By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
SYRACUSE, NY – The Hartford Wolf Pack open a two-game road trip tonight in Syracuse, NY. This will be the club’s lone trip to Syracuse this season and marks their first matchup against a North Division foe.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the first of two meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Crunch this season. The foes will conclude their brief two-game season series on Wednesday night when the Crunch make their lone visit to the Connecticut capital.
The sides split two meetings a season ago, with the home team winning both.
The Crunch claimed a 5-3 victory on Nov. 17, 2023, at Upstate University Medical Arena. Former Wolf Pack forward Daniel Walcott scored twice in the victory for the Crunch, while Gabriel Dumont buried the game-winning goal at 13:23 of the third period.
The next night, the Wolf Pack rebounded with a 5-2 victory at the XL Center. Adam Edström’s goal 15:40 into the second period would be the difference. Five different Wolf Pack players scored in the victory.
Over the last five seasons, the Crunch have had the best of this head-to-head matchup, posting a record of 4-2-0-0. The Wolf Pack are 2-4-0-0 during that span.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack improved to 4-2-0-1 on Wednesday night with a 3-2 overtime victory against the Grand Rapids Griffins on home ice. Dominik Shine scored twice for the Griffins, lighting the lamp 3:43 into the hockey game and at 2:05 of the second period. His two goals had the visitors ahead 2-0 through two periods of play.
An intense third period by the Wolf Pack would force their fourth overtime in seven games. Dylan Roobroeck got the Wolf Pack on the board 2:38 into the final stanza. He swiped a bouncing puck toward the goal that clipped the back of goaltender Sebastian Cossa and trickled over the line.
Matthew Robertson would collect his second assist of the period at 16:31 when he blasted a shot from the left-wing point. The shot clipped the stick of Adam Sýkora and beat Cossa to tie the game 2-2.
In overtime, following a turnover, Sýkora sent a pass to the front of the net for Ryder Korczak. Korczak deflected the pass by Cossa for his first career game-winning goal at 2:44 to complete the comeback. The goal was also Korczak’s first of the season.
Brett Berard (5 g, 3 a) and Bo Groulx (4 g, 4 a) are tied for the team lead with eight points each. Berard’s five goals lead the club in that category.
Crunch Outlook:
The Crunch split a home-and-home set with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last weekend. After blanking the Penguins 2-0 in the first game on Friday night, the Crunch dropped a 3-2 decision on the road on Saturday.
Sam Poulin got the Penguins on the board 5:09 into the second period, breaking the ice. Avery Hayes then tacked on a power play goal at 9:59 to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead they never lost.
Steven Santini’s first goal with the Crunch at 11:58 of the second period made it a one-goal affair, but Tristan Broz would restore the two-goal lead at 19:59. The power play goal, his third of the season, would stand as the game-winning tally.
Gemel Smith struck 1:21 into the third period to make it a 3-2 contest, but it would not be enough.
Rookie forward Dylan Duke leads the club in scoring with six points (3 g, 3 a) through seven games.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN: Mixlr
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. on both AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack conclude their weekend back-to-back on the road tomorrow night in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Their battle with the Penguins starts at 6:05 p.m. Coverage of the game is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr, with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting at 5:50 p.m.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, when the Crunch make their lone visit to Hartford this season. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since its inception in 1997. It is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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