WOLF PACK BACK TO WINNING WAYS OVER TBIRDS
WOLF PACK BACK ON WINNING WAYS WITH 3-2 OT VICTORY
By: Jason Alwang, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT: The Hartford Wolf Pack snapped a seven-game losing streak (0-3-4-0), rallying from 2-0 down to defeat the Springfield Thunderbirds 3-2 in overtime in the annual school day game at PeoplesBank Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
“There was so much adversity to overcome today that to finish it off with a win is kind of how it’s probably supposed to go.” Wolf Pack Head Coach Grant Potulny said in his post-game comments.
Casey Fitzgerald tallied the overtime winner after Justin Dowling planted the puck on his stick in the slot. Fitzgerald buried it past TBirds netminder, Vadim Zherenko (28 saves). The goal was his first of the season. The Pack Captain’s goal couldn’t have come at a better time for the Wolf Pack, who snapped a seven-game losing streak with the win.
“It was great that (Dowling) had the vision, and he could find me (at the slot),” Fitzgerald said. “Proud of the team and the way they fought back and kept that belief throughout the whole game.”
Nikita Alexandrov got the scoring started at 13:08 for the TBirds when he buried a slapper off a clean faceoff win past Callum Tung (21 saves). Chris Wagner set him up to give Springfield on the board, 1-0.
Logan Mailloux capitalized on Springfield’s first power play of the game, doubling their lead to 2-0 when his one-timer that rang off the post and in past Tung at 16:16 in the first period. Marc-Andre Gaudet and Alexandrov recorded the assists on Mailloux’s second of the season.
The Wolf Pack were only able to tack on three shots on Zherenko in the first period, and 12 through the first two periods. Meanwhile, Tung had to make 19 through the first two.
“(Tung) kept us in it the whole game.” Brett Berard on his netminder.
Dowling buried a shot off the feed from Fitzgerald past Zherenko while teams were skating four aside after a couple of penalties. The marker came at 3:11 of the third period for Dowling’s fourth of the season after Fitzgerald fed him the puck at the slot.
Brett Berard, a couple of minutes later, came up the ice from his own zone as a penalty expired and carried it in with a laser wrister from the circle to tie the game up at two a side, good for his first of the season at 6:59 of the third period. Brennan Othmann and Derrick Pouliot scored the assists on the goal.
“I want to try to provide for the team, and going through the skid, you put a lot of pressure on yourself to score,” Berard said. “For me, it’s just generating the chances their going to go in.”
With a little over a minute to go in regulation, Dowling had a chance to ice the game with a lot of net but just missed it on a bouncing puck, keeping the score tied at 2.
The Wolf Pack are now 4-7-4-0 on the season and return for back-to-back games at PeoplesBank Arena on Friday and Saturday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
