BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Austin Rueschoff scored twice, including the game-winner, and the Hartford Wolf Pack used a three-goal third period to snap the Toronto Marlies six-game winning streak and a 5-2 win.
The Pack (17-10-3-2) heads into a critical weekend series with the Hershey Bears. The win propels the Wolf Pack into third place with a .609 winning percentage, a mere .9 percentage point behind the second-place Springfield Thunderbirds, and 11 behind Hershey.
The Pack finally has a full complement of players to work with after fielding several sub-par AHL lineups in the past month due to NHL Taxi squad call-ups in New York with the Rangers.
Toronto (17-11-1-1) remains in third place in the North Division with a .600 winning percentage, just .4 points ahead of the Laval Rocket, who were 4-3 winners at home over the Utica Comets. Peter Abbandonato scored his first of the year for Laval with under five minutes left in regulation.
Hartford’s home play has kept Hartford in contention in the topsy-turvy division of 11-4-1-1 and their first two-game winning streak since December,
In the second period, the Marlies Ryan Chyzowski tied it with his third goal of the year as Curtis Douglas, seemingly harmless clear off the glass from deep in the Toronto zone, turned into a goal. Chyzowski got to the puck first at the Wolf Pack end, negating the icing, and then he bumped off Nils Lundkvist in the process.
He went behind the Wolf Pack net came out on the right-wing side, and his wraparound chance went off the combination of Kinkaid’s left foot and goalie stick, and the puck popped up in the air and fell into the net at 3:18 for the goal that would momentarily tie the game at one.
It would take just the next shift to get back the lead.
Then 40 seconds later, after the Marlies had scored, the Wolf Pack were able to answer right back quickly via the red-hot stick of Austin Rueshcoff,
The play featured two good plays. First, Patrick Khordorenko won the one-on-one battle on Filip Král off the right-wing corner dump in by Anthony Bitetto.
Then Khordorenko took the puck from Král and then wheeled around and found the big, lanky forward Rueschoff, who was able to roof his shot over Toronto goalie Erik Kallgren; the goal was his fourth in as many games and extended his point-scoring streak as the Marlies Carl Dahlstrom had his back facing him.
“I was just trying to get it off (the shot) when you’re in so close you’re just trying to get it on net I’m just riding the wave,” remarked Rueschoff.
He impressed his coach with his play away from the puck.
“He made a heck of a playoff the wall first. To just chip it out gets it into the offensive zone scores that goal; that doesn’t happen if he doesn’t make that small play. He’s playing really well for us.” commented Knoblauch.
The Marlies would score their second tally to tie the game on a crazy bounce.
Off winning a draw at center ice, Filip Král sent the puck in along the left-wing boards saw Kinkaid went to play the puck behind the net.
The puck went off the backboards instead and into the front of the net, and Bobby McMann had an easy one to put in for his ninth at 11:27 to even the score at two.
At this juncture of the game, you can sink or swim when a play like that happens. The Pack good showed mental toughness.
“All year, we’ve been like that. Tonight we had a great shift, and they came down and scored their first goal and scores to make it 2-2. We don’t worry about things that happen in the past.
In the third, Rueschoff got the red light a second time.
This time he got the outside position on Král on the left-wing, and he made a one-handed backhand sweep put in and was the eventual game-winner to make it 3-2 at 4:56 as a rejuvenated Justin by Richards took a blind backhand dump-in attempt by Toronto’s Jack Kopacka and sent Rueschoff on his way,
“We’ve been working on it in practice. Using my frame getting to the net and getting first step on a guy,” said the second-year pro.
“He was doing such a good job protecting the puck and using his size and helping his teammates. He set high expectations for himself. He has a lot of confidence (right now),” said his head coach Kris Knoblauch.
The insurance tally brought them a two-goal lead at 10:19 as Alex Whalen (QU) was able to take advantage of Toronto’s Chad Krys (Ridgefield) neutral zone fumble. He went alone on the right wing with speed and purpose. Then, he went forehand to backhand and put it in the far side, and the feeling of closeness evaporated.
*What a move that was by hiM. He had a couple of moves in the game. It was good to see him score that one,” commented Rueschoff.
The play was made by a defensive zone draw win in the right-wing circle by Michael O’Leary and then Anthony Bitetto with a successful backhand clearing play.
Anthony Greco closed out the game with an empty netter and his 200th AHL point.
The Canadian tour for the Wolf Pack at home continued as the Toronto Marlies came in as a visitor Wednesday night.
The first period saw the Pack outshot came away with the only goal.
Mac Hollowell turnover went to Tim Gettinger, and in a mini-two-on-one, fed Jonny Brodzinsk back door just back from their taxi squad duty as Brodzinski got his first AHL goal since December 22nd.
Keith Kinkaid displayed his top form with back-to-back stops of AHL Player-of-the Week, Filip Král. He was are the left point, and the rebound that went right to Bobby McMann and his backhander was knocked aside.
LINES
Gettinger-Brodzinski-Greco
Ronning-Luchuk-Pajuniemi
Rueschoff-Khordorenko-Richards
O’Leary-Whalen-DiGiacinto
Bitetto-Skinner
Lundkvist-Jones
Guittari-Robertson
Kinkaid
Huska
SCRATCHES
Tanner Fritz (AHL suspension one game – story below)
Hayhurst
Elmer
Reunanen (day-to-day)
Sanchez (day-to-day)
Taylor
François Brassard.
NOTES
The AHL announced Tanner Fritz’s suspension for an errant elbow against Providence last Friday will miss tonight’s contest to serve the suspension.
Ty Ronning was back in the lineup missing two games with a slight injury will take his spot on the second line.
The 1,565 tonight tied for the 9th lowest crowd in team history.
The crowd got a good start with a fine rendition of “Oh, Canada” by Irene Leitao.
Aaron Luchuk, of Orlando, is back from his ECHL All-Star Classic appearance got to sign his PTO deal that will run to the end of the season. Liam Pecararo did not return as he was loaned out to Charlotte from Greenville.
The Wolf Pack has assigned defenseman Zach Berzolla to Jacksonville (ECHL). This isn’t because of his play rather than playing time and roster space that he couldn’t get in Hartford.
Toronto features in head coach former ex-Pack/Sound Tiger Greg Moore and summoned yesterday former QU standout G Keith Petruzzelli, from the Newfoundland (St. John’s) Growlers (ECHL) where he was 5-3-1 in nine games and had a 2.35 GAA as the backup.
Former college teammate, Odeen Tufto is recalled to Syracuse from Orlando (ECHL) by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
D Chad Krys (Ridgefield) is with the Marlies as was ex-Sound Tiger Josh Ho-Sang and son of former Springfield Indian Dave Chyzowski, LW Ryan Chyzowski who scored.
AHL Player of the Week is D Filip Král of Toronto of the Czech Republic, the fifth-round draft pick with two goals and four assists in all four Marlies games last week.
In a rarity, both parent teams faced off the same night as the Rangers visit Toronto to face the Maple Leafs in a nationally televised game (TNT).
Mark Kastelic, the son of former Hartford Whaler Ed Kastelic, is recalled from Belleville by Ottawa,
Goalie Trevin Kozlowski (Glastonbury/the Gunn School) is sent to Iowa (ECHL) from Iowa (AHL).
Ex-Sound Tiger Kevin Czuczman returns to Iowa (AHL) from Minnesota,
Quinnipiac University in Hamden was voted the new #1 college team in the nation.
UCONN’s Chase Bradley was suspended one game by Hockey East for an unpenalized play early against BU last week.
Yale women’s hockey hires Erica Kromm as one of their new assistant coaches. She worked the first semester as an assistant coach at Long Island University LIU-Post (NEWHA).
Her family all has been involved in hockey at some level. Father Richard (Rich) played and coached at the NHL level is currently an assistant with Chicago (NHL). He did stints in the minors with defunct old IHL and CHL and some junior work in the OHL as well. Her grandfather Bobby, was a WHA-NHL head coach plus some minor league work in the original Central Hockey League (CHL).
Younger brothers, Alex is still playing with the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL) and Bryan this year has gotten involved in coaching at the Division III level at the University Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WIAC) where Alex played three years before going pro. as an assistant coach after completing his four-year college career at the ACHA club level at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota
