left in regulation, Garand was pulled for an extra attacker. The Wolf Pack pressured the Islanders’ defense, sending multiple shots on Tikkanen. The Pack managed to get him out of position before Othmann, who scored his first goal, which tied the game on a shot from the circle to force overtime, where he would score the eventual game-winner.
“When you hit the net, there are second chance opportunities, and then there’s chaos,” Potulny said of the third period.
With the comeback victory, the Wolf Pack resides four points behind their I-91 rivals, the Springfield Thunderbirds, for a playoff spot. Their record improves to 20-22-4-1.
“We’re a team that’s built defensively and is built for play towards the end of the year,” Othmann said. “We’re excited and happy for that challenge (of making the playoffs).”
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