By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack got MUCH bigger at goalie, adding two 6’8 giants in Talyn Boyko and Hugo Oilas.
With the final weekend of the regular season here, Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch has options to rest Louie Domingue and Dylan Garand before the team’s first visit back to the playoffs in eight years begins next week.
Boyko, 20, appeared in 40 Kelowna Rockets (WHL) games this season. His stat line shows a record of 13-24-1 with a save percentage of .898 and a goals-against-average of 3.55. He was selected in the fourth round (112th overall) by the New York Rangers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
A native of Drumheller, Alberta, Boyko has played in 142 games during his WHL career, shared between the Rockets and the Tri-City Americans. He has a career WHL record of 56-67-9 with a save percentage of .899.
He was named a WHL, BC Division, Second Team All-Star following the 2021-22 season when he posted a record of 29-18-5 in 54 games split between the Americans (eight games) and Rockets (46 games) that season.
The Seattle Thunderbirds swept his Kelowna Rockets, with Boyko appearing in only one game in the series.
Boyko played the series’ final game, making 38 saves and earning the second star in a 3-0 shutout loss.
The other signee is also a 6’8 goalie. He’s Hugo Ollas from Merrimack College (HE).
Depending on how the season standings conclude, the Wolf Pack will play the Charlotte Checkers, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, or the Springfield Thunderbirds. If the Checkers’ season’s record is better, then all three playoff games of the preliminary round will be in the Queen City.
If Springfield or Lehigh Valley finish at the top, the series will play out in a more traditional 1-1-1 setup.
All three teams are ahead by one point, tied at 80 points, and each has a game in hand.
Friday Night will be the Wolf Pack’s “Fan Appreciation Night.” The game will be played against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. On Saturday night, the Wolf Pack conclude their regular season with a trip to Springfield.
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