By: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the ECHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, announced today that the club has signed forward JD Greenway to an ECHL contract ahead of the 2023-24 Season presented by Bon Secours.

Greenway, 25, signs with the Swamp Rabbits after appearing in 21 games for the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins last season. In what would be his second season with the Bruins, Greenway posted a pair of assists to add to his two assists in 16 games during the 2021-22 season.

A native of Canton, New York, Greenway split time between Providence and the ECHL’s Maine Mariners during 2021-22, skating in 26 games for the Mariners and posting five assists. The dual assignment saw the 6’6″, 212-pounder begin the transition from defense to offense.

Before turning professional, Greenway was drafted in 2016 by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round before beginning his collegiate career with the Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA-DI). After appearing in 46 games for the Badgers over two seasons, Greenway spent the 2018-19 season in the United States Hockey League with the Dubuque Fighting Saints before returning to college hockey and transferring to the University of Maine. In 48 games over his final two collegiate seasons, Greenway recorded 15 points (3g, 12a) from the blue line.

The Swamp Rabbits will open the 2023-24 Season presented by Bon Secours on Saturday, October 21, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Swamp Rabbits Single-Game tickets, Full Season, and Half Season Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now at SwampRabbits.com or by calling(864) 674-7825.

About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …

Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has provided family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s LA Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Greenville is an ECHL Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League member.

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By: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, an ECHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, announced today that the club has named Kyle Mountain as Assistant Coach ahead of the 2023-24 Season presented by Bon Secours. The announcement was made by Swamp Rabbits Head Coach/General Manager Andrew Lord.

Mountain, 32, joins Greenville’s staff after spending the previous six seasons as the head coach of the Neumann University Knights (NCAA-DIII) in Aston, Pennsylvania. While at the helm of the Knights, Mountain led Neumann to appearances in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament in four of the six seasons. Before taking charge, Mountain was the Knights’ assistant coach under then-Head Coach Matt Tendler.

“I am honored and thrilled to be joining the Swamp Rabbit organization and Spire Hockey family,” said Mountain. “I want to thank Todd Mackin, Tim Vieira and Coach Lord for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I look forward to contributing to the culture and success of an already stellar organization.”

A native of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, Mountain played four seasons of NCAA-DI hockey, three of which were with the University of Vermont Catamounts and his final season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. In 17 appearances for the Mavericks during the 2014-15 season, Mountain helped the team reach the school’s first and only Frozen Four appearance.

“We are very excited to have Kyle join our staff,” said Lord. “His experience, character, and attention to detail will really help our organization. He has eight years of coaching experience, and I believe that knowledge will translate to the pro game very well. Kyle has a great work ethic and passion, and both of those things will greatly benefit him in this role.”

The Swamp Rabbits will open the 2023-24 Season presented by Bon Secours on Saturday, October 21, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Swamp Rabbits Full and Half Season Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now at SwampRabbits.com or by calling(864) 674-7825.

About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has provided family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s LA Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Greenville is an ECHL Premier AA Hockey League member.

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Cincinnati, OH – The Cyclones announced that the team had re-signed defenseman Matt Cairns to a standard player contract for the 2023-24 ECHL season. Cairns becomes the fourth blue liner to sign with Cincinnati and the seventh returnee from last year’s Central Division Champions team to re-sign with the ‘Clones.

“Guys can overlook how important it is to be able to play for the same team multiple years in a row at this level,” said Cairns. “That isn’t lost one me. I’m very thankful for Coach (Jason) Payne wanting to sign me again. I think the game I play has fit well into his system and how he likes our team’s defense to operate. He gives me a lot of trust to play my game, and he knows what it takes to get me to the next level. That’s my ultimate goal as an individual and Payner knows what I want in that sense.”

Since the start of the 2021-22 season, no defenseman has played more games for the Cyclones than Cairns, who now enters his third season with the team. Including playoffs, the 25-year-old has skated in 128 games for Cincinnati, scoring three goals and 20 assists for 23 points. Over two regular seasons, Cairns has posted a +/- 38 rating and earned two call-ups to the AHL, most recently last season with Milwaukee, where the Mississauga, Ontario native appeared in seven games for the Admirals.

“Matt’s maturity and growth at the pro level has been very impressive since coming into the league a couple seasons back,” said Payne. “He works hard to constantly evaluate where he is and how he can get stronger in each area on the ice. He’s coachable. He wants to learn and wants to show you that you can trust in him to not cheat the game and play the right way. We’re excited to have him back in the fold for us this season and we will continue to do everything we can as an organization to further his development.”

Cairns is a former third-round NHL Draft choice by the Edmonton Oilers in 2016. From there, he went on to play division one hockey for Cornell University and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In 2021, Cairns signed an AHL contract with the Rochester Americans, where he spent the bulk of his season with Cincinnati. He signed his first ECHL contract with the ‘Clones last summer before playing in 45 games and posted six points while accruing 50 penalty minutes.

The 2023-24 Cyclones season starts on home ice, with First Face-Off Saturday, October 21st! Call (513) 421-PUCK for tickets and more information, and stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, cycloneshockey.com.

CINCINNATI CYCLONES

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, an ECHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, announced today that Tim Vieira had been promoted to President of the organization after previously holding the position of Executive Vice President. The announcement was made by President of Spire Holdings Todd Mackin.

Vieira, who enters his fourth season with the club, will oversee the business operations of the Swamp Rabbits alongside Head Coach/General Manager Andrew Lord, who presides over the club’s hockey operations.

“This is a tremendous opportunity, and I am grateful for the support and trust Todd Mackin and Spire Sports leadership has placed in me to continue to grow with the Swamp Rabbits organization,” said Vieira. “Greenville has embraced our group since entering the market, and has proven to be a thriving community, that we take great pride in calling home.”

The ECHL recognized Vieira as a finalist for the league’s Sales Professional of the Year at the 2023 ECHL Hockey Summer Meetings in Las Vegas.

“We are incredibly proud of Tim for his leadership and skills that have helped make the Swamp Rabbits what they are today,” said Mackin. “The relationships that Tim continues to build within the community and the vision for the organization’s direction have proven invaluable assets to achieving the Swamp Rabbits’ goals.

Before joining Greenville in 2020, Vieira worked in the Iowa Wild (AHL) front offices and the Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL).

The Swamp Rabbits will open the 2023-24 Season presented by Bon Secours on Saturday, October 21, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Swamp Rabbits Full and Half Season Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now at SwampRabbits.com or by calling (864) 674-7825.

About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has provided family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s L.A. Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL Premier A.A. Hockey League.

GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, ECHL affiliate of the LA Kings, announced today that the club had re-signed defenseman Ethan Cap to an ECHL contract for the 2023-24 season.

Cap, 23, returns to the Swamp Rabbits after posting a career-high 21 points (2g, 19a) in 70 games for the Navy and Orange during the 2022-23 campaign. In two seasons as a professional, both with Greenville, the North Vancouver, British Columbia native made 123 appearances for the Swamp Rabbits and tallied 32 points (3g, 29a). During the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs, Cap skated in six (6) games and tabbed four (4) assists during Greenville’s opening-round series.

Before turning pro as a Swamp Rabbit, Cap appeared in the second most games (287) in Edmonton Oil Kings franchise history while competing in the Western Hockey League.

The Swamp Rabbits will open the 2023-24 Season presented by Bon Secours on Saturday, October 21, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Swamp Rabbits Full and Half Season Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now at SwampRabbits.com or by calling (864) 674-7825.

About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has been providing family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s LA Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL Premier AA Hockey League.

GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS

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By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HERSHEY, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack are on the brink of Calder Cup playoff elimination after a 4-2 loss to the Hershey Bears in Game 2 and now trail two games to none in the best-of-five Atlantic Division Finals. It will be a win-or-go-home situation for the Pack as the series shifts to the XL Center in Hartford for Game 3 on Wednesday at 7 PM.

The Bears were dominant both physically and defensively all over the ice.

Hershey’s Mark Vecchione scored what would prove to be the game-winner at 8:48 of the second period when he got between three Wolf Pack defenders in the slot. Henrik Borgstrom was behind the Pack net and found him open. Unfortunately, the Wolf Pack’s Libor Hájek had broken his stick, forcing him to drop it. Without it, he was unable to defend Borgstrom’s pass. For Vecchione, it was his second goal of the playoffs, making the score 3-1. Ethen Frank got his second point of the playoffs with the secondary assist.

The Bears would add insurance in the third period, tallying their fourth goal and restoring a two-goal margin that Hartford wouldn’t overcome.

Dylan Garand (26 saves) stopped Riley Sutter after a backhand feed from Mason Morelli. Still, the Pack could not clear the zone as defenseman Brandon Scanlin and forward Bobby Trivigno could not control the biscuit behind the net.

An unfortunate bad bounce didn’t help the Pack when the puck went off linesman Jud Ritter, further trapping the Wolf Pack. The puck found Aleiaksei Protoas on the right wing, who sent a cross-ice pass to Hendrix Lapierre, who snapped a shot to the short side off on one of many odd-man rushes against the Pack. The goal made it 4-1 and came at 13:14 of the third period.

To their credit, the Pack kept pressing forward.

At 15:09, Adam Clendening was at the right point after taking Wyatt Kalynuk’s pass. Anton Blidh set a screen in front of goalie Hunter Shepard. Blidh times a jump perfectly as the puck sailed by Shepard to make it 4-2. But, unfortunately, that would be as close as the Wolf Pack would get.

The goal was the first and only five-on-five series goal for the Wolf Pack.

The Bears had the second period’s only goal as they held the Wolf Pack to just five shots.

FIRST PERIOD

Just 11 seconds into the contest, Zac Jones lost his footing, and Beck Malenstyn took advantage, going wide. That forced Jones to slide to try and stop him. But, instead, Jones knocked the net off its magnetic pegs.

At 1:52, Blidh put a shot over Shepherd’s glove but went off the post.

A defensive zone turnover, which would continue to plague the Pack all game long, led to three Bears quality chances. Two came from Joe Snively, who missed the net, and the third from Connor McMichaels, who initially got the puck on the Pack’s doorstep but couldn’t register the goal.

The Pack was in the same situation as Game One, being dramatically outshot. They were down 6-1 in shots in the first six minutes.

Hájek took a selfish and unnecessary penalty drilling Morelli into the side of the net from behind. It sent the Bears to the power play.

Hershey capitalized on the Hájek penalty. Mason Morelli was wide open on the left-wing side. He shuffled a pass over to Brock Malenstyn, who snapped a shot upstairs and into the net at 3:12 to make it 1-0.

The Wolf Packed used their first powerplay effectively as Ryan Carpenter outworked Gabriel Carlsson behind the net and found Will Cullye in front. He snapped it over Shepard’s glove hand to even the game at one at 11:32.

1:12 after the Pack tied the score, they found themselves trailing again. At 12:44, Malenstyn broke into the zone on a two-on-one with Morelli. He was open and blasted it upstairs past Garand with Adam Clendening trailing on the play.

Nearly 11 minutes in, the shot advantage favored the Bears 10-3.

If the Pack are to survive and get back into this series, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch will have a lot of work to do to get their game back to where it was against Providence, or they could find themselves watching the remainder of the playoffs from the golf course.

LINES:

Brodzinski – Carpenter – Cullye
Fritz – Pajuniemi – Blidh
Leschyshyn – Gettinger – Lockwood
Elson – Henriksson – Trivigno

Jones – Emberson
Hájek – Scanlin
Kalynuk – Clendening

Garand
Domingue

SCRATCHES:

Blake Hillman (healthy)
Talyn Boyko #40
Matt Rempe (healthy)
Adam Edström  (healthy)
Louie Roehl #4 (healthy)
Brett Berard #27 (healthy)
Matt Robertson (upper body, may return in the latter half of this round of the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery)
C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season)

NOTES:

The Wolf Pack received good news yesterday. The AHL reduced Adam Clendening’s suspension to the two games he’s already sat out for his Game 3 hit on Fabian Lysell in the series against the Providence Bruins, making him available for Game 2. He was paired with Kalynuk. Blake Hillman was the odd man out.

18 AHL players have signed for Europe for next year.

In Winnipeg in Game 1 of the WHL championship, the Winnipeg Ice Head Coach is former Hartford Whaler/New York Ranger James Patrick. After a nine-day layoff, the Ice defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-2. Easton Armstrong, the son of Wolf Pack great Derek Armstrong, was held to no points and shots for the first two series games at the Life Canada Centre, home of the NHL Winnipeg Jets. Seattle won Game 2, 4-2, as Brad Lambert, nephew of former Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach and New Haven Nighthawks player, Lane Lambert, had two goals and was a plus-four.

In the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs, the Pack’s Double AA affiliate, the Jacksonville Icemen, were down three games to one to South Division in-state rival, the Florida Everblades. The teams traveled to Florida for Game 5, and the Icemen won 6-3 to force a Game 6 on Monday.

News on a trio of ex-Sound Tigers, Travis St. Denis (Quinnipiac University) switches teams in Germany going from EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL) and signs with ERC Ingolstadt for next year. Also, Jesse Graham changes teams in the Russian-based KHL from Barys Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) to HK Sochi (Russia). Johan Sundström, heads from Frölunda HC (Sweden-SHL) to Sport Vassa (Finland-FEL).

Ex-Pack and ex-Sound Tiger, Andrew Rower, leaves SC Rapperswill-Jona (Switzerland-LNA) and signs for next season with ERC Ingolstadt (Germany-DEL).

The long-time head coach of Middlebury (VT) College (NESCAC), Neal Sinclair, abruptly resigned. The team has won five national Division III titles during his tenure. A search began immediately for his replacement.

In yesterday’s WHL Priority Draft, just one notable name was taken. Masen McCosh, of the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes U-14 (T1EHL) program, was selected by the Calgary Hitmen in the first round (14th overall) in the US portion of the draft. McCosh is the youngest son of one-time New Haven Nighthawk and New Haven Senator Shawn McCosh. His oldest son Michael is at Buffalo St. (SUNYAC), and the boy’s uncle Shayne, played 18 games with the Springfield Falcons.

The IIHF World Hockey Championship began on Friday in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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HERSHEY, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack built a 2-0 lead through two periods in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division best-of-five finals, but the Hershey Bears scored twice in the third period before Henrik Borgstrom scored at 4:41 of overtime to 3-2.

The game-winner came on the third odd-man rush of overtime.

Pack defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk collided with the linesman at center ice, creating a two-on-one that Dylan Garand stopped. Then there was a four-on-two after Joe Snively, a Yale alum, was stopped, with the upper part of the net staring at Garrett Pilon.

On the final two-on-one came, Borgstrom scored to allow the Bears to come away with the win.

GAME WINNER

Pilon sent a stretch pass to Borgstrom, who came in with Snively. They attacked the Pack’s number one defensive pair of Zac Jones – Ty Emberson, who had just come on the ice for their shift.

Borgstrom didn’t play in the first Bears series against the Charlotte Checkers in the lineup because Mike Sgarbossa couldn’t go for Hershey. Rumors have Borgstrom heading back to Sweden next year, and he made the most of his time in this opportunity.

Borgstrom went from the right wing to center and fired his shot past Garand. The goal sent the crowd of 7,274 into a frenzy.

Game Two between the two teams is Saturday night at 7 PM in Hershey.

Early in the third period, Hershey cut the Wolf Pack lead to one.

Sam Anas was at the right point on their fourth power play of the contest. He shuffled the puck over to the left point. Logan Day one-timed a rising rocket of a shot going off the crossbar and into the net. It was his first goal as a Bear and his first goal of the season. It came at 2:52.

It was former QU Bobcat Anas team-leading fifth assist and seventh point of the playoffs.

PLAY INTENSIFIES

After Tim Gettinger was stopped early on the Pack’s power play bid, Pilon crunched Lauri Pajuniemi as Gettinger made a drop pass that inadvertently left him vulnerable. Pilon nailed Will Lockwood, who took a retaliation penalty that led to the power play goal by Day.

Lockwood would find his moment to return the hit later in the game when he drove Pilon into the curved portion of the glass on a clean, hard hit at 4:51, but the Bears had already done their damage.

GAME TYING GOAL

The Bears pressed the Pack and came up with a game-tying goal late in the third period. Day was at the right point, settled the puck down, and sent it over to Jake Massie. He waited for the screen to materialize in front of Garand.

Just as he unleashed his shot, Connor McMichael was cruising in front of Garand and got a piece of it before Jones could get to him. Emberson was keeping an eye on Joe Snively. This happened before goaltender Hunter Shepard could even get to the bench for the extra attacker at 17:51.

SECOND PERIOD

Anton Blidh took a hard hit along the boards and skated back to the bench, bent over and in what appeared to be some manner of discomfort. Paramedics immediately came to the bench to deal with whatever was ailing Blidh. Referees and the coaches decided to send the teams to their respective locker rooms while a determination was made about Blidh’s condition. The final 2:39 of the period would be played prior to the second period after a one-minute intermission and the switching of sides.  The actions of the paramedics in treating Blidh were considered “precautionary.” Fortunately for Blidh and the Wolf Pack, he was able to return to play for the second period and played to the finish. The official word from the Wolf Pack was that Blidh developed an upper-body non-life-threatening injury. According to other non-team attendees at the site of the game, Blidh had the wind knocked out of him,

The Wolf Pack scored early on their second power play of the game. Tanner Fritz, at the right point, fed it over to captain Jonny Brodzinski, who tallied with his first of the post-season. The whole play started after Shepard made the original stop, but in scrambling around the net, was unable to get into position before Brodzinski’s shot.

The Wolf Pack had two power play goals in the six regular season games between the two rosters. They now had two in Game 1. It’s the first meeting between the two teams since February.

In the second period, the Wolf Pack got far more shots (16) and offensive riding time than they did in the first, when they only mustered three shots for the entire first twenty minutes.

At 11:43, Garand made an impressive glove save, but the goal judge turned the red light on. The refs took the puck from Garand’s glove and chatted among themselves, confirming there was no goal.

The Pack’s penalty killers were a perfect three for three in the first two periods.

FIRST PERIOD

In the first period, the Pack was under constant attack and pressure from the Bears, both with rubber being fired at Garand and physically. Still, despite that, they were able to leave the bench for intermission with the period’s only goal.

The Pack had to handle the first three shots and had a seemingly early PK they would have to kill after Snively lost an edge and ducked a Pajuniemi hit attempt.  At first, referees Beau Halkidis and Jack Young signaled a call. It was clear that Pajuniemi was hot, and he vehemently protested. The refs huddled mid-ice, and they decided that there was no penalty on the play, and the call was reversed.

Good thing Pajuniemi was not ejected, as he would play the primary role in the Pack taking the 1-0 lead.

Gettinger sent a pass up the left wing to Jones, who broke into the clear and fired a shot at Shepard. He gave up a rebound, and Pajuniemi was there to scoop it up and bury his fourth goal of the postseason.

Garand was the difference for the Pack in the first period, as they were outshot 17-3.

The Pack didn’t get their first shot till 4:05.

LINES:

Brodzinski-Carpenter-Cullye
Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh
Leschyshyn-Gettinger-Lockwood
Elson-Henriksson-Trivigno

Jones-Emberson
Hillman-Scanlin
Hájek-Kalynuk

Garand
Domingue

SCRATCHES:

Adam Clendening (suspended the first two games of the series)
Talyn Boyko #40
Matt Rempe (healthy)
Adam Edström  (healthy)
Louie Roehl #4 (healthy)
Brett Berard #27 (healthy)
Matt Robertson (upper body, may return in the latter half of this  round of the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery).
C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season)

NOTES:

The Wolf Pack have just one player with an overtime game-winner in their lineup. Ryan Carpenter, with the San Jose Barracuda.

The last OT goal in franchise history was on May 13, 2015, by Chris Mueller in a shorthanded goal against Hershey.

Hershey won four of the six meetings this year. The last contest was on February 11th, resulting in a 2-1 Hershey win as Shepard made 33 saves.

In one of the worst-kept secrets, a week after his season ended ex-Pack Gustav Rydahl is heading back to Sweden and the SHL signing with Frölunda HC.

Rydahl started the talks in Hartford but was loyal and finished out the year out West playing 12 games with the Eagles.

Now 16 AHL players have signed for Europe for next year.

He had a strong training camp, with many feeling he should have been in New York. He played effectively on a Wolf Pack team that struggled most of the year until recently.

Being scratched twice in the last 10 days before his trade didn’t help.

MORE NOTES:

Ex-Pack in Winnipeg Neal Pionk, youngest brother Aaron commits to Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC) from Waterloo (USHL).

News on a trio of ex-Sound Tigers, Travis St. Denis (Quinnipiac University) switches teams in Germany going from EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL) and signs with ERC Ingolstadt for next year.

Jesse Graham changes teams in the Russian-based KHL from Barys Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) to HK Sochi (Russia).

Johan Sundstrom heads from Frölunda HC (Sweden-SHL) to Sport Vassa (Finland-FEL).

Former Quinnipiac University goalie Dylan St. Cyr, post-graduation, played one game with Grand Rapids after his transfer year at Michigan St. (Big 10). He is heading to France to continue his career. St. Cyr will play for HC Anglet of the French Elite Magnus League. He has a brother Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen who is playing with the US National Development Team-NDTP (USHL).  His cousin Nick Rhéaume plays at UMASS-Lowell (HE). His uncle is ex-Pack and Ranger Pascal Rhéaume, who is an assistant coach with the Trois-Rivières Lions (ECHL), the Canadiens Double AA team to Laval.

COLLEGE

A few college assistant coaching moves.

In the process of a complete coaching change, Dana Borges leaves the Colgate Red Raiders (ECACHL) for the Arizona St. Sun Devils (NCAA Independent) leaves for the assistant coach/player development position.

Tayler Nelson, UMass-Lowell Assistant Coach, is the new assistant with the brand new D1 program at  Augustana University (SD) Vikings (NCAA Independent). At Canisius College (AHA), he had four years there and two years at UMASS-Lowell (HE).

American International College-AIC (Springfield, MA) has announced the promotion of assistant coach Matthew Woodard to the position of associate head coach. At one time, he was Yale’s women’s hockey coach.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The IIHF World Hockey Championship begins on Friday.

The Team USA captain is Nick Bonino (Unionville via Farmington/AOF), Jack McBain, son of ex-New Haven Senator Andrew, Springfield Thunderbird Scott Perunovich, and ex-Springfield Falcon, two-time AHL MVP former Springfield Falcon T.J. Tynan.

The assistant coach is an ex-New Haven Nighthawk, Scott Gordon. He’s from the Columbus Blue Jackets and will feature GM Chris Clark (South Windsor).

Team Canada ex-Pack Sammy Blais and Springfield Thunderbirds Jake Neighbours and goalie Joel Hofer.

The GM is ex-Springfield Falcon Shane Doan.

Czechia (Czech Republic) has Ranger and ex-Pack, Filip Chytil and ex-Pack Tomas Kundratek.

Denmark-Ex-Pack Nicklas Jensen

Finland-Ranger Kappo Kakko and ex-Springfield Thunderbird Juho Lammikko

Germany-Former P-Bruin Kai Wissman

Latvia-Ex-Thunderbird Rodrigo (father, Artis, will be the assistant coach), Karlis Cuskte (Quinnipiac University-ECACHL), and ex-Sound Tiger Kristers Gudlevskis.

The head coach will be ex-New Haven Senator Harijs Vitolins.

Sweden-Ex-Pack Oscar Lindberg and son of Ranger/Whaler Mikael Nylander, his son Alexander.

Former Springfield Falcon, Assistant GM Josef Boumedinne

Slovakia-Ex-Sound Tiger Richard Pánik.

Switzerland-Playing in his record-setting 13th World Hockey tourney is ex-Pack Andres Ambühl and ex-Sound Tiger Nino Neiderreiter.

Sad news, former UMass-Lowell and Quinnipiac goaltender and 2005 Hockey East rookie of the year Peter Vetri passed away unexpectedly on May 4, 2023.

Vetri was age 37.

Vetri was awarded a full athletic scholarship to play hockey at UMass-Lowell (HE). He transferred to Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) for his junior season in 2007-08 and played just nine games for the Bobcats.

He left during his senior year to pursue professional hockey in the SPHL and ECHL. Vetri played for the SPHL’s Twin City Cyclones, ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, and one full season with the FPHL’s Danbury Whalers and a total of 41 games for them over four years.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has loaned goaltender Parker Gahagen to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen.

Gahagen, 29, has posted a record of 17-8-1 in 33 games with the Icemen this season. He’s also recorded a .911 save percentage, 2.69 goals against average, and two shutouts in his first season with the club.

The native of Amherst, New York, played in two AHL games during the 2021-22 season with the Milwaukee Admirals, posting a record of 0-1-0 with a .906 save percentage. In 12 career AHL games with Admirals, Colorado Eagles, Toronto Marlies, and San Jose Barracuda, Gahagen has posted a record of 5-4-0 with an .885 save percentage.

The Wolf Pack play host to the Providence Bruins for Game Four of their Atlantic Division Semifinals series tomorrow night, May 5^th, at the XL Center. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.; tickets are available HERE.

About OVG360:

OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources, and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and public safety, and more.

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.

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The post HARTFORD WOLF PACK LOAN GOALTENDER PARKER GAHAGEN TO ECHL’S JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN first appeared on Howlings.

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack were solid from the net out as their defense and goaltending continued to confound the Providence Bruins as the New York Rangers American League affiliates roll continued in a 2-1 win in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series on Saturday night.

It was the fifth win in a row in the Ocean State. It was also the Pack’s 14th win in their last 16 games. They now hold a commanding lead in the best-of-five series, two games to none. After that, the teams head back to Hartford, with the Pack having a chance to close out the series in front of the home crowd on Wednesday night.

A win by the Pack would send the Cinderella team to the Atlantic Division final against either the Charlotte Checkers or the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Checkers currently have a 2-games-to-one lead in that best-of-five series.

THIRD PERIOD

Both teams pushed to try and score early in the third period. Bruins looked for the equalizer from Luke Toporowski, Mike Reilly, and Oskar Steen, who took a Turner Elson turnover for a shot ass Dylan Garand  (29 saves) continued his impressive netminding for the Pack and denied them all. Across the way, Brandon Bussi (26 saves) flashed the leather stopping Adam Sýkora, Wyatt Kalynuk, Will Lockwood, and Lauri Pajuniemi as they sought a cushion goal for the Wolf Pack.

The Bruins came close when defenseman Connor Carrick put a shot off the crossbar with 2:58 remaining in the contest.

At 18:45, the Bruins pulled Bussi for an extra attacker. However, former Pack, Vinni Lettieri, was denied by Garand from the left circle. As the clock was ticking down, with just 15 seconds left and for the second night in a row, the Bruins looked to their regular season points leader, Georgii Merkulov, to take their final shot, but he was stopped by Garand to preserve the win.

SECOND PERIOD

A goal was scored in the first five-plus minutes of the period as John Beecher had an end-to-end rush stopped by Garand just two minutes in.

Two Wolf Pack goals in a span of 3:26 put the Bruins on their heels on their home ice.

Tim Gettinger was on the puck early and got off a shot on net from the right point before Bussi made a right pad save. Ex-Bruin, Anton Blidh, took the rebound and registered his second postseason goal at 6:17.

The Wolf Pack refused to rest on their laurels. Adam Clendening, who had a strong shift earlier in the period, moved off the right point to the top of the center point, just below the blue line. He took a cross-ice pass from Kalynuķ, his defensive partner, fired off a 55-footer, and beat Bussi at 12:16 for the game-winner.

The Pack came close to a 3-0 lead at 13:13 when Zac Jones was at the left point and fired a shot to the net. Ryan Carpenter reached up to redirect the shot that looked to have gone up and under the crossbar. The referees immediately waived off the goal, and after a lengthy review, it was ruled no goal. The ruling was Carpenter’s stick was above the crossbar, negating the goal.

The Bruins’ Justin Brazeau was on the left wing on the next shift. He found Pack killer Jonna Koppannen on the right wing and sent him a cross-ice pass. Koppannen then sent a backhanded pass to the slot where Toporowski was open and fired off a shot that found the back of the net at 14:02, cutting the Pack lead in half.

FIRST PERIOD

The first period saw the Pack start where they left off the previous night and registered the game’s first three shots, coming from Clendening twice and Lockwood.

Ty Emberson went to launch a shot and had his twig break in half, leading briefly to a two-on-zero for the Bruins. However, Emberson kept his position, and the Pack did some serious backchecking. It became a three-on-two, and he timed going down perfectly to get a piece of the puck as the Bruins passed back to the trailer.

Providence’s John Beecher had a solid, long-range, low shot stopped by Garand.

Then Jones used his speed to cut Beecher off on another open opportunity and took it away.

Gettinger had a strong shift on the second power play unit in the last five minutes. He hit the side of the net and had a tip deflection dribble wide. He then got off a third attempt that Bussi stopped.

The end of the period had a scrum between Clendening and Toporowski, Lockwood, and Connor Carrick. They were the only players penalized at 20:00.

The Bruins had 12 shots on goal for the period after having just 14 for the whole game the night before.

LINES:

Cullye-Carpenter-Elson
Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh
Gettinger-Edström-Lockwood
Henriksson-Sýkora-Trivigno

Jones-Emberson
Hillman-Scanlin
Clendening-Kalynuk

Garand
Gahagen #35

SCRATCHES:

Talyn Boyko #40
Matt Rempe (upper body, day-to-day)
Louie Roehl #4 (healthy)
Bryce McConnell-Barker #8 (healthy)
Brett Berard #27 (healthy)
Maxim Barbashev #18 (healthy)
Ryder Korczak  #38 (healthy)
Matt Robertson (upper body, may return in the latter half of this  round of the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery).
C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season)

NOTES:

The Rangers forced a game seven with a 5-2 win in Game 6. Five different players scored in the game at MSG.

Joe Snively (Yale University) had a goal, and two assists in a Game Two 5-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers.

The Jacksonville Icemen won their South Division ECHL semifinal in a 5-4 fashion. Former Quinnipiac University player Craig Martin and another former Bobcat and ex-Pack, Brandon Fortunato, scored.

MATT WOOD

Team Canada at the U-18 tournament captured bronze with a 4-3 overtime win over Slovakia. The team included Matt Wood (UCONN-HE), who scored the game-tying goal with 1:10 left in regulation with the goalie pulled. The primary assist, off a short slide pass, sprung Celebrini Macklin on a breakaway for the game-winner. Wood finished with a goal and three assists, six shots on goal, and a plus-four. Wood seems to have cemented a high first-round pick status for the upcoming NHL Draft in late June in Nashville.

Wood came to the Huskies after being drafted as a second-round pick (41st overall) in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2020 by the Regina Pats. He turned down the Pats’ offer to play with the consensus #1 overall pick, Connor Bedard, and to be coached by ex-Pack head coach John Paddock.

In 2021, Wood was drafted by the Sioux Falls (SD) Stampede (USHL) as their 9th pick (121st overall) in the USHL Futures Draft.

Team USA played Team Sweden for gold at the U-18 championship in Switzerland. The US won gold in come-from-behind fashion, 3-2 in overtime. It’s their first gold in six years. The game-winner from draft-eligible Ryan Leonard (Amherst, MA) from Pope Francis (MAPREP) (Springfield, MA) and the Springfield (MA) Rifles program. The head coach was former Yale University (ECACHL) and Sacred Heart University (AHA) assistant coach Dan Muse. His assistant coach is ex-Pack, Chad Kolarik. Two players from the Mid-Fairfield program, Sal Guzzo and Ryan Fine, were on the team.

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The post HARTFORD WOLF PACK TAKE GAME 2 FROM PROVIDENCE BRUINS first appeared on Howlings.

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack vanquished their playoff demons after a 7-1 dismantling of the Springfield Thunderbirds at the XL Center before 5,745, completing the two-game sweep of their I-91 rivals.

The Pack received outstanding efforts from Tanner Fritz, Turner Elson, and Anton Blidh in the series-clinching win. The Pack saw seven players score in the first-round sweep and will need to continue to receive that kind of balanced scoring if they are to continue moving forward in the playoffs.

“Going into the series, they had won nine of the twelve regular season games, but I felt at five-on-five we had played good hockey against them. The special teams was the difference,” remarked Hartford Head Coach Kris Knoblauch.

The Wolf Pack move on to challenge the Providence Bruins in a Best-of-Five series beginning Friday, April 28th, and Saturday, April 29th, at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Both games start at 7:05 PM. As the higher seed, The Bruins will have the home-ice advantage in the Atlantic Division semi-final. After the first two games in Providence, the Pack return home for Game Three on Wednesday, May 3rd, and a potential Game Four on Friday, May 5th. Those two games will have puck drop starting at 7:00 PM. Finally, a potential Game Five would be back in Providence on Sunday, May 7th, with the first puck drop coming at 7:05 PM.

The Pack should have a level of confidence in this upcoming series. In ten regular season games against the Baby Bruins, the Wolf Pack went 5-3-1-0.

“We have been playing playoff hockey for three or four weeks before this series, so we got into a groove,” Knoblauch said.

The challenge for Knoblach with the Pack’s top four regular season players on recall to New York serving as the Black Aces squad for the Rangers meant the call went out to the roster to come together and find ways to score. “We needed somebody to step up and everybody did so in some way. We had the energy and we knew Springfield had taken us lightly in Game 1, but our guys were prepared for them.”

THIRD PERIOD

In the third period, Springfield trailing 5-1, they pulled their goaltender early. The Wolf Pack capitalized, adding two unassisted empty net goals. The first came shorthanded from Blidh at 13:34, and then Tim Gettinger tallied at 15:02.

Pack goaltender Dylan Garand managed the third period well. He made key stops on Martin Frk, Will Bitten, and Nikita Alexandrov to secure the victory over Springfield in a contribution reminiscent of Cam Talbot, who thwarted the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a short playoff win for CT Whale years ago.

“Garand, has been solid all year and we played well defensively in front of him,” said Knoblauch.

SECOND PERIOD

The second period started with the Pack picking up right where they left off in the first frame scoring early and controlling the play. “We got great support from all our lines, and you need that in the playoffs,” Knoblauch stated.

Adam Edström forced Brady Lyle down and out into a tripping penalty on an early two-on-one.

The Pack power play, a work in progress throughout the regular season, paid off in this series.

After a successful zone entry, Bobby Trivigno took a short pass from Elson and fired it into the net off the near post at 3:57 for the team’s fourth goal.

Moving Elson from the fourth to the first line wasn’t difficult for Knoblauch.

“He got lost in the shuffle, when we had all those trades in the beginning of March. He kept working. We had him when (Ryan) Carpenter was sent down (by the Rangers) in early December and they had good chemistry. So we had to restructure our lines. We put them back together. It was a fairly easy decision for a coach to make,” Knoblauch said.

Repeating their success from Game One on Wednesday night, the Wolf Pack kept their foot on the gas pedal and continued their exigency.

Fine work on the left-wing boards by Will Cullye kept the puck in the zone. He intercepted a Thunderbirds clearing attempt and got it back to Zac Jones. The Pack defenseman wasted little time sending a cross-ice feed to a wide-open Blake Hillman.

Hillman moved in with Elson and Carpenter providing traffic in front of Joel Hofer and fired a rocket past the Springfield netminder for a 5-1 lead at 6:30.

FIRST PERIOD

The Pack struck first.

Lauri Pajuniemi received a backhanded pass from Blidh, faded off the left wing, and found Fritz rushing in. Fritz received the puck and deposited the first postseason goal of his career at 8:03.

“Fritz was so strong. We played a stretch of four-and-a-half minutes and he was a plus-three. It was easy to give him the tap on the shoulder to go out,” an impressed Knoblach stated.

With limited playoff experience, Fritz had opined weeks ago about his desire for postseason play. He put action into his words.

“I’ve got what, three games, in like six or seven years. It was something I really wanted to experience,” Fritz added, “We got belief in that locker room right now. We’re a lot different (team) than Springfield faced before. The crowd has been regularly exciting. We fed off that.”

The Pack made it 2-0 with Fritz and Blidh factoring in again.

Fritz got the puck to Wyatt Kalynuk on the left point. Kalynuk sent a perfect drive to the net with Blidh with the Hofer screen at 10:48 for what would prove to be the game-winning goal.

The Pack made it 3-0 with Fritz and Blidh factoring in on the tally again.

Fritz was on the left side. He and Jones played a quick pass and catch before finding Ty Emberson open on the right point. Emberson sent a low shot on the net with Blidh and Springfield defenseman Tyler Tucker tied up in front of Hofer, who never saw the puck.

Blidh will try to torture his ex-teammates in Providence in the next series.

With his team reeling early, former Wolf Pack and now Springfield Head Coach Drew Bannister was forced to use his timeout early to settle his rattled Thunderbirds down, much to the delight of the exuberant XL Center crowd.

The crowd started early, chanting, “We want pizza.” The chant was about a team promotion with a local eatery providing free slices to ticketed fans whenever the Pack scored four goals.

Adam Clendening laid a perfectly clean shoulder check and ran over Quinnipiac grad Matt Peca when he tried to cut across the ice on his zone entry in a one-on-four situation.

SPRINGFIELD’S ONLY TALLY

Springfield scored in the last minute of the first period on the power play.

A Bitten cross-ice, across-the-goal crease pass went off Alexandrov’s stick right back to Bitten. He put a shot on the net that went off the inside of Garand’s stick and pad while sliding over to make the save with 27.8 left in the period.

The Pack never wavered or gave Springfield a chance.

LINES:

Cullye-Carpenter-Elson
Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh
Gettinger-Edström-Lockwood
Henriksson-Sýkora-Trivigno

Jones-Emberson
Hillman-Scanlin
Clendening-Kalynuk

Garand
Gahagen #35

SCRATCHES:

Talyn Boyko #40
Matt Rempe (upper body, day-to-day)
Louie Roehl #4 (healthy)
Bryce McConnell-Barker #8 (healthy)
Brett Berard #27 (healthy)
Cooper Zech #37 (healthy)
Matt Robertson (upper body, may return in the later half of the next round of the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery).
C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season)

NOTES:

Near the end of the second period, the XL Center scoreboard malfunctioned and went out. Only the video portion came back. The issue forced the XL Center PA announcer to announce the time left when the play stopped. This continued until just 7:46 remained in the third period when only a small video was shown for the rest of the game.

The last playoff series win for the Wolf Pack came in a six-game quarterfinal series victory over the Hershey Bears in 2015. Two of the team’s home games were forced to be played in Worcester, MA, at the DCU Center. The now-shuttered Ringling Brothers Circus was at the XL Center. Worcester was still in the AHL before becoming an ECHL city.

Simsbury native Tommy Cross (Westminster), injured for half the season, dressed and played as a captain for an elimination game for Springfield.

Fritz’s three assists on Wednesday allowed him to become the 21st Wolf Pack to accomplish that in the playoffs. Chris Bourque was the last player to do so on May 15th, 2015. That was the last time the Wolf Pack had won a playoff game.

The Wolf Pack had three playoff series in the early years against the Springfield Falcons. They came in 1999, 2000, and 2003.

Eleven Pack players made their playoff debuts for Hartford on Wednesday night.

The AHL media voted Calgary Wrangler’s Dustin Wolf the league’s regular season Les Cunningham MVP. He becomes just the eighth goalie in league history to accomplish that honor. Wolf is the first netminder since the Wolf Pack’s Jason LaBarbera won the award in 2004. LaBarbera is presently the Calgary Flames goalie coach. Another ex-Pack, MacKenzie Skapski, is the Wranglers’ goalie coach.

The Jacksonville Icemen, the Wolf Pack Double AA affiliate, began its seven-game ECHL South semi-final series against the Rangers’ former ECHL affiliate, the Greenville (SC) Swamp Rabbits. Greenville took Game 1 4-1, with former UCONN forward Ben Freeman registering one of the goals, and former Thunderbird Ryan Bednard was in the net for the Swamp Rabbits.

Former Quinnipiac Bobcat Craig Martin had Jacksonville’s only goal. In the net for Jacksonville was a former Wolf Pack emergency goalie, Charles Williams. He made 27 saves in the loss.

Gettinger played his junior career under Bannister for three seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL). The Greyhounds was the landing spot for Wolf Packm assistant coach Jamie Tardif before coming to Hartford.

Bannister was a member of the 2000 Wolf Pack Calder Cup championship team celebrated here two weeks ago.

The Springfield Thunderbirds went to the Calder Cup Final against the Chicago Wolves last year and didn’t face an elimination game until the Conference Final against the Laval Rocket. Then, they faced elimination against the Kevin Dineen-coached Utica Comets.

Speaking of Dineen, congrats to his son William. As a freshman at Yale, he won the William Chace Sportsmanship and Dedication Award at the Ivy League School.

Chris Harpur, the younger brother of current Ranger, and former Wolf Pack, Ben Harpur, was recalled from the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) by the Syracuse Crunch.

After five years of NCAA hockey, Erik Gotz, the nephew of Wolf Pack great Ken Gernander, heads to Europe and signs with the Krefeld Penguins (Germany-DEL). He played a fifth year at the alma mater of two of his other uncles, the Gernander twins, Jim and Jerry, who were graduates of the Vermont Catamounts (HE) program. They played a Wolf Pack exhibition game with their brother many years ago.

Twelve players are now off to Europe. 228 Division I and III college players have signed pro deals in North America and Europe.

The USA U-18 Team is about to embark on the World U-18 championships in Basel, and Ajoie, Switzerland. They’ll play April 20-23. They named their roster. The team is coached by former Yale assistant Dan Muse and one of his assistants is ex-Pack, Chad Kolarik. Their players include two former Mid-Fairfield U-16 members, Sal Guzzo and Ryan Fine, who played together at Don Bosco Prep (NJPREP).

The Canadian U-18 squad coaches are ex-Springfield Falcon coach Jeff Truitt (Prince Albert-WHL), with one of his assistants being ex-Danbury Trasher, Bruce Richardson (Blaineville-Boisbrand-QMJHL).

Ex-Pack John Gilmour officially signed with Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL).

Cheshire native and former Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, Robert “Bert” Malloy, now a dual citizen, has been playing for the Australian National team this week in Madrid, Spain. It hasn’t gone well. They dropped their first three games to Croatia, Spain, and Iceland in Division II Group A. They won a 7-1 rout of the Israel National Team. Malloy collected the last two goals of the game. He had three shots and was a plus-three. The team plays tomorrow against the nation of Georgia at the Pista del Hielo Arena.

Some European titles have been decided. But, amazingly, in the middle of everything going on in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) has crowned MHK Sokil as their champion.

SG Cortina (Italy) has won the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL).

Anyang Halla (South Korea) won the first Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH) title in three years because of the pandemic. The team’s head coach is former AHL’er Jim Paek, with one-time Providence Bruin Matt Dalton, a South Korean citizen, in the net.

The XL Center honored their late colleague Pat Rudolph-Anderson by having her family drop the ceremonial first puck after a moment of silence. In addition, all monies raised from the 50/50 raffle, Chuck-A-Puck, and jersey auction were donated to the family. The other tribute came behind the goal on each end of the ice as the name “Pat” was etched onto the ice surface by 40-year-plus XL veteran Ice Crew Chief Therell Wayne Knight in a thoughtful homage.

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