BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
CROMWELL, CT – It was a very silent Hartford Wolf Pack practice at Champions Skating Center on Wednesday.
Fresh off a disheartening 4-1 loss to the Hershey Bears, who scored all four of their goals in the last seven minutes of the game, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliates did their drills and skating, but the usual chatter was missing.
“We liked our first 53 minutes held them, to 21 shots to 11 shots against those back to back penalties, one of which they scored on. We had some missed D zone coverage, then a blocked shot, bounces up in front of the net and then a turnover by our goalie and an empty net goal, it‘s over. That’s not the recipe for closing out games especially a team like Hershey that’s won now how many games in a row? (Nine and 17-1-0-1 in their last 19),” Wolf Pack head coach, Keith McCambridge, said.
The mental part of the game is still is not up to par in critical situations.
“Your up 1-0, have control and taking penalties. You get away killing one, but then you come right back with another it’s just not about managing the puck it’s managing the game,” remarked McCambridge through a hoarse voice.
When your goalie commits a turnover that led directly to the third Hershey goal as Brendan Halverson’s pass up the middle was intercepted by the last guy you wanted to have it, the Bears leading scorer Riley Barber who put in his second of the game and 26th of the season.
“There’s a fine line in how he plays the puck. He had several nice plays on the penalty kill. He took control sent it all the way down (the ice). .There is that fine line when you play it too much,” said McCambridge of Halverson who will start tonight in Springfield.
The team offense has been done by a small cache of players led by Vinni Lettieri, on a six-game point streak, Steven Fogarty 12 points in his last seven games and Ryan Gropp who has five points in seven games.
“Vinni’s been dangerous all year here. That line has been very productive for us, very strong in the offensive zone, but their defensive zone coverage has been as equally strong between the three of them they will generate offense. By far our most dangerous offensive line,” remarked McCambridge.
Conversely, the secondary scoring has been a trickle as of late.
“It’s the secondary scoring that we need and it drops off from that line. You hope during the season when these players are having dry spells will pick it up. Lately, we have had players who hit some real dry spells been a while since they had points or goals. It was nice to see Fontaine last night score a goal, gain some traction, but I do like how hard we’re working, but we have been missing some players (to injuries, trades).
We have points in the last six games then last night we let one slip away from us with Hershey, where we should have had them in seven.”
With 18 games remaining there is simply no margin for error and likely no margin left.
“It’s very disappointing because we have played well of late,“ Assistant captain Steven Fogarty said while wearing one of the team hoodies. “We got points and to play so well for most of the game and collapse…in a matter of two shifts… it’s tough. It’s unacceptable, it’s why we are, where we’re at (in the standings). We’re running out of time here.”
The team also had another day of changes as the newly minted assistant captain, Ryan Lindgren, was in a left boot cast after taking a shot off his foot. He is likely out for this weekend’s games against Springfield and Wilkes Barre/Scranton breaking up their top defensive duo of Lindgren and John Gilmour. The Rangers also recalled rookie rearguard, Libor Hajak, Wednesday morning.
With Lindgren out, the fans will likely see former QU Bobcat, Zach Tolkinen, back in the lineup taking his place.
The Rangers did what was expected as they reassigned goalie Dustin Tokarski, too, of all places, Charlotte the top team in the Atlantic Division. With that, the AHL ending the veteran goalie experiment that didn’t produce the results the Rangers/Wolf Pack had hoped for this season (more info below).
The most frustrating thing about last night’s loss, is it stalled momentum that the Wolf Pack have been building. Recently, they have been in this position clawing from the bottom trying to make the playoffs.
Why this has become a yearly routine occurrence with a mostly new team?
“We’ve been asking that question for three years. There obviously is a mental aspect to it. You’re going to get scored on, but you can’t cheat when you get scored on. Obviously, It’s going to be March tomorrow and we haven’t learned that yet. We’re still in the hunt, but it’s a desperate time. There are only so games left.”
Will the clock strike midnight on their season this weekend? The Wolf Pack fate is in their skates and sticks.
NOTES:
On the injury front, Lindgren is listed as day-to-day pending a medical evaluation. After he got some x-rays done, Rob’Gara (lower-body) skated in a red non-contact jersey. He’s week-to-week. Ville Meskanen (upper body) was skating in a red non-contact jersey. He’s day-to-day while Chris Bigras was with cast and crutches and is listed week-to-week.
So far the Hartford Wolf Pack have remained mostly intact from Monday’s NHL Trade Deadline Day with some minor deals, but might be different after Monday’s AHL Trade Deadline.
Tokarski’s reassignment/trade comes as no surprise, but to be sent to Charlotte, the top team in the AHL and, of course, the Atlantic Division, was quite shocking. Tokarski’s last Wolf Pack game was a porous effort against Bridgeport February 17th in a 5-4 OT loss to the Sound Tigers.
He played in 21 games, just one more than his other veteran battery mate, Marek Mazanec, who was shipped off to Vancouver two weeks ago. Tokarski’s record was 10-6-2 with a 3.01 GAA and a .901 save percentage and one shutout. He, like Mazanec, was inconsistent. While he did have a 9-1-1 stretch, that was the extent of his best playing period. He was pulled three times this season, twice in his ten playing days.
One NHL scout described Tokarski as, “either really good or really (crappy). There is no in between.”
In return, the Wolf Pack will receive Hartford-born, Josh Wesley, and will add another defenseman who has shuttled most of his pro career in the Carolina organization between Charlotte and Florida (ECHL). Wesley is the son of former Whaler, Glen Wesley (1994-1997), who played ten years in Carolina with the exception of seven games with Toronto when he was a deadline trade in 2003. Currently, he is the defensive skills development coach for St. Louis after spending ten years in the same position in the same capacity with Carolina.
A few former players have been moved to new addresses. Ex-CT Whale, Michael Del Zotto, lands on his third team this year. He leaves the Anaheim Ducks to head to the St. Louis Blues. Then ex-Pack forward Oscar Lindberg was involved in the Ryan Stone deal and heads to the Canadian capital city to play for the Senators from Las Vegas. Jonathan Dalen, son of former New Haven Nighthawk and Ranger, Ulf Dahlen goes from Vancouver to San Jose. Ex-Pack Brian Gibbons (Salisbury Prep) is moved from Anaheim to Ottawa for Patrick Sieloff.
In non-trade news, recently ex-Pack goalie, Marek Mazanec, was assigned to Utica by Vancouver. Ex-Wolf Pack, Dale Weise, has been recalled from Laval by Montreal. Weise had two goals in three games with the Rocket. Ex-Sound Tiger defenseman Matt Donovan was recalled by Nashville from Milwaukee.
Rangers announced Monday that they have signed two of their potential Group 6 free agents centers, Boo Nieves and Steven Fogarty, to one-year contracts. Nieves’ deal was for one-year. It’s a one-way NHL deal paying $700K. Fogarty’s deal was a one-year two-way deal paying $700K in the NHL and $150K at the AHL.
Fogarty celebrated with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over the Providence Bruins on Sunday. Two of the goals were shorthanded. That gives Hartford three in a two-game span and Fogarty was involved in all of them.
It was the first Wolf Pack hat trick in a little over two years. The last came from Adam Tambellini against Springfield on February 10, 2017, at the Mass Mutual Center. It’s also just the fifth Wolf Pack hat trick in the last seven years.
“I wasn’t sure how this was going to work. This is my first. I was going to be a free agent,“ Fogarty remarked. “It’s obvious. It’s exciting. When I got the call and the process started. They called a few weeks ago and things just progressed pretty nicely.”
Did you want to test free agency?
“To be honest, I was not sure how that process works out. I think I have a good year personally, made strides in my game and my goal is to get to the NHL. I really do like this organization who drafted me. I like coaches and the staff, so my heart has always been here,” said the Edina, MN native born in Chambersburg, PA.
The Wolf Pack are still in the playoff hunt with a very steep hill to get there. They are nine points behind Providence and saw some personnel shift in the Atlantic Division.
Springfield got Jean-Sebastien Dea, a frequent Pack killer, from the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins and right-handed defenseman Chris Wideman heading to PA.
Charlotte, already an exceptionally strong offensive team, added Tomas Jurco from Springfield. They are an early Calder Cup Final favorite.
Matt Finn, just released by the Wolf Pack and sent back to Florida (ECHL), has signed another PTO with Ontario (AHL) and Alex Krushelnyski is traded from Lehigh Valley to Binghamton for his second AHL tour in southwestern New York state. He started the season with Reading (ECHL).
Philippe Hudon, a Hudson, Quebec native who played three years at Choate Prep of Wallingford, then three years of Canadian major junior with the Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) and then five years of Canadian college hockey at Concordia University (OUAA) in Montreal signed an ECHL tryout deal with the Florida Everblades (ECHL).
Nick Dilsi, a former Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, goes from IFK Stromsund (Sweden Division-2) to HC Tabor (Czech Republic-Division-2).
William Rinaldi (Kent Prep) is playing with Wellington (OJHL) commits to R.I.T. (AHA) for next year.
The first of the European and Asian hockey titles have been decided.
The Scottish National title was won by the Murrayfield Racers, the Italian title was won by SV Ritten/Renon their fourth straight title and fifth in six years.
Then in India, the Indo-Tibet Border Police team won their third straight title over the Ladakh Scouts 6-5.
The Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia begins on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with seven teams competing. The countries involved are defending champion and host Malaysia, Indonesia, Macau, Mongolia, Oman Philippines, and Singapore.
In the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Times reports a deal has been struck to open the first ice rink converting an old building owned by the Institute of Technology in Dundalk. The city is located along the eastern coast near the Irish Sea just south of the Northern Ireland border.
The rink would be the first and is expected to open in September. In Northern Ireland, they have the only rink, the SSE Arena that is run by AEG and houses the Belfast Giants (EIHL) and has hosted the Friendship Four college tournament the past five years. Read about it HERE.
