By: Jason Alwang, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT: Nathan Sucese scored two goals, including the game-winner, as the Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Providence Bruins in an intense 6-5 thriller before 8,062 at the XL Center.
“We earned that win tonight. We deserved that win,” Wolf Pack Head Coach Grant Potulny said of the team’s victory. “To see things that you’re implementing, you are trying to implement, show up in the game and then show up in the biggest moment, that’s a good feeling.”
Jaroslav Chmelar had three points (a goal and two assists). He found space in the offensive zone while Hartford’s line change brought fresh legs to the ice. Sucese came streaking down the middle of the zone, took the feed, and released a wrister to put the Wolf Pack ahead 6-5 with a little over two minutes to go in regulation.
Sucese’s tally came just minutes after Providence came back down two goals in the third period.
“This is probably closer to what he is than what the year has been.” Potulny on Sucese. “Getting some confidence back, obviously great shit, game-winner tonight.”
The action began in the first period at 4:07, when Patrick Brown recorded his 13th goal of the season on a 3-on-1 attack. Brown released the shot down the middle, right past Dylan Garand (32 saves) to give the Bruins the early 1-0 lead.
Just under a minute later Alex Belzile whipped a pass along the boards to Zac Jones for a slap shot that went right past Brandon Bussi (30 saves) to give Jones his first goal for the Wolf Pack this season after being sent down on conditioning from the parent New York Rangers to tie the game up at one a piece at 5:04.
Bryce McConnell-Barker took a tripping penalty that sent the Bruins to their first powerplay at 6:47 in the first period to the benefit of the Wolf Pack as Sucese chased after the puck that went to Bussi’s stick that he was able to block from clearing the zone and tapping in the open shot for his 3rd of the season to give the Wolf Pack a 2-1 lead at 8:42.
“I thought we were aggressive.” Wolf Pack Captain Casey Fitzgerald spoke with pride about his team’s penalty kill tonight (4/5). “Killing plays and being aggressive, one goal all go type mentality, and not just give them easy looks.”
The power play would finally benefit the Bruins in the opening period after Anton Blidh was sent off for tripping, where former Wolf Pack Vinni Lettieri scored his 17th of the season from the right circle after some good puck movement on the power play by Providence to tie the game at 2-2 at 15:56.
Brown would find himself with the puck on his stick again late into the period while in the offensive zone, releasing a shot from the top of the circle that ricocheted off the post and into the back of the Hartford net to put the Bruins ahead 3-2 with less than two minutes to go in the opening twenty.
With time winding down, Chad Ruhwedel released a wrist shot of his own, good for his 2nd goal of the season after Blidh fed him a drop pass that knotted the game up for the Wolf Pack with just three seconds remaining in the first period.
Hard work along the boards in the second period from the Wolf Pack allowed Brennan Othmann to get a hold of the puck and bring it past Bussi to get him out of position so Othmann could backhand a pass to Chmelar who was found on the other side of Bussi to shoot in the go-ahead goal for his 7th of the season at 16:43.
“It’s hard to contain that.” Potulny on Chmelar overall skill set. “Nice to see some production from him and chipping in offensively.”
With the final twenty underway, Adam Sykora was working along the boards behind the Providence net and got the puck out to Dylan Roobroeck out in front of the net, who buried it through the five-hole to give the Wolf Pack a 5-3 lead at 1:45.
Trevor Kuntar scored his third of the season, finding the back of the net halfway through the third when a battle along the side of the boards was won by Joey Abate, who got the puck to an open Kuntar, releasing a wrister by Garand on a quick release to cut the lead to 5-4.
With the Bruins looking for the tying goal, Max Jones got hold of the puck from the side of the Hartford net and passed it to a wide-open Lettieri backdoor for the tying goal at 14:02.
The Sucese go-ahead goal caused the Bruins to pull Bussi for the extra skater, but much like their power play, they could not find the back of the net, and the Wolf Pack survived with the victory.
“We’re a hard-working team that’s never been a question.” Fitzgerald said. “You can see the confidence building and building and we’re going to run with that.”
The Wolf Pack (21-25-5-1) will host the Springfield Thunderbirds at the XL Center on February 28th in what will be considered a must-win game if they can clinch the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs.
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