BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack finished off a three-in-three weekend with their most prolific offensive outing of the season scoring five times at the Webster Bank Arena over the Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday afternoon, as they dispatched their in-state and division rival, 5-1 before an announced crowd of 1,680.
His team’s performance left head coach Kris Knoblauch happy to have registered points, after playing a solid orderly hockey game. The team exorcised their first period demons that have thus far haunted them in the early going of this season.
“I was really pleased with our effort. It’s never good to play three-in-three, but we did well. It’s good to get those (threes-in-threes) out of the way early,” remarked Knoblauch.
The Wolf Pack scored twice in the third to secure the win.
FRITZ
Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Tanner Fritz, was on a two-on-one rush with Cristiano DiGiacinto. PC Labrie was used as a decoy as Fritz snapped a shot to the right, glove-high on Cory Schneider for his first Wolf Pack goal in Bridgeport, where he has spent his first six years as a pro.
The win snapped the three-game winning streak of Bridgeport.
Bridgeport’s lack of effort left their highly competitive head coach, Brent Thompson, an ex-Wolf Pack neither happy nor enthused.
“We didn’t give him any kind of support whatsoever. It was very disappointing. We lost several guys several times in our own zone.”
The team plays another three-in-three next week starting next Friday starting at home against the very same Bridgeport Islanders. It will be their third three-in-three in the first five weeks of the season.
MORE SCORING
On the Wolf Pack’s only power play of the game, Tim Gettinger was in front of the net and converted Anthony Greco’s shot from the right point off a rebound with a backhanded sweep to the short side on the open left side of Cory Schneider.
In the second period, DiGiacinto made it a 3-0 Pack lead. DiGiacinto made the Pack from Canadian college hockey in the Maritimes. He was the game’s 13th forward and quickly converted after Zach Giuttari’s shot that rang off the inside of the left post. DiGiacinto easily deposited his first professional goal at 11:33.
“It was good to see him get rewarded for all his hard work. His whole line played very well all night,” Knoblauch said.
The Islanders made their way onto the scoreboard. Austin Czarnik’s effort to keep the puck in the zone, then came screaming down “Broadway,” he was able to take a pass from behind the net by Arnaud Duranleau and beat Keith Kinkaid for their only goal low to the glove side at 18:28.
ISLANDERS SCORE
At 12:38, the Islanders’ Michael Del Colle seemed to shrink the lead down to two goals and got the Islanders back in the game with a backhand from Chris Terry.
The down low, short pass led to a shot that seemed to hit off the back bar inside the net, but was waived off by the refs. Upon review, it appeared to be a good goal.
“They said it didn’t go in. They were behind the net and had the best view of it,” remarked Thompson.
Both goalies did well making solid saves. Kinkaid (40 saves) made several big stops.
“Kinkaid was pretty solid all game for us and he got help from the backline and forwards all night.”
The loss of Anthony Bitetto, who will be ready by the start of next weekend, forced Knoblauch to continue the changes of the Matt Robertson-Braden Schneider combo.
REACTION
“The defense is no different than the forwards. There will be times we have to switch up when you have injuries or poor play. We’re pretty sure Anthony (Bitetto) will be ready by Friday,” commented Knoblauch.
The Wolf Pack achieved a rare first period lead, and actually scored twice in the first period against Bridgeport.
Just after being stopped by Schneider from behind the Islanders’ net, Gettinger’s pass got past several players and found Greco who tallied for his third of the season. Greco gets back on the scoresheet after his four points streak last night was ended last night.
Tarmo Reunanen continued his strong offensive play with a quick cross ice pass his partner, Hunter Skinner at the left point. Skinner, a rookie rearguard, fired a 55-foot one timer for his first pro goal. The tally comes just 1:43 after for the 2-0 lead.
Kinkaid faced and stopped eleven shots in the first period keeping the Islanders off the board as the team defense did a fine road job keeping the shooting lanes clear.
LINES
Gettinger-Brodzinski-Greco
Barron-Ronning- Pajuniemi
Khodorenko-Fritz-Richards
Labrie-O’Leary-Whalen
DiGiacinto
Giuttari-Robertson
Jones-Schneider
Reunanen-Skinner
SCRATCHES
Rueschoff
Taylor
Bitetto (upper body)
Wall
NOTES
Both goalies were teammates for six years in the New Jersey. Ken Appleby being on the Bridgeport roster was brief. He was loaned to their Double AA affiliate, the Worcester Railers (ECHL).
Two ex-Sound Tigers are also headed there. Ryan MacKinnon heads to the Reading Royals from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Nic Pierog (Canterbury Prep) heads to Worcester from the Springfield Thunderbirds.
After not playing or coaching for five years, ex-Sound Tiger Jean-François David (Trashers) signs a deal with the expansion Trois-Rivieres Lions (ECHL). They are short on players and are playing some home games in the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, after opening at the brand new Videotron Centre in Trois-Rivieres that hopes for an NHL team back in Quebec City team someday.
One of the assistant captains is ex-Sound Tiger, Mathieu Gagnon.
AHL recalls see ex-Pack Vinni Lettieri, continue his California highway jaunts from San Diego to Anaheim. Chase Priskie (QU) is returned by Florida to Charlotte and ex-Ranger Frederik Claesson heads from Syracuse and heads back to the NHL in Tampa Bay.
The game was a tame late afternoon affair except for the last 15 seconds as Seth Helgeson, the veteran captain of the Islanders went after rookie DiGiacinto and Patrick Khodorenko fought behind the play in the Bridgeport end of the ice with rookie Reece Newkirk, who had a game long occupation with PC Labrie, setting up possible early batch of fireworks Friday night in Hartford when the two teams meet again.
Could be a Richard Scott-Eric Godard like bout early like the old days.
This was the second of 10 meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Islanders. Its the first of five meetings between the teams in Bridgeport this season.
The first of three meetings over the course of a seven-day span. The two sides will meet again Friday night in Hartford on Friday and again next Sunday in Bridgeport 3:00 pm.
Those two games come as part of Hartford’s has yet another dreaded three-in-three weekend of the season.
The Pack are coming off a tough 3-2 regulation loss at the hands of the Charlotte.
The Wolf Pack have been tied after two periods of play in five of their first seven games were erased in today’s meeting. All five games have had been the same identical 1-1 scores.
Forwards Jonny Brodzinski and ex-Sound Tiger Anthony Greco were tied for the team lead with six points (four goals, two assists). Greco with his two-point effort inched ahead by two. Morgan Barron leads the club with three goals.
The Islanders are now at the .500 plateau with a 3-3-0-2 record following the game had a win 6-4 against the Providence Bruins on Saturday.
Saturday night’s win, the Islanders won their home opener 4-3 in overtime against the Springfield Thunderbirds, then blanked the Laval Rocket 4-0 last Sunday. Defenseman Robin Salo scored the overtime winner 4:10 into the extra frame last Saturday night to knock off the Thunderbirds.
Otto Koivula leads the club with six points (one goal and five assists), while five players are tied for second with five points each.
