By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack battled until Saturday night but ultimately came up short in a 2-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Despite a lack of goals in the opening period, there was not a lack of chances and entertainment. Louis Domingue made six saves in the opening stanza, while Tristan Jarry stopped 12 bids from the Wolf Pack.
Hartford got the game’s first power play at 11:26, as Emil Bemström was whistled for goaltender interference. The Wolf Pack spent most of the two minutes in the offensive zone but could not solve Jarry.
The Penguins’ best chance of the period came late, as Corey Andonovski intercepted a pass. Andonovski made his way to the slot and snapped a shot that beat Domingue but clipped the goalpost and rifled back into the slot. Alex Belzile was able to find the puck and clear it, keeping the Wolf Pack out of danger.
The Penguins needed 33 seconds to break the ice in the second period. Isaac Belliveau fired a shot from the right-wing point and through traffic that beat Domingue for his first career AHL goal. Ville Koivunen and former Wolf Pack defenseman Mac Hollowell picked up the helpers on the goal, the second-fastest allowed by the Wolf Pack to start a period this season.
Koivunen extended the lead to 2-0 at 10:54, blasting his second goal of the season from the bottom of the right-wing circle. Boris Katchouk set up Koivunen to collect his first assist as a Penguin, while Bemström added the secondary helper on Koivunen’s one-time blast.
Dylan Roobroeck’s impressive stretch continued late in the period as the Wolf Pack began to wrestle momentum back from the Penguins. Roobroeck turned on the jets, chased down a puck in the left-wing circle, and chipped a shot by Jarry’s glove for his third goal. The tally gives Roobroeck points in four straight games, which is the longest season streak for a Wolf Pack player.
Despite the Wolf Pack’s push in the third period, they could not find the equalizer, as the Penguins got five saves from Jarry to preserve the victory.
The win marks the eighth straight win for the home team in this head-to-head matchup.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Nov. 6, when the Crunch comes to town! The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Full-season tickets, 20-game plans, 12-game plans, flex plans, and single-game tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale now! Visit hartfordwolfpack.com or call 860-722-9425 for more details!
About Oak View Group (OVG): Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues, and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues, either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since its inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack 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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