WOLF PACK FALL 5-2 TO ROCKET
WOLF PACK FALL 5-2 TO ROCKET
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack stormed back from a 2-0 deficit on Saturday night at PeoplesBank Arena, tying their tilt with the Laval Rocket 2-2. The Rocket would notch the next three goals, however, taking a 5-2 decision.
The loss was the club’s seventh in a row (0-3-4-0).
The Rocket opened the scoring with a power play strike in the final minutes of the first period. With Brett Berard in the penalty box for hooking, the Rocket worked in the offensive zone.
Owen Beck handled the puck near the bottom of the left-wing circle, then sent a cross-ice pass to Florian Xhekaj. Xhekaj, on the right-wing side, had an easy tap-in for his second goal of the season at 14:16.
Beck made it 2-0 at 18:37, potting his third goal of the season. Beck collected a pass from Filip Mešár in the right-wing circle after a period of sustained pressure for the Rocket. Beck snapped a quick shot that snuck through Garand and in.
The point was Beck’s second of the period (1 g, 1 a).
Dylan Roobroeck responded 4:41 into the second period, scoring his fifth goal of the season on the power play. Trey Fix-Wolansky took a pass from Connor Mackey in the left-wing circle, then quickly found Roobroeck just above the circle. Roobroeck snapped a shot that beat Kaapo Kähkönen over the glove.
Fix-Wolansky then tied the game 4:31 into the third period. Brennan Othmann fired a pass from the right-wing side to Fix-Wolansky, who was just inside the left-wing circle. There, the veteran forward ripped a shot on the power play to equalize the tilt.
The goal, Fix-Wolansky’s fifth of the season, was the team’s second power play strike of the night.
Just over four minutes later, however, the Rocket power play responded and gave them the lead for good. Lucas Condotta tipped a Marc Del Gaizo shot from the top of the blue paint by Garand at 8:38, making it 3-2.
Alex Belzile would also score on a power play redirection, winning the valuable ice in front of the crease and getting a piece of a Laurent Dauphin shot at 16:53. The goal was Belzile’s second in as many games against the Wolf Pack.
Late in the game, Sean Farrell was whistled for hooking. The Wolf Pack opted for a six-on-four attack, but Condotta cemented the two points with a shorthanded, empty net strike at 18:19.
The Pack is back at the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena on Tuesday morning when the Springfield Thunderbirds come to town! The puck drop is set for 11:00 a.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to begin at 10:45 a.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr. 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.
