BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack
Hartford, CT, February 27, 2019 – The Hartford Wolf Pack took a 1-0 lead into the third period against the Hershey Bears Wednesday night at the XL Center, but the Bears broke through with four goals in the final 7:05 of the third for a 4-1 win.
Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said of the game, “I liked 53 minutes of it. I thought we did a good job generating shots to the net, getting net-front, and were able to score a power-play goal.
“We took two back-to-back penalties in the third period with a 1-0 lead. We were able to kill off the first one, but the second one, the puck was in the back of the net, and then from there, the next shift over the boards, they had momentum and were able to gain a 2-1 lead.”
A power-play goal by Hartford’s Gabriel Fontaine midway through the second period was the only scoring until the Bears stunned the Wolf Pack with two goals in 24 seconds, starting at 12:55 of the third.
That was when Riley Barber scored the first of his two goals, with the Bears on a power play courtesy of a hooking penalty against Hartford’s Shawn St. Amant. Nathan Walker passed the puck from the left side to Barber driving the net, and he knocked it past Wolf Pack goaltender Brandon Halverson (20 saves).
Then, at 13:19, Jonas Siegenthaler scored what would turn out to be the winning goal, on a shot from the left point. Beck Malenstyn worked the puck out of the corner to Siegenthaler, and his long snapshot went through a screen and inside the goal post on Halverson’s glove side.
The Bears increased their lead to 3-1 with 2:01 left, on Barber’s second of the game and 26th of the season. Halverson moved out of the net, and below the goal line to his left, to play the puck, and tried to pass it up the middle. Barber knocked the feed down and was able to bat it into the net for an unassisted goal.
Walker then added an empty-net tally at 18:41, on a shot from just outside the Wolf Pack blue line, to create the final margin.
The two teams failed to produce a goal through the first half of regulation time, despite the Wolf Pack outshooting the visitors 12-4 in the first period.
The Wolf Pack finally opened the scoring at 10:08 of the second frame, on their second man-advantage of the game. With Mike Sgarbossa in the box for slashing, a John Gilmour feed sent Vinni Lettieri into the Hershey end, and he handed ahead to Fontaine on the left side. He got around a Bear defender, cut in front and put a backhand shot through the legs of Hershey goaltender Ilya Samsonov (28 saves).
The Wolf Pack’s next action is this Friday night, March 1, when they visit the Springfield Thunderbirds for a 7:05 PM game. All of the action of that battle can be heard live on News Radio 1410 AM, and 100.9 FM, WPOP, and online at newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at theahl.com/AHLTV.
The next home game for the Wolf Pack is this Saturday night, March 2, a 7:30 PM contest vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. That is “Military Appreciation Night”, presented by the U.S. Army, with all fans who show military ID at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center receiving a $5 discount on their game ticket. Also, the first 2,000 fans will receive free Wolf Pack socks, courtesy of NBC Connecticut.
Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, online at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.
Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found online at hartfordwolfpack.com. To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.
Hershey Bears 4 at Hartford Wolf Pack 1
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 – XL Center
Hershey 0 0 4 – 4
Hartford 0 1 0 – 1
1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Barber Her (tripping), 11:09; Beleskey Hfd (slashing), 16:07.
2nd Period-1, Hartford, Fontaine 7 (Lettieri, Gilmour), 10:08 (PP). Penalties-Sgarbossa Her (slashing), 9:19; Lewington Her (fighting), 13:40; Beleskey Hfd (fighting), 13:40; Raddysh Hfd (hooking), 14:56.
3rd Period-2, Hershey, Barber 25 (Walker, Sgarbossa), 12:55 (PP). 3, Hershey, Siegenthaler 2 (Malenstyn, Lewington), 13:19. 4, Hershey, Barber 26 17:59. 5, Hershey, Walker 13 (Lewington), 18:41 (EN). Penalties-St. Amant Hfd (interference), 10:00; St. Amant Hfd (hooking), 12:31; Hobbs Her (fighting), 19:11; O’Donnell Hfd (fighting), 19:11.
Shots on Goal-Hershey 4-10-10-24. Hartford 12-7-10-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Hershey 1 / 4; Hartford 1 / 2.
Goalies-Hershey, Samsonov 15-11-1 (29 shots-28 saves). Hartford, Halverson 3-3-3 (23 shots-20 saves).
A-1,563
Referees-Brandon Schrader (46), Troy Paterson (29).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Nick Briganti (58).
