By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
PROVIDENCE, RI – Anton Blidh struck twice on Saturday night, helping his Hartford Wolf Pack double up his former team, the Providence Bruins, 4-2 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The win snapped the Bruins’ four-game home winning streak and eight-game overall point streak.
82 seconds into the second period, Bryce McConnell-Barker lifted a puck over a sliding Brandon Bussi to give the Wolf Pack a 3-1 lead. Casey Fitzgerald fired a shot into traffic that hit a body in front, coming to Adam Sýkora. Sýkora chipped the puck to McConnell-Barker, who buried the eventual game-winning goal.
The goal was McConnell-Barker’s fifth of the season, with Sýkora and Fitzgerald picking up the assists. Sýkora’s assist was his second of the night, giving him five points (2 g, 3 a) against the Bruins this season. It also marked the third two-point game of the season for Sýkora.
Blidh opened the scoring 12:35 into the game, potting his sixth goal of the season. Blidh intercepted a clearing attempt in the right-wing circle of the offensive zone, weaved his way to the goal, then waited out Bussi before scoring the game’s first goal.
The goal was unassisted.
Jaroslav Chmelař extended the lead at 16:27, poking home his fourth goal of the season. With the club’s second power play of the period ending, Sýkora fired a shot from the right-wing circle that Billy Sweezey blocked. Sýkora collected the loose puck after the shot block and chipped it toward the net, where Chmelař found it and stuffed it home to make it a 2-0 game.
Late in the period, Fitzgerald was whistled for roughing, giving the Bruins their second power play of the frame. Twenty seconds into the advantage, Vinni Lettieri blasted home a one-timer for his team-leading eleventh goal of the season. The goal, scored at 19:44, was assisted by Georgii Merkulov and Ian Mitchell.
After the buzzer, Trevor Kuntar and Matthew Robertson engaged in a scrum in the Wolf Pack zone. Kuntar collected the loose puck and fired it at Robertson, resulting in a get-together. Kuntar was issued 14 penalty minutes, giving the Wolf Pack a power play to open the middle frame.
On that power play, McConnell-Barker struck to make it a 3-1 game early in the second period.
Late in the period, Merkulov was sprung on a breakaway but was denied by Louis Domingue. Jake Leschyshyn was whistled for a slashing call despite the save, putting the Bruins back on the power play.
Following a failed clearing attempt, Patrick Brown collected the puck behind the Wolf Pack goal, muscled his way to the front of the net, and stuffed home his seventh goal of the season by the blocker of Domingue.
The goal was Brown’s third against the Wolf Pack in five games.
The Wolf Pack’s penalty kill was terrific in the third period, killing off three Bruin power plays. Domingue made seven saves in the frame, preserving his fourth season victory and first on the road.
Blidh then cemented the victory with his second goal of the night into an empty net at 18:48. The goal was Blidh’s seventh of the season, matching his output from the 2023-24 campaign.
The Wolf Pack return from the holiday break next Friday, Dec. 27, when they visit the Springfield Thunderbirds for the latest installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage is available at 6:50 p.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center next Saturday, Dec. 28, when the Bruins return to town. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a 2025 Wolf Pack calendar courtesy of HDI!
The puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
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 the team’s 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.
Leave a Reply