By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Jiri Kulich scored the game’s last two goals, his second coming on the power play at 2:51 of overtime to give the Rochester Americans a 3-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack before 5,140 at the XL Center on Friday night.
The Wolf Pack had a golden opportunity to win it themselves in the extra frame at 15 seconds when Brennan Othmann received a stretch pass from Mac Hollowell to send him on a breakaway. Othmann tried to slip the puck through Rochester’s netminder Devin Cooley’s five-hole, but he closed the door. Kyle Clague was called for a slashing penalty on the play but the Pack had chances by Alex Belzile and Riley Nash denied by Cooley.
55 seconds later, Belzile was called for hooking Justin Richards.
Prior to the game-winner, the Pack’s starting goaltender, Louis Domingue, stopped Riley Stillman’s left-wing bid. Then, Kulich, who was parked in the right-wing faceoff circle just above the dot with 20 seconds left in their power play, converted on a pass from the left-wing side by Brandon Biro, wired it just under the crossbar past Domingue for his 15th of the season.
Nash was in the penalty box on a hooking call at 14:20, and the Americans were threatening. Just after the penalty expired, Kulich tied the score at 16:27 to send the game to the extra session, taking a pass from Linus Weissbach at the left point on a diagonal pass and firing a shot from the right-wing circle with a good screen in front by Isak Rosén past Domingue.
The Pack was 0/4 on their power play opportunities for the game, while Rochester won the game with the game-winner coming in the overtime, going 1-for-3.
“We had (power play) chances. We needed to capitalize on them, and they did on theirs. Both teams were pretty evenly matched,” replied Wolf Pack Interim Head Coach Steve Smith.
The Pack nearly won it late as Cooley stopped a Nash shot with ten seconds to go.
The second period saw Rochester tie the game while shorthanded at 2:21.
Ryder Korczak couldn’t handle a Connor Mackey pass at center ice and lost it to Biro.
Biro marched into the Pack zone, used a backing up Mackey as a screen, and fired his seventh goal shorthanded over Domingue’s glove hand.
Domingue kept the game tied with a good glove save on Isak Rosén. Rochester put together a strong stretch midway through the second.
The Pack broke the tie late in the period.
Brett Berard stopped on his first shot attempt, got the puck back, and put in his second attempt at 17:05 before the second intermission to give the Pack a 2-1 lead.
The first period saw the two teams engaged in a chess match as ice space came at a premium. In one of the few shifts of O zone pressure, Matt Rempe, who wore a full-face mask to protect a shiner coming from a collision in the Laval game, worked the puck up top to Matt Robertson, who was returned from his Rangers recall.
The Pack had to contend with Rochester throwing a shifting 1-2-1 and 2-2-1 forecheck at them, bottling up and restricting ice flow.
The Pack scored in the final minute of the first period with two solid plays on the goal.
Anton Blidh swiped the puck at center ice from Victor Neuchecv, then had some net presence and retrieved Nikolas Brouillard’s shot. Blidh sent it back to the right point, where Blake Hillman was barely able to keep it onside. Hillman then marched the puck down the right wing, stopped, pulled up short, and slipped it back to Karl Henriksson.
The slick center of their North Atlantic trio had a screen in front by Adam Sýkora, with the Americans’ Riley Stillman making it very difficult to see as his fourth goal of the season sailed past Cooley with 58.2 seconds left on the clock for the 1-0 lead.
The Wolf Pack and Rochester next meet in Rochester in March.
LINES:
Karl Henriksson-Anton Blidh-Adam Sýkora
Brett Berard-Riley Nash-Brennan Othmann
Alex Belzile -Turner Elson-Bobby Trivigno-
Matt Rempe-Ryder Korczak-Matej Pekar
Mac Hollowell-Matt Robertson
Nikolas Brouillard-Blake Hillman
Brandon Scanlin- Connor Mackey
Louie Domingue
Dylan Garand
SCRATCHES:
D Ben Harpur (upper body, indefinitely)
F Jake Leschyshyn (upper body, week to week)
D Zach Berzolla (lower body, week to week )
D Grant Gabriele (healthy)
F Drew Worrad (not in residence)
NOTES:
The Toronto Marlies, another North Division opponent, are the Wolf Pack’s next opponent on Sunday for a mid-afternoon tilt at 3:00 p.m.
West Hartford Police Sargent Ed McCarthy sang a soulful national anthem on a night dedicated to the memory of fellow West Hartford Police Officer Brian Aselton, who was lost in the line of duty.
Adam Edström is an emergency recall early this afternoon. He scored his first NHL goal in the Rangers 5-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks and wore #84.
Nick Bonino (Farmington/AOF) was unable to play. Jimmy Vesey wore a full cage. The Rangers are in Boston. Edström could be back Sunday against Toronto.
As of Friday, the Pack must still make an organizational decision on Sýkora going to the Slovak WJC team.
In Rochester’s lineup are ex-Pack’s Justin Richards and goalie Dustin Tokarski (backup), ex-Sound Tiger Mason Jobst, Mike Mersch, the son of the late New Haven Nighthawk Michael Mersch and Riley Stillman, the grandson of former Nighthawk, Bud Stefanski.
Libor Hájek departs the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) after 11 games and returns home to skate with HC Dynamo Pardubice (Czechia (Czech Republic-CEL) for the rest of the year. He is the second AHL player in the last ten days to leave for Europe.
Related
Mitch Beck
Related posts
Top picks
WOLF PACK SEND BRUINS PACKING WITH OT WIN
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack are headed to the Atlantic Division Finals for the second straight season. A wild bounce saw a puck clip Jake Leschyshyn and beat Brandon Bussi 9:41 into overtime of Game 4 at…
PRE-GAME: WOLF PACK CAN CLOSE OUT BRUINS TONIGHT
PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK LOOK TO CLOSE OUT SERIES AGAINST BRUINS AT XL CENTER By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack welcome the Providence Bruins to town tonight for Game 4 of their Atlantic Division Semifinals series. Thanks to…
WOLF PACK SUFFER UGLY LOSS TO P-BRUINS IN GAME 2
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack were forced to settle for a split in Providence, as the Bruins roared back to take Game 2 6-0 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Friday night. The series, now tied 1-1,…
WOLF PACK TAKE GAME ONE OF SEMIS IN P-TOWN
By: Shay Costa, Howlings PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack’s Anton Blidh scored 1:28 into the third period to give the team a 4-3 road win against his former team, the Providence Bruins, in Game One of the Atlantic Division semifinal in front of…
WOLF PACK SEND BRUINS PACKING WITH OT WIN
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack are headed to the Atlantic Division Finals for the second straight season. A wild bounce saw a puck clip Jake Leschyshyn and beat Brandon Bussi 9:41 into overtime of Game 4 at…
WOLF PACK SUFFER UGLY LOSS TO P-BRUINS IN GAME 2
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack were forced to settle for a split in Providence, as the Bruins roared back to take Game 2 6-0 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Friday night. The series, now tied 1-1,…
WOLF PACK TAKE GAME ONE OF SEMIS IN P-TOWN
By: Shay Costa, Howlings PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack’s Anton Blidh scored 1:28 into the third period to give the team a 4-3 road win against his former team, the Providence Bruins, in Game One of the Atlantic Division semifinal in front of…
WOLF PACK GET 3-PT NIGHT FROM PITLICK IN GM 1 WIN
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – Tyler Pitlick picked up three points on Wednesday night as the Hartford Wolf Pack marched into the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence and took Game 1 of their best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals series. The Wolf Pack…
ORLANDO ENDS SWAMP RABBITS SEASON
Swamp Rabbits show life late, but Orlando pulls away to win the series BY: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, SC– Jaydon Dureau’s two-goal night spearheaded a 5-1 Orlando Solar Bears win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Tuesday to win the South Division Semifinals…
SWAMP RABBITS ANSWER BACK IN GAME 2
Eberle nets game-winner; three multi-point performers shine in win BY: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, SC—Tanner Eberle broke a deadlock in a wild third period to headline the Greenville Swamp Rabbits’ Game 2 win over the Orlando Solar Bears by a 4-2 score on Monday…
SWAMP RABBITS DROP GAME 1 in OT
Spencer Kersten ends a 72-minute game to steal Game 1 from Greenville By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – Spencer Kersten ended a marathon goalie duel to give the Orlando Solar Bears a lead in the South Division Semifinals, 1-0, over the Greenville…
SWAMP RABBITS SCHEDULE FOR SOUTH DIVISION SEMIFINALS
Swamp Rabbits and Solar Bears begin a best-of-seven series this Sunday in Greenville By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced the full schedule for the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs…