By: Jason Alwang, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT: The Hartford Wolf Pack blew a 2-0 lead in the third period, allowing three goals to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, losing 3-2 at the PeoplesBank Arena in front of 6,876 fans in downtown Hartford Saturday night.
Denver Barkey was the hero for the Phantoms, cashing in backdoor past Dylan Garand (24 saves) off a feed from Alex Bump at 7:04 to give the Phantoms the 3-2 lead for his seventh of the season. The Wolf Pack left Bump open to deliver the feed backdoor to Barkey, proving to be the game winner.
“They get pucks through way to easy on us.” Wolf Pack Head Coach Grant Potulny after the frustrating loss. “There’s not enough practice time for me to have all the things I want to do fit into two days.”
Brendan Brisson recorded his third goal of the season on the power play, after a couple of passes down low hit Brisson’s stick, proceeding to lift it past Carson Bjarnason (17 saves) to give the Wolf Pack the 1-0 lead. Justin Dowling and Jaroslav Chmelar recorded assists on the go-ahead marker at 10:31 of the second period.
Gabe Perreault scored his sixth of the season, taking advantage of a Lehigh giveaway, getting a hold of the puck in front of the slot, then going forehand backhand, lifting the puck past Bjarnason for his sixth goal of the season to put the Wolf Pack up 2-0 at 15:10 of the second period.
Christian Kyrou scored his third of the season on the power play, rocketing a slap shot from the point off the post and behind Garand to cut the Wolf Pack’s lead to 2-1 at 2:22 of the third period. Denver Barkey and Carl Grundstrom recorded assists on the power play marker.
“We had a chance to block a shot and we got skinny.” Potulny said.
Carl Grundstrom tied the game with his fifth of the season after a shot from Karson Dorwart near the boards created a rebound in front of Garand that Grundstrom grabbed a hold of and wristed into the net to knot the game up at 2-2 at 5:38. Dorwart and Devin Kaplan record the assists.
“It’s frustrating right now.” Wolf Pack Captain Casey Fitzgerald said postgame. “We have to figure out how to win a third period and how to close out games.”
The Wolf Pack’s blown lead is something that is starting to become a theme in some of their losses this season. They’ll look to bounce back against their cross-town rivals, the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday night in downtown Hartford. The Wolf Pack are now 5-8-4-0 on the season.
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