BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
MARLBOROUGH, MA – The Hartford Wolf Pack dropped another game to the Providence Bruins on Friday afternoon, 5-2.
Jakub Lauko, a native of the Czech Republic, scored two goals and Cameron Hughes had a goal and two assists to pace the win for the P-Bruins. Jeremy Swayman remains undefeated in goal (7-0) and made 26 saves.
The Bruins are now 7-2-1 (19 points) and a firm grasp on the Atlantic Division lead. The Wolf Pack slip to 3-5-0 (six points). They have six days off before their next game on Thursday afternoon in Bridgeport.
The Wolf Pack’s second period continues to prove to be their undoing.
The Bruins scored twice in 48 seconds to stake a 3-0 lead.
The Bruins scored on the power play as noted Wolf Pack killer, Paul Carey, was at the left-wing half-wall and sent a cross-ice pass to Cam Hughes and at the top of the right-wing circle. Hughes sent a diagonal cross-ice pass to Anton Blidh coming around the back door at the left post. Blidh redirected the pass over the outstretched left pad of goaltender Tyler Wall at 5:52. It was Blidh’s second goal.
BRUINS CONTINUE TO PUSH PLAY
Former Ranger Greg McKegg, who was sent down along with Blidh from the Boston taxi squad, was able to evade Paul Thompson’s check near the upper right-wing boards and slid the puck back to the right-handed shooting Joel Messner.
Messner put the puck up high but on the net. Karson Kuhlman redirected the puck by Wall for his third of the season at 6:40.
The Bruins nearly made it 4-0 on a cross-ice pass by Patrick Khordorenko that didn’t connect. Oscar Steen grabbed the puck and took off on a two-on-one with Joona Koppanen.
Defenseman Tarmo Ruenane stayed with Koppanenn and let Wall handle Steen, who was screeching down the left-wing. Wall got his glove on a rising wrist shot labeled for the upper left-hand corner.
The Wolf Pack did have some adequate offensive zone time, but Swayman repeatedly stymied them with solid play between the pipes.
THE THIRD PERIOD
In the third period, the Wolf Pack had some brief life before the Bruins snuffed it out.
The Wolf Pack were killing off a seven-minute power play due to struggling veteran Paul Thompson deciding to pulverize Steen. Thompson was tagged with a slashing minor, a major for fighting, and an aggressor game misconduct.
Patrick Newell took advantage of Swayman’s only significant mistake of the day. Newell backhanded a puck past Carey and to Mason Geersten. The Pack big man then sent a rocket shot to the short-side past Swayman at 2:41. It was his first goal of the season.
Forty-one seconds later, the Bruins cashed in on the extended power play as Steen spotted an open Jakub Lauko, who buried his second of the game and fourth of the season from the lower right-wing circle to restore the three-goal margin at 4-1.
Providence got another scoring chance as Tim Gettinger mishandled the puck in front of the net. Hughes corralled the puck for the Bruins and put a shot on Wall, who demonstrated excellent reaction time in making the save. On the ensuing rush back up the ice, the Pack scored.
The Wolf Pack shrank the lead to two goals again as Jonny Brodzinski was on the left-wing boards and fed Austin Ruesschhoff behind the goal line. Ruesschhoff one-touched the puck to Morgan Barron, who drilled his fifth of the season past Swayman on the short side, stick-high at 12:41. It would be as close as the Wolf Pack would get.
Cam Hughes closed out the scoring with a backhand empty-net tally. He now has ten points on the season.
FIRST PERIOD
The Wolf Pack had a slow start, not registering a shot goal for the first 9:46. The Bruins got the game’s first powerplay and made it count.
A short center ice pass from Simsbury-native Tommy Cross to Lauko sent him on his way on the left-wing. He took inside position on the Pack’s Zach Giuttari and fired a beautiful wrist shot over Wall’s glove at 12:48 for a 1-0 lead.
LINES
Brodzinski-Greco-Gettinger
Khordorenko-Barron-Newell
Thompson-Cuylle-Richards
Rueschhoff-O’Leary-Geersten
LoVerde-Reunanen
Sieloff- Raddysh
Giuttari-Taylor
Wall
Brassard
SCRATCHES
Gabriel Fontaine (upper-body injury)
Ryan Dmowski
Ty Ronning
Alex Whalen
Brandon Crawley
James Sanchez
NOTES
Four of Barron’s five goals are against the Bruins.
Rueschhoff had a game-high five shots for the Wolf Pack, and Cam Hughes had six for the Bruins.
Former Wolf Pack, Daniel Wolcott, signed a two-year, two-way contract extension with Tampa Bay and is presently in Syracuse.
Former Wolf Pack taxi squad member, Jake Elmer, played his first game of the season wearing #59 in Jacksonville on Thursday, a 1-0 shootout loss to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the former ECHL affiliate of the Wolf Pack.
Elmer went shotless in his Friday debut. He had no points, three shots, and one minor penalty the first of the game. The two teams conclude their three-game series in Greenville, SC, on Saturday night.
The Wolf Pack’s current ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, announced their home opener for the 2021-22 season would be October 22nd against the Worcester Railers coached by former Wolf Pack assistant coach David Cunniff, a full 19 months between games!
SCHNEIDER PLAYS
Former Wolf Pack defenseman Braden Schneider has played in his first regular season junior game with the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday in the hub city of Regina at the Brandt Centre,
Schneider had a strong game despite the 4-3 overtime loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors. The captain played a key role on two third-period Wheat Kings as the team rallied to even the game.
He assisted on the second goal, a power play tally. His shot went over the net, and the puck came back in front. Teammate Blake Chiasson put it in. He then scored the tying goal 2:46 later on his next shift. He collected five shots in the contest.
The tying goal wasn’t a classic shot.
“I’m not sure how it got to me, but it was in the corner, and it popped out to me on the point,” Schneider said to the Brandon Sun newspaper. “I walked the blue-line and tried getting a shot on net, and the puck found a hole.”
Teammate Ridly Greig, ex-Whaler’s son, Mark Greig, was tossed for a nasty crosscheck hit from behind on a dump in play on Brad Ginnell midway through the second period. It’s now the second year in a row he has been tossed in the opening game and will get reviewed. A suspension is likely.
OFFICIAL SCORESHEET
Hartford Wolf Pack 2 at Providence Bruins 5 – Status: Final
Friday, March 12, 2021 – New England Sports Center
Hartford 0 0 2 – 2
Providence 1 2 2 – 5
1st Period-1, Providence, Lauko 3 (Cross, Hughes), 12:49. Penalties-Asselin Pro (slashing), 10:25; Cuylle Hfd (interference), 18:29.
2nd Period-2, Providence, Blidh 2 (Hughes, Carey), 5:52 (PP). 3, Providence, Kuhlman 3 (Messner, McKegg), 6:40. Penalties-Raddysh Hfd (cross-checking), 4:31; Ahcan Pro (hooking), 7:58; Didier Pro (holding), 17:43; Thompson Hfd (cross-checking), 19:48; Asselin Pro (roughing), 19:48.
3rd Period-4, Hartford, Geertsen 1 (Newell), 2:41 (SH). 5, Providence, Lauko 4 (Steen, McKegg), 3:22 (PP). 6, Hartford, Barron 5 (Rueschhoff, Brodzinski), 12:41 (PP). 7, Providence, Hughes 4 (Didier), 19:41 (EN). Penalties-Thompson Hfd (slashing, fighting, game misconduct – aggressor), 2:04; served by Voyer Pro (bench minor – too many men), 12:14; O’Leary Hfd (high-sticking), 15:45; LoVerde Hfd (roughing), 18:59; Steen Pro (holding the stick), 18:59.
Shots on Goal-Hartford 8-14-6-28. Providence 5-9-10-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 / 4; Providence 2 / 5.
Goalies-Hartford, Wall 1-3-0 (23 shots-19 saves). Providence, Swayman 7-0-0 (28 shots-26 saves).
A-0
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Jeremy Tufts (78).
Linesmen-Dmitrii Antipin (77), Stephen Drain (2).
