THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack will head on the road this weekend to Charlotte, NC, with a 3-3-0-0 record. The club is 3-0-0-0 on the road this season and will look to snap its first losing streak of the campaign.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Providence Bruins (2-0 W): Callum Tung was perfect, making 28 saves to record his first AHL shutout on Friday night in Rhode Island.
Glenn Gawdin’s first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack came at 10:01, giving the club a lead they never lost. Justin Dowling then hit the empty net at 19:49 of the third period, cementing two key points for Hartford.
The Wolf Pack’s penalty kill was a perfect seven-for-seven.
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, Vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (1-7 L): Liam Greentree opened the scoring at 11:35, blasting home his first career goal on the power play from the right-wing circle.
The Penguins took over from there, however, scoring five times in the second period to go ahead 5-1. Two more goals early in the third period ended any comeback hopes for the Pack in the home opener.
The Wolf Pack surrendered a season-high 19 shots and five goals in the second period. Bill Zonnon led the way for the Penguins, scoring two goals in the win. He (2 g, 1 a) and Avery Hayes (1 g, 2 a) both recorded three points in the win.
The Wolf Pack also surrendered their first shorthanded goal of the season, a strike from Hayes 9:15 into the middle stanza.
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, Vs. Laval Rocket (2-5 L): Anton Blidh drew first blood at 4:20 of the first period, jamming home his first goal of the season on the power play. However, four straight Rocket goals would let the visitors take a lead they never lost.
Greentree’s second goal in as many games came 11:00 into the third period to make it 4-2, but 2:27 later Xavier Simoneau pounced on a rebound to restore the visitors’ three-goal lead.
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, Vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1-4 L): The Wolf Pack dropped their third straight game Wednesday night, surrendering three third-period goals to the visiting Phantoms.
Taylor Raddysh’s third goal of the season, 17:26 into the second period, tied the game after Carl Grundström opened the scoring 1:05 earlier. That was the only puck to beat Carson Bjarnason, though.
After two tied, Noah Powell’s first goal of the season at 7:14 into the third period put the Phantoms ahead for good. Alex Bump and Cam Dineen added empty-net tallies at 18:26 and 19:16, respectively, as the visitors pulled away.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, at Charlotte Checkers (7:00 pm)
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at Charlotte Checkers (6:00 pm) – The Wolf Pack and Checkers open their eight-game season series this weekend with two games at the Bojangles Coliseum.
A season ago, the sides split eight meetings. The Wolf Pack gained points in six of those eight games, going 4-2-1-1. The club was 3-1-0-0 in Charlotte.
The Checkers are 2-2-0-0 this season, having played all four games on the road so far. The Wolf Pack enter this weekend perfect on the road, going 3-0-0-0 with victories over the Phantoms, Penguins, and Bruins.
Where to Watch and Listen:
Both Wolf Pack games will be available on AHLTV on FloHockey this weekend.
Cristiano Simonetta of the Checkers will call both nights on AHLTV on FloHockey.
Quick Hits:
- Entering this weekend, Cole Beaudoin is the second-scoring rookie in the AHL with six points (1 g, 5 a). He trails only Jesse Kiiskinen of the Grand Rapids Griffins, who has seven points (5 g, 2 a).
- Beaudoin’s five assists are good for the AHL rookie lead in that category.
- On Wednesday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) recalled forward Justin Dowling from Hartford. Dowling skated in two games with the Rangers a season ago.
- Entering action this weekend, the Wolf Pack are one of just two teams with three road victories in the AHL. The Ontario Reign join them, also 3-0-0-0 on the road this season.
- Former Wolf Pack goaltender Dylan Garand made 25 saves on 26 shots to help the Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Garand is now 3-1-0 through four appearances this season.
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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 developed numerous current New York Rangers, including Igor Shesterkin, Will Cuylle, and Gabe Perreault. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
