WOLF PACK – THE HART BEAT – VOL 1, ISSUE 17
THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 1, ISSUE 17
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack will play its second three-in-three set of the season this weekend.
The club welcomes a pair of North Division opponents to PeoplesBank Arena on Friday and Saturday, then concludes the weekend with a trip to Rhode Island on Sunday.
The Week That Was:
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 – at Charlotte Checkers (3-2 W): The Wolf Pack snapped their six-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the Checkers in the ‘Queen City’ on Saturday afternoon.
Jack Studnicka opened the scoring 4:40 into the game, tipping home a shot from Mike Benning from the left-wing point.
Less than five minutes later, at 9:01, Justin Dowling evened the score with his ninth goal of the campaign. Dowling fired a low shot from the right-wing circle that got by Cooper Black, kicking off a stretch of three goals in 6:27.
Brendan Brisson gave the Wolf Pack the lead for good at 13:42, snapping a shot from the slot for his 13th goal of the season.
Jaroslav Chmelař then tipped home a Derrick Pouliot shot at 15:28, making it 3-1. That goal would stand as the game-winning tally.
Noah Gregor batted home a power play goal 4:09 into the second period, but Dylan Garand slammed the door shut from there to give the Wolf Pack two points.
Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 – at Charlotte Checkers (0-9 L): The Wolf Pack surrendered a season-high nine goals on Monday afternoon, failing to complete the sweep of the Checkers.
Marek Alscher opened the scoring at 15:04, kicking off a stretch of three goals in 2:32. Brian Pinho made it 2-0 at 16:07, then Gregor potted his second goal of the weekend at 17:36.
Three more goals in the second period had the Checkers up 6-0 through 40 minutes, then a trio of power play goals in the final frame ballooned the lead to 9-0.
This marked the fourth time this season that the Wolf Pack were shut out. The loss was the club’s seventh in their last eight games (1-7-0-0).
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 – Vs. Utica Comets (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Comets conclude their two-game season series on Friday night.
The Wolf Pack claimed a 2-1 victory in Utica in the first meeting on Dec. 12. The Pack scored two shorthanded goals in the victory, with Brennan Othmann and Adam Sýkora doing the honors.
Dylan Garand made 26 saves in the victory, earning third star honors.
The Comets won the lone meeting in Hartford a season ago, 3-2 in the shootout.
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 – Vs. Belleville Senators (7:30 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Senators will meet for the second and final time this season on Saturday night.
The Senators claimed a dramatic 2-1 victory in the first meeting on Nov. 8. Dylan Roobroeck put the Wolf Pack ahead 1-0 14:05 into the game, but an Arthur Kaliyev power play strike at 8:16 of the second period would even the affair.
Late in the game, Stephen Halliday took a tripping penalty, giving the Wolf Pack a power play to try and claim two points. A turnover in the final seconds led to a shorthanded goal for Philippe Daoust, however. The goal, scored at 19:55, would give the Sens the win.
The Wolf Pack scored a 4-1 victory over the Senators in Belleville’s lone visit to the Connecticut capital last season on Mar. 9, 2025.
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 – at Providence Bruins (3:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bruins will meet for the seventh of ten times this season on Sunday afternoon.
The Bruins have claimed five of the first six meetings, posting a 5-1-0-0 record. The Wolf Pack are 1-3-1-1 during that span.
The Bruins swept a home-and-home set last weekend from the Wolf Pack. They claimed a 3-1 victory in Rhode Island on Feb. 6, then took a 2-1 shootout decision in Hartford on Feb. 7.
Georgii Merkulov scored the shootout winner on the 7th.
The Wolf Pack are 0-2-1-0 at Providence this season.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch all three Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of the action on all three days. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop each day.
All three games can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- On Tuesday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) recalled forwards Brett Berard and Brendan Brisson from the Wolf Pack.
- Later on Tuesday, the Wolf Pack recalled forwards Sullivan Mack and Zakary Karpa from loan to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison.
- This weekend marks the second three-in-three of the season for the Wolf Pack. The club went 1-2-0-0 in a three-in-three set in January against the Springfield Thunderbirds, Bruins, and Bridgeport Islanders.
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 is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays 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.
