WOLF PACK DEFEAT ISLES IN FINAL PRESEASON GM
WOLF PACK TAKE DOWN ISLANDERS 3-2 IN OVERTIME IN PRESEASON FINALE
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack completed their preseason with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Bridgeport Islanders at Trinity College on Friday night. Jaroslav Chmelař scored twice in the victory, while Adam Sýkora recorded three points (1 g, 2 a).
Just 1:46 into the game, Sýkora broke the ice with a shot from the slot. Carey Terrance won the faceoff to the left of Marcus Hogberg, kicking off the sequence. The puck came to Anton Blidh, who fed Sýkora in the slot. His shot beat Hogberg through traffic for his first goal of the preseason.
Chmelař extended the lead to 2-0 at 7:18, scoring his first goal of the exhibition season. Chmelař drove down the middle of the ice through the Islanders zone and fired a shot on Hogberg. The veteran netminder appeared to make the save, but the puck trickled through and was called a goal despite the Islanders best efforts to clear it from the line.
Adam Beckman stung the Wolf Pack for the third time in two preseason games in the final minute of the opening frame. Beckman collected a puck in the right-wing circle just as a four-on-four sequence was coming to an end. With Derrick Pouliot exiting the Wolf Pack penalty box, Beckman wired a shot that beat Dylan Garand to make it a 2-1 game.
The goal was the third shorthanded tally for the Islanders during the preseason.
The Islanders had a golden opportunity to tie the game early in the second period. Terrance and Hunter Drew were each sent off at 4:25, Drew for roughing and Terrance for cross-checking. 39 seconds into the four-on-four sequence, Trey Fix-Wolansky was whistled for hooking. The Wolf Pack killed the four-on-three, however, maintaining their lead.
10:05 into the period, Garand was lifted for Talyn Boyko, as the two split netminding duties on this night. Garand made 13 saves on 14 shots in 30:05 of action.
Hogberg made his best save late in the second period, denying Bryce McConnell-Barker in front. Gavin Hain set up McConnell-Barker at the doorstep, but Hogberg stretched out the right pad to slam the door shut and keep it a 2-1 contest.
That proved to be a key moment, as Joey Larson drew the Islanders even 7:16 into the third period, snapping home his first goal of the preseason.
With the Islanders sustaining pressure in the offensive zone, a loose puck popped into the left-wing circle for Larson. He quickly fired a shot over the right shoulder of Boyko to make it 2-2. Calle Odelius and Sean Day picked up the assists on the tally.
Chmelař played the role of hero in overtime, tapping home his second goal of the night 2:13 into the extra session. Sýkora sent a pass from the left-wing side to Chmelař, who was at the top of the crease at the back door. Chmelař tapped home the game-winning tally to give the Wolf Pack a 1-1-0-0 preseason record.
The Wolf Pack open the 2025-26 season next Saturday night, Oct. 11, when they visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m.
The Pack is back at the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena on Friday, Oct. 17, when the Penguins come to town! The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available here.
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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and play at PeoplesBank Arena. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Will Cuylle, and Matt Rempe. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, and TikTok.
HARTFORD WOLF PACK
BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS
