BY: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack struck just 96 seconds into the contest on Saturday night, gaining a lead they would not lose in a 4-0 victory over the visiting Laval Rocket. The win gives Hartford points in three of their last four games.
Austin Rueschhoff scored his third goal in as many games just 1:36 into the contest, banging a puck by Rocket starter Kevin Poulin. The goal, which was Rueschhoff’s third straight tally for the Wolf Pack, stood up as the night’s game-winner.
Lauri Pajuniemi tacked on the insurance marker 10:56 into the second period. In his second game back from the Rangers’ taxi squad, the rookie forward ran out of room as he tried to tuck a backhand shot by Poulin. Pajuniemi maintained possession behind the net, electing to shoot it off the veteran goaltender’s leg. The puck bounced off Poulin’s pads and found its way into the net to make it a 2-0 game.
Hartford found itself in some penalty trouble in the final 30 minutes of the affair. The Wolf Pack were shorthanded four times in the final 32:10 of the hockey game but killed off all the infractions. The Pack killed off eleven of twelve penalties taken throughout two games on the weekend.
In the third period, the Rocket pushed hard. They fired 15 shots on Kinkaid, but the veteran goaltender denied all their bids to cement his eleventh victory of the campaign and the club’s first shutout of the season.
Patrick Khodorenko and Rueschhoff hit the empty net to punctuate the scoring, with their goals at 16:27 and 19:47, respectively. In addition to Rueschhoff’s two goals, Justin Richards and Anthony Bitetto finished the night with two assists.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Wednesday night when the Toronto Marlies come to town. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and tickets are still available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
