THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 1, ISSUE 10
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude their pre-holiday slate this weekend with a pair of games. They’ll welcome the Syracuse Crunch to town tomorrow night, then visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday.
The Pack enter the final weekend of the pre-holiday slate tied for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 – at Utica Comets (2-1 W): The Wolf Pack kicked off their two-game road trip with a victory in Utica on Friday night. The club scored their first two shorthanded goals of the season, while Dylan Garand picked up his second win in as many starts.
Brennan Othmann opened the scoring 6:22 into the game, striking shorthanded from the left-wing circle. Lenni Hämeenaho tied the game 7:10 into the second period with a four-on-three power play goal, but 51 seconds later Adam Sýkora scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway to restore the lead.
Garand made five saves in the third period to cement the victory.
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 – at Syracuse Crunch (2-7 L): The Wolf Pack gave up a season-high seven goals on Saturday night, falling 7-2 to the Crunch.
Connor Mackey opened the scoring 1:57 into the game, firing a shot from the left-wing point that snuck through Ryan Fanti. Jack Finley tied the game at 10:07, however, striking shorthanded to make it a 1-1 game.
Othmann scored for the third time in four games at 15:53, potting a cross-ice feed from Trey Fix-Wolansky. The goal was his fourth of the season. Jakob Pelletier tied the game at 17:02 on a penalty shot while shorthanded, kicking off a run of six unanswered goals for the Crunch.
Brendan Furry gave the Crunch the lead for good 2:11 into the second period, potting a rebound to make it 3-2. Ethan Gauthier made it 4-2 at 7:24, then Pelletier potted his second of the game at 9:36 on the power play.
Matteo Pietroniro and Lucas Mercuri both struck in the third period, allowing the Crunch to pull away.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 – Vs. Syracuse Crunch (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Crunch conclude their season series on Friday night at PeoplesBank Arena.
The Wolf Pack have won each of the last two meetings between the foes in Hartford. Alex Belzile scored the overtime game-winning goal on Nov. 6, 2024, as the Wolf Pack took a 2-1 decision over the Crunch. On Nov. 18, 2023, the Wolf Pack took a 5-2 decision at home.
The sides have split their season series in each of the last two seasons.
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 – at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack make their first visit of the season to Allentown, PA, on Saturday night. This is the fourth of six meetings between the foes this season.
The Phantoms hold a 3-0-0-0 edge in the series after winning all three games at PeoplesBank Arena this season.
They scored a pair of 4-3 overtime victories on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, then picked up a 3-2 victory on Nov. 22. The Wolf Pack led in the third period of all three meetings but could not push those games over the finish line.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch both Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call on Friday night when the Wolf Pack host the Crunch. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts at 6:45 p.m., with the call of the action shortly after 7:00 p.m.
Bob Rotruck will have the call of the action on Saturday night.
Friday night’s Wolf Pack game can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- On Monday, the Wolf Pack recalled F Kyle Jackson from loan to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison.
- On Wednesday, the parent New York Rangers recalled F’s Othmann and Gabe Perreault from Hartford.
- The Rangers assigned F’s Brett Berard and Jaroslav Chmelař to the Wolf Pack on Wednesday.
- F Daniel Walcott played his 500th career AHL game last Saturday night in Syracuse.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2025-26 season! Single game tickets are on sale now! To buy, click 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, and TikTok.
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