BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
CROMWELL, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack got home to get a change of clothes, recuperate, and practice before heading back out on the road, leaving Tuesday afternoon for Utica for two games with the Comets and then another in Hershey to play the Bears, completing a four-game road trip.
The Wolf Pack are 7-3-0 in their last ten games while the Wolf Pack’s overall record has been great 23-9-2-5 (53 points). They are in first place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of Hershey.
In a stunning turnaround from last season, at home, the Wolf Pack are 16-1-0-2. On the road, it’s been spotty. They’re currently under .500 at 7-8-2-3. Head coach Kris Knoblauch would like to see that change.
“We’ve been Jekyll and Hyde on this. We’re a different team at home than on the road. We need to bring our home game to the road and play better, simple as that.”
Last Saturday’s 3-0 loss in Wilkes Barre/Scranton to the Penguins came after a superb effort in a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Checkers. It was the polar opposite performance and Knoblauch did not mince words about it.
“We didn’t play well enough. We were awful as a whole. We lacked quality scoring chances. Credit to them (the Penguins). They didn’t give up a whole lot of chances or space. We just didn’t fight hard enough to make chances.”
Defenseman Mason Geersten admitted the Penguins were tough to play against.
“We could have done better, but it was our first time playing them this year. They were very difficult to play against. We’re gonna have to do a better job this weekend getting on top of things early. We’ve got to bring our swagger with us on the road.”
Goalie Tom McCollum, who wore #33 in his Wolf Pack debut, was not the problem.
“I was very pleased with his play. He played very well, kept us close. We just didn’t generate enough offense to support him or have the defensive support at times. I really liked how he handled the puck for us. Clearly, he handles it differently from Igor (Shesterkin), but he did a very good job in the game.”
The team travel bus saw another new face – Libor Hajak.
As expected the past two weeks, the Rangers assigned him to the Wolf Pack as part of a conditioning assignment.
“Libor is going to be playing a lot. He’s gonna play 20-25 minutes a game and he’s gonna be paired up with (Joey) Keane as one of our combinations. (Mason) Geersten (Keane’s season defensive partner) will be moving up to wing (fourth line),” Knoblauch said.
Hajak will wear number 25. There’s no set number of games he’ll play during his assignment. This is the first defensive corps change in about two months.
It will be Geersten’s second game at forward for the Wolf Pack. The other was in Providence.
“He played very well for us in that one game, so let’s hope we get the same play for him. It’s an adjustment,” said Knoblauch.
Geersten joins a long list of Wolf Pack defenseman who have played the swing position of Playing forward. Others include Todd Hall, Craig Weller, and Dale Purinton.
It’s a challenge he wants to take.
“I had a good game there it was a lot of fun, sure it’s very different, but whatever it takes to help the team,” remarked Geersten.
Maybe if there is a shootout he might get a chance?
“Hey, you never know what could happen,” Geersten laughing at the suggestion.
One face heading due North is defenseman Jeff Taylor. He was reassigned to Maine to get some playing time with the Mariners. With the possibility of playing 30 games, he dressed for just eight and was a healthy scratch the other 22.
The Nieves, Lettieri, and Gettinger line is expected to contribute.
“The whole line has been solid for us and Vinni has been making some finishes. We’ve been getting good defense like winning draws and that really has helped their offense.”
Knoblauch was still mulling over who he was going to put in the net.
”It’s not my call if they asked me, ‘Do you want Igor back?’ My answer would be, ‘Yes’ like any other coach,” Knoblauch said with a laugh.
It’s likely that during the NHL All-Star break that Shesterkin will be reassigned to Hartford.
NOTES:
Gettinger didn’t practice today and will be a game-time decision with a lower-body injury.
Two former Wolf Pack players were among the NHL three stars for last week.
Defenseman Tony D’Angelo was acknowledged for his sterling five-point effort against Colorado. The other is goalie, Cam Talbot, who is now on the other side of the Battle of Alberta. he helped Calgary in a 4-3 win Saturday for the Flames vaulting them into first place.
Current Wolf Pack Phil Di Giuseppe was recalled Sunday. Pack captain, Steven Fogarty, reassigned to Hartford was scratched from last night’s 6-2 win over the Islanders.
Philippe Hudon (Choate Prep) goes from Norfolk (ECHL) to Cincinnati (ECHL).
Defenseman Jan Olenginski of Loomis Chaffe School (Windsor) commits to St. Lawrence University (ECACHL) for 2022-23.
UCONN (7-10-4 overall, 4-7-2 HEA) has a critical Hockey East meeting tomorrow in Bridgeport against the University Maine Black Bears (10-8-4 overall, 4-6-2 HEA) at 7:00 pm at the Maine Black Bears.
This UCONN’s third Hockey East game in the Park City losing to ND 6-1 back in 2015 and beating Maine 6-3 in 2017.
The two teams are tied with New Hampshire for seventh place in the conference all three have 10 points
The game will be carried on NESN Plus and the feed will be picked up by TSN in Canada.
The two schools haven’t seen each other since October of last year. The Huskies lead the series 5-2-3, but are looking to end a four-game losing streak and are winless in five straight.
The Huskies head to Boston for a date with the 12th ranked team in the nation Northeastern Saturday at Matthews Arena in another Hockey East matchup.
UCONN return next week to Bridgeport for the inaugural CT Ice tournament featuring Sacred Heart University, Yale and Quinnipiac University, the other three state Division I college hockey programs.
