TREY FIX-WOLANSKY STRIKES TWICE AS PACK DOWN BRUINS 5-2
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack used a three-goal first period to gain a lead they never lost on Sunday afternoon. The final result was a 5-2 victory over the Providence Bruins at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, the club’s second in a row.
For the second straight game, the Wolf Pack broke the ice.
Dylan Garand flung a puck to the blue line that snuck by a defenseman and was collected by Trey Fix-Wolansky. Fix-Wolansky rushed in on the left-wing side and snapped a shot that Michael DiPietro denied. Fix-Wolansky corralled the rebound and stuffed it by DiPietro at 4:03 to make it 1-0.
Garand’s assist was his third of the season, while Fix-Wolansky’s goal was his team-leading 17th.
Case McCarthy helped extend the lead to 2-0 at 11:35 when he fired a shot into traffic. The shot created chaos in front that ended when Dylan Roobroeck batted a rebound from mid-air into the net. The goal was Roobroeck’s ninth of the season, while McCarthy’s secondary assist was his first point in the AHL this season.
2:01 later, a Brandon Scanlin shot from the point snuck through traffic and beat DiPietro to make it 3-0. Scanlin’s goal, scored at 13:36, was his third of the season and his second in as many nights.
Fix-Wolansky and Roobroeck both collected assists on the goal, completing a two-point period for both.
The Wolf Pack extended their lead to 4-0 just 97 seconds into the middle stanza. After a turnover by the Bruins in their own zone, Roobroeck fired a shot that DiPietro denied. The rebound popped in front of the crease, where Adam Sykora was able to collect possession. Sykora quickly gathered the puck on his forehand and scored his eighth goal of the season.
The Bruins responded less than two minutes later, cutting it to 4-1. Riley Duran won a battle along the right-wing boards and sent a centering pass to Patrick Brown. Brown ripped a quick shot that beat Dylan Garand at 3:32 for his 15th goal of the season.
The Bruins cut the deficit to 4-2 at 3:58 into the third period. Victor S?derstr?m snapped a shot from the right-wing point that beat Garand for his fifth goal of the season.
Garand stood tall from there, however, keeping the Bruins off the board to help preserve two key points.
Fix-Wolansky put the game away at 15:10 on the power play. The veteran forward blasted a shot from the right-wing circle that beat DiPietro for his 18th goal of the season, making it 5-2. The goal completed a three-point (2 g, 1 a) outing for the forward.
The Wolf Pack hit the road for a back-to-back set in Allentown, PA, next weekend against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The weekend set begins on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7:05 p.m. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ is set to begin at 6:55 p.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena on Wednesday, Mar. 4, when the Bruins come to town. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to begin at 6:45 p.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr. Tickets are available here.
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WOLF PACK BLANK SENATORS 4-0
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack snapped their five-game home losing streak with a dominant 4-0 victory over the visiting Belleville Senators on Saturday night in front of over 6,100 fans at PeoplesBank Arena
For the first time in ten games, the Wolf Pack struck first.
Brandon Scanlin made a terrific defensive play just inside his own blue line and forced the puck out to the neutral zone. Scanlin then collected the puck and entered the offensive zone with numbers on the right-wing side.
Scanlin elected to shoot, beating Mads Sagaard for his second goal of the season at 6:08.
Anton Blidh extended the lead to 2-0 at 13:46, knocking home his fourth goal of the season. Jaroslav Chmelař drove down the right-wing side and sent a centering pass to a streaking Blidh. Blidh corralled the pass and ripped the puck by Sagaard for the insurance tally.
Neither side lit the lamp in the middle frame. Sagaard made six saves to keep the Wolf Pack at two goals, while Spencer Martin turned aside nine shots to keep the Senators off the board.
The Wolf Pack’s penalty kill was stellar in the second period, securing two kills.
The Wolf Pack pulled away in the third period with two goals in a span of 2:15.
First, Justin Dowling walked into the slot and lasered a low wrist-shot by Sagaard at 8:20 to make it 3-0. The goal was Dowling’s tenth of the season, and his second in the last four games.
Moments later, at 10:35, Juuso Parssinen batted home his second goal in as many nights. Casey Fitzgerald stepped into a shot that Sagaard denied. The rebound went sky-high in front of the goal, where Parssinen was stationed. Parssinen batted the puck home for his third goal of the season, making it 4-0.
Martin made 20 saves, collecting his first shutout as a member of the Wolf Pack.
The Wolf Pack conclude their three-in-three weekend tomorrow when they visit the Providence Bruins at 3:05 p.m. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ is set to begin at 2:50 p.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena on Wednesday, Mar. 4, when the Bruins come to town. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to begin at 6:45 p.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 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, YouTube, Flickr, and TikTok.
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WOLF PACK LOSE 2-1 TO COMETS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack lost 2-1 to the Utica Comets in front of 7,581 fans at PeoplesBank Arena on Friday night.
The Wolf Pack came out with some early push, testing Nico Daws. The Comets’ netminder was perfect in the opening frame, however, making five saves on five shots.
Dylan Garand was equally impressive, making eleven saves to keep the game without a goal through 20 minutes.
Neither team was able to break the ice in the second period, but not for a lack of high-quality chances.
Dylan Roobroeck had the Wolf Pack’s best chance in the middle frame, but Daws made a stop on the second-year forward to keep it 0-0.
Later in the period, Garand turned in a highlight reel save. Angus Crookshank took a pass in the right-wing circle and fired a quick shot. Garand fully extended and made a glove save, robbing the veteran winger.
Ethan Edwards broke the ice for the visitors at 10:05 into the third period. On a sequence of chaos in the Wolf Pack zone, Topias Vilen sent the puck to Edwards on the right-wing side. Edwards stepped into a drive that beat a screened Garand for his ninth goal of the season.
The goal marked the tenth straight game that the Wolf Pack has allowed the first goal.
2:25 later, Marc McLaghlin extended the lead to 2-0. While the sides played four-on-four, McLaughlin led a two-on-one into the Wolf Pack zone.
From the left-wing side, McLaughlin elected to shoot the puck. His shot snuck through the blocker of Garand at 12:30 for his third goal in as many games.
Juuso Pressinen finally got the Wolf Pack on the board 17:26 into the third period. Travis Dermott fired a shot that Daws denied, but Pressinen batted home the rebound for his second goal of the season.
The goal snapped a 161:58 scoreless drought for the Wolf Pack, their longest of the season.
The Wolf Pack pushed in the final minutes with the extra attacker, but were unable to equalize as Daws slammed the door shut.
The loss marked the club’s ninth in their last ten games (1-8-0-1).
The Pack is back at the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena tomorrow night when the Belleville Senators come to town. The puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to begin at 7:15 p.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 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, YouTube, Flickr, and TikTok.
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