By: Sam Zis, Howlings

STORRS, CT – Propelled by two goals from Hudson Schandor, the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in overtime, 4-3, in front of 2,691 at the first-ever students-only hockey game at Tuscano Family Ice Forum Thursday night.

At 2:37 of overtime, Ryan Tverberg found Schandor open and hit him with a tape-to-tape pass. Schandor then beat Seawolves goalie Jared Whale for the game-winner and his second goal of the game. 

Despite the need for overtime, the Huskies controlled the contest throughout.

The Seawolves were dominant early, coming out of the gate quickly about building a 7-1 lead in shots in the first five of the game.

After a lot of back-and-forth play, the Huskies broke through first with 8:39 left in the period. Schandor tallied his first of the game off a sparkling pass from Justin Pearson. The puck hit Whale but found a way to squeeze into the net.

The Huskies had a power play opportunity at 15:17, Seawolves forward Connor Marrit took a tripping penalty, but despite some solid scoring chances, the Huskies still went to the locker room up 1-0 and managed to even up the shots at ten.  

If there were any nerves on either bench to start the game, they were a distant memory by the time the second period started. The game was much more fluid, and both teams established flow and some consistency in their respective game.

UConn doubled their lead at 9:48 and broke the silence of the second frame off a slick deflection goal by Tristan Frase and assisted by Harrison Rees and Tabor Heaslip

The Seawolves would finally break through and cut the lead in half with just over 4 minutes left to play in the period. Jared White Buried a rebound on the power play. The assist was given to Dylan Findlay.

To start the third period, the Huskies were put on a power play when Seawolves defenseman Carson Kosobud took a cross-checking penalty at 2:00. 

The Huskies capitalized as Connecticut native Nick Capone whizzed a one-timer past Whale to make it 3-1 in favor of the home team. 

But the Seawolves refused to quietly and again cut the Huskies’ two-goal advantage in half just 35 seconds later when freshman forward Conor Cole found Matt Allen in front of the net for a point-blank shot, and it was 3-2. 

Despite the Huskies’ dominant play, the Seawolves found the equalizer at 13:04 when Alex Gomez finished off a rebound surrendered by UConn netminder Logan Terness (28 saves) of a Maximilion Helgeson shot.

The Huskies pressed for the game-winner in regulation; however, they couldn’t beat the skilled Seawolves netminder. 

After two unanswered goals to end regulation, it might have seemed to some that the Seawolves were in control with momentum, but the Huskies came out to OT on a mission. 

No underestimating the fantastic effort from Whale (36 saves) that gave the Seawolves life in the game. 

The University of Connecticut Huskies are set to face off against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats at home Saturday at 3:05 PM. UConn improves to 18-10-3 on the season and 6-2-3 in overtime.

UCONN HOCKEY

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK TO HONOR HOUSATONIC HOCKEY PLAYER MARCUS ROGERS ON FRIDAY NIGHT

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack organization will honor the memory of Housatonic hockey player Marcus Rogers this Friday night when the club hosts the Bridgeport Islanders at the XL Center.

Rogers, 16, and his grandfather, William O’Leary, tragically lost their lives on January 31^st while on their way to hockey practice. Rogers, a student at Wolcott Tech, played for the Housatonic co-op team.

The Harford Wolf Pack Community Foundation will donate proceeds from Friday night’s 50/50 raffle, Chuck-A-Puck, and a jersey auction to the ‘Marcus Rogers Memorial Foundation.’ In addition, Marcus’ #20 jersey will hang on the Wolf Pack bench during pregame warmups ahead of the tilt against the Islanders.

Marcus’ teammates with the Housatonic co-op will get the opportunity to visit with the Wolf Pack before Friday night’s game and help Head Coach Kris Knoblauch present the starting lineup in the Wolf Pack locker room.

Tina Rogers, Marcus’ mother, will also be in attendance on Friday night and will drop the ceremonial puck drop before the start of the game.

During the first intermission, the Housatonic co-op team will make their way to the Wolf Pack bench, where a special tribute video in memory of Marcus will be played on the jumbotron.

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 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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and play 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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By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack 

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude their season-long five-game homestand tonight as they welcome the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to town for their first game following the All-Star break.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.

Tale of The Tape:

This is the second of four meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Phantoms this season. It is the second and final meeting at the XL Center. The sides will meet at the PPL Center on February 19^th, then wrap the season series up on April 1^st with another game in Allentown, PA.

The Pack took the first meeting by a final score of 3-2 on December 7^th in Hartford. Ty Emberson opened the scoring just 2:58 into the game, while Andy Welinski and Will Cuylle tacked on insurance markers at 5:51 and 11:19 of the opening frame. Garrett Wilson and Tyson Foerster would strike in the third period for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough, as Louis Domingue made seven third-period saves for the victory.

The Pack have won two straight at home against the Phantoms, taking a 6-4 decision on February 5^th, 2022, and a 3-2 decision back in December.

The Pack are 3-3-0-1 against the Phantoms over the last seven meetings, while the Phantoms have a record of 4-3-0-0 in that span.

Wolf Pack Outlook:

The Wolf Pack won their second straight game on Saturday night, scoring a season-high eight goals in an 8-2 rout of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the XL Center. Tim Gettinger opened the scoring, striking just eight seconds into the contest. Gettinger would finish the night with three points (2 g, 1 a).

In his 300th career AHL game, Tanner Fritz scored the game-winner and finished with two points (1 g, 1 a). It was his first game-winning goal of the campaign. Captain Jonny Brodzinski set a career-high for points in a game with four (1 g, 3 a). He now has points in seven straight games, scoring eleven points (3 g, 8 a) in that span.

Emberson, Turner Elson, Matt Rempe, and Brandon Scanlin also scored in the victory. Gettinger and Brodzinski, meanwhile, both ended the night with +/- ratings of +5. That tied the franchise record for the best +/- in a single game.

The win pushed Hartford to sixth place in the Atlantic Division, jumping the Penguins and Bridgeport Islanders. It is the first time this season that Hartford has held sole possession of a playoff spot.

Elson leads Hartford in scoring with 25 points (10 g, 15 a) in 45 games. Cuylle has the team lead in goals with 14, while Fritz’s 20 assists top the club in that category.

On Sunday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) recalled forwards Cuylle and Sammy Blais. Cuylle was assigned back to the Wolf Pack on Thursday afternoon.

Hartford is 2-2-0-0 during their current five-game homestand.

Phantoms Outlook:

The Phantoms scored an impressive 5-1 victory over the Hershey Bears on Saturday night in Chocolatetown. Aliaksei Protas opened the scoring for the home side, but Jackson Cates and Foerster would score at 2:21 and 8:16 of the middle stanza to flip the game and put the Phantoms ahead for good.

Jordy Bellerive delivered the dagger at 2:55 of the third period, while Bobby Brink scored on the powerplay at 16:49. Cates potted his second goal, a shorthanded tally into an empty net, at 19:44 to end the scoring.

The win pushed the Phantoms to 6-4-0-0 in their last ten games. They currently hold sole possession of fifth place in the Atlantic Division with 49 points.

Olle Lycksell leads the Phantoms in scoring with 33 points (8 g, 25 a) in 33 games. Foerster, meanwhile, leads the club in goals with 17 in the campaign. Elliot Desnoyers (14), Artem Anisimov (12), and Cates (10) have also hit double-digit goals this season for the club.

Game Information: 

WATCH: AHLTV
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 and Mixlr.

The Wolf Pack conclude a back-to-back set tomorrow night when they visit the Hershey Bears for the final time this season. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage will be available on AHLTV and Mixlr.

The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday night when they welcome the Bridgeport Islanders to town at 7:00 p.m. for the latest installment of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’! Join us for $2 beers and $1 hot dogs! Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.

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BY: Eric Hudec, Howlings

Newington, CT – The CT Chiefs came from behind with a 5-goal second period to lead the Eastern Hockey League Premier team to a 6-1 victory over the visiting Union Jr. Thunder at Newington Arena on Sunday.

Going into the first intermission, the Chiefs trailed 1-0 after Hayden McGuigan took a Case Kolbusz feed and found the back of the net past the Chiefs’ starting netminder, Jordan Nicolucci (21 saves).

The message from Head Coach Jeremy Gerhardt was simple, “Stick with the plan,” he told his team during the first intermission. Gerhardt implored his team to find a goal early in the second period.

Michael Holland responded by ripping a shot past Thunder netminder Shawn Kline (34 saves) just 2:39 into the second frame.

CT CHIEFS SCORE QUICKLY TO TAKE CONTROL

The Chiefs then potted two goals, 1:05 apart, to break the game open.

At 9:45, Oliver Hertzberg sniped a point shot to give the Chiefs the lead, 2-1.

Co-captain Colin Hines stuffed a loose puck in front of the net to give the Chiefs a two-goal lead at 10:50 to make it 3-1, and the Chiefs never looked back.

Thunder Head Coach Sam Tafel responded by calling a timeout to quell the rising Chiefs’ momentum, but the boulder had begun to roll downhill.

“We got a good group of guys. A lot of talent. When we stick to the plan and stick to the way we normally skate, we will be ok,” Gerhardt stated on his team’s dominating performance.

Defenseman Grayden Iannello made it 4-1, netting his fourth goal of the season at 13:48 with helpers going to Andrew Gonzalez and Robert Toucher.

Chiefs’ leading goal scorer, Jordan Palacio, daggered the Thunder with just 48 seconds left in the second period when he picked off a cross-ice pass in the Thunder’s defensive zone and blasted it past Kline from the top of the circle to make it 5-1.

STRONG FINISH IN THE THIRD PERIOD 

The Chiefs added another in the 3rd period with a shot from Jon Rioux and a tip in front from Rudolfs Jirgensons at 11:41. Chiefs outshot the Thunder 40-22.

“I think it’s a good stepping point to know that when we do stick to the systems and play a good team game, that we can score goals and continue to take that into the last 9 games and into playoffs,” Gerhardt said.

The contest between the two EHLP teams was central to a charity fundraising event to benefit the Connecticut Children’s Craniofacial Department. With donations still coming in, the event raised over $8,000.

CONNECTICUT CHIEFS

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BY: Mitch Beck, Editor in Chief, Howlings

MONROE, CT – Are you interested in pursuing a career in sports journalism? If you are, Howlings needs sports journalism interns, so I want to hear from you. As the Editor in Chief of Howlings, and because as Director of Operations, the team’s lone Play-by-Play broadcaster, and a part-time coach with the Connecticut Chiefs, my schedule is so incredibly time-demanding and restricted, plus with my part-time gig teaching for USA Hockey, I don’t have the time to put as much energy into Howlings as I have had in the past. I love our readers, and they are not getting served as I want them to be done; I also feel those terrific writers submitting stuff to us are not getting their property published on time, which disappoints me.

Therefore, I need to find an intern who wants to learn the sports journalism’s ins and outs. I will teach you all you need to know, from writing stories to their proper editing and posting of the stories here on Howlings.

I will also get you properly credentialed into games to cover them. You will be expected to be professional while on-site and conducting interviews with players and coaches. You will write and submit to me your stories on the teams you are interested in covering, and we will get them online for our readers to see.

I will then give you whatever information you need for your college internship, and you will have worked real journalism and have a foot up on anyone else applying for a real job when you apply for them. In addition, I have placed several guys who have worked for us in the past in the field from the experience they gained here.

If you are genuinely interested, please email me at mitch@howlings.net immediately. There is an awful lot of work to be done. So please reach out to me right away.

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BY: Jason Chaimovitch, The AHL.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … Today, the American Hockey League announced the four people selected for induction into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame as the Class of 2022.

Honored by the AHL Hall of Fame Selection Committee as the 17th group of enshrinees are Keith Aucoin, Nolan Baumgartner, Dave Creighton, and Bill Torrey.

“For more than eight decades, the American Hockey League has been built on principles of excellence both on and off the ice,” said Scott Howson, AHL President, and Chief Executive Officer. “Each of these four distinguished individuals exemplified those principles at the highest levels throughout their careers, and the AHL Board of Governors unanimously endorses the Selection Committee’s recommendation for their induction into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame as the Class of 2022.”

ANDREWS IN HOF

In addition to the Class of 2022, this season’s induction ceremony will include long-time AHL President and CEO David Andrews, who was previously selected as the lone member of the Class of 2021. The American Hockey League Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony is scheduled for February 7 in Laval, Que. as part of the 2022 AHL All-Star Classic festivities.

Formed in 2006 to recognize, honor, and celebrate individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the American Hockey League, the AHL Hall of Fame is housed online at ahlhalloffame.com and is accessible to fans worldwide with the click of a mouse as part of the AHL Internet Network.

Since 1936, the American Hockey League has served as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters, and staff of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of NHL players each year are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.

CLASS OF 2022: KEITH AUCOIN

One of the most decorated players ever to skate in the American Hockey League, Keith Aucoin was undrafted out of NCAA Division III Norwich University in Vermont and broke into the AHL with his hometown Lowell Lock Monsters in 2001-02. He recorded 857 points in 769 games over parts of 13 AHL seasons with Lowell, the Providence Bruins, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Albany River Rats, Hershey Bears, Toronto Marlies, and Chicago Wolves, retiring as the seventh-leading scorer in league history. Aucoin won the Calder Cup with Hershey in 2009 and 2010 and was the AHL’s MVP and scoring champion for the 2009-10 season after tallying 106 points in 70 games. In addition, he played in a record-tying six AHL All-Star Classics and was voted a First Team (2009, 2010, 2012) and Second Team (2006, 2007, 2011) AHL All-Star three times each.

CLASS OF 2022: NOLAN BAUMGARTNER

Nolan Baumgartner spent most of his 16-year professional playing career in the AHL, appearing in 878 games and notching 83 goals and 307 assists for 390 points with the Portland Pirates, Norfolk Admirals, Manitoba Moose, Philadelphia Phantoms, Iowa Stars, and Chicago Wolves. Baumgartner appeared in three AHL All-Star Classics, was a standout two-way defenseman and well-respected leader, and was selected as an All-Star playing captain at the 2010 event. Baumgartner also accrued 29 points in 86 postseason games, including an appearance in the Calder Cup Finals with Manitoba in 2009. The Calgary native, a first-round draft pick by Washington in 1994, served as an assistant coach for Vancouver’s AHL affiliates in Chicago and Utica for five seasons before being promoted to the Canucks in 2017.

CLASS OF 2022: DAVE CREIGHTON

A prolific American Hockey League scorer during the 1950s and 1960s, Dave Creighton played 21 professional seasons between 1948 and 1969, becoming one of only four players in hockey history to skate in at least 600 games in both the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League. The native of Port Arthur is tied for 25th all-time in AHL, scoring 692 points (258 goals, 434 assists) in 800 contests over parts of 14 seasons with the Hershey Bears, Rochester Americans, Buffalo Bisons, Baltimore Clippers, and Providence Reds. Creighton served four seasons as head coach of the Reds — including three as player/coach — and won the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player in 1967-68. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 87.

CLASS OF 2022: BILL TORREY

Hockey Hall of Famer Bill Torrey began his front-office hockey career as the publicity director for the American Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Hornets in 1961. He remained active with the AHL throughout his illustrious career as an NHL executive, including four straight Stanley Cup championships as general manager of the New York Islanders and 25 years of service with the Florida Panthers. A trusted advisor and mentor, Torrey served on the Executive Committee of the AHL Board of Governors for two decades. In addition, he was a member of the AHL Hall of Fame selection committee from its inception in 2006. Torrey passed away in 2018 at the age of 83.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

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HARTFORD, CT – As the ’20-’21 hockey season officially comes to a close with the Tampa Bay Lightning repeating as Stanley Cup Champions, hockey news now begins in earnest.

Ex-Hartford Wolf Pack captain Cole Schneider signed a one-year AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals. The Admirals didn’t play last season because of COVID. Schneider played last season with the Texas Stars and skated for the Admirals in 2019-20.

The New York Rangers gave long-time goalie coach Benoit Allaire a title promotion. Allaire’s new title is Director of Goaltending.

FILATRAULT NEW CONSULTANT

Allaire hired a new goaltending consultant, Jean-Ian Filatrault, who’s been a goalie coach since 2010 in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, Cleveland Monsters, San Antonio Rampage, and the Colorado Eagles. During his playing career, Filatrault was mainly in the second edition of the Central Hockey League with the very successful Oklahoma City Blazers, Macon Whoopee, San Angelo (TX) Outlaws, and the Border City (Texarkana, TX) Bruins. He also had stops in the ECHL with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings and Dayton Gems and one in WCHL with the Tacoma (WA) Sabercats. He played three years in France with HC Anglet in the French Elite Magnus League.

Jeff Malcolm (Yale University) has been elevated to being goalie coach in Hartford. Hiring Malcolm means that Eric Raymond was not retained.

Jack Drury, the son of ex-Hartford Whaler Ted Drury and the nephew of Rangers’ President and New York and Hartford General Manager, Chris Drury, signed his NHL three-year Entry-Level Contract with the Carolina Hurricanes ($925K-NHL/$70K-AHL).

Last season, Drury skated with the Växjö Lakers HC (Sweden-SHL), who won the LeMat Trophy championship and won the Bronze medal playing for Team USA at the World Championships Latvia where his uncle Chris is the team’s General Manager.

Carolina’s AHL farm team is in his hometown, the Chicago Wolves.

MORE MOVES

Patrick Grasso, the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk, Tom Mullen, signs a one-year AHL deal with the Utica Comets.

Former UCONN Husky, Joe Masonius, and Jordan Kaplan (Salisbury School), a Sacred Heart University (AHA) transfer to the University of Vermont, both inked one-year deals with the Comets, and both players hail from the Garden State. Masonius from Spring Lake and Kaplan from Bridgewater.

Boston announced they had signed Providence forwards Cameron Hughes and Joona Koppanen each to one-year, two-way (NHL-AHL) deals.

Jay Varady is returned by the Arizona Coyotes to the Tucson Roadrunners to return as their head coach and signed a new three-year deal.

The ECHL expansion Trois-Rivieres Lions announced their first four-player signees, all with Quebec pedigrees from their area, including ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger and Springfield Falcons Mathieu Gagnon.

BOUCHARD NOW IN SAN DIEGO

The Anaheim Ducks have named ex-Wolf Pack/Sound Tiger Joël Bouchard as the San Diego Gulls head coach after relieving ex-Hartford Whaler Kevin Dineen.

Bouchard, 47, spent the past three seasons as head coach of the Laval Rocket. He guided them to a record of 83-67-14-10, including a Canadian Division title in 2020-21.

Bouchard spent seven seasons from 2011-18 as general manager of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), while also serving as head coach from 2014-18.

In 272 games behind the Armada bench, he posted a 160-80-32 record, including consecutive QMJHL President Cup Finals appearances in 2017 and 2018. He also served as an assistant coach with the Montreal Juniors of the QMJHL from 2008-11 before the franchise was relocated to Blainville-Boisbriand in 2011, located about a half-hour from Montreal.

Bouchard also has international experience as the general manager of the Canadian National Junior Team for two years, assembling a roster that won a gold medal at the 2018 World Junior Championship and silver in the 2017 tournament.

ABBOTSFORD NEWS

The Abbotsford newest entry in the AHL has pushed back, unveiling its new name and team colors.

A scheduled Friday press conference was postponed until Wednesday, July 14th. The team is expected to become the seventh AHL team to share their parent team’s nickname – the Abbotsford Canucks – to put on their hockey birth certificate. The other teams who share their NHL team’s name are; Providence, Bridgeport, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Texas, Belleville, and Iowa.

The city is located forty minutes east of downtown Vancouver. The name was registered back on May 5th, according to abbynews.com. The team also registered a domain name, Facebook page, Twitter account and created a Tik Tok page named @abbycanucks on May 5th, the day of the team’s announcement moving the team from Utica.

The Fraser Valley Canucks was a trademark by a group in Iceland, but none of the other eight names offered as possible team names searching multiple websites that track trademarked names were registered.

This will be the second go-round for the AHL in Abbotsford. The first edition ended with a spectacular flameout to the tune of a $5 million payout to the Calgary Flames to exit halfway thru a 10-year deal.

MORE PLAYER MOVEMENT

Ex-CT Whale, Kelsey Tessier, leaves EC Bad Nauheim (Germany DEL-2) to skate next season with HC Rouen Dragons (France-FREL), who play in the 12-team Elite Magnus League.

Strauss Mann (Greenwich/Brunswick School) leaves Michigan (Big 10) and signs with Skelleftea AIK (Sweden-SHL).

Jeff Baum graduates from AIC (AHA) in Springfield and signs with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland). They play in the UK-based Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), making 23 college players signing in Europe and 101 players total to sign a pro deal in North America or Europe.

Hockey East has 22; Big 10 has 21, NCHC 13, AHA 7, ECACHL 6, and the recently mothballed WCHA has three.

Ben Lake (Sacred Heart University-AHA) moves over from the Manchester Storm (EIHL) to Belfast (Northern Ireland-EIHL) in the fall. He has dual citizenship and recently skated for the Great Britain team at the IIHF World Championships in Latvia.

Alexander Fortin, the nephew of former Whaler Jean-Sebastien Giguere, leaves the Colorado Eagles (AHL) and signs a one-year AHL deal with Laval.

Giguere’s other nephew, Cam Lee, plays for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The Rocket signed another Quebec native in Danick Martel to a one-year AHL deal. He spent last season with the Binghamton Devils, who played in New Jersey and moved their farm to Utica for this upcoming season.

SEATTLE MAKING MOVES

The Seattle Kraken announced the assistants to the team’s first head coach, Dave Hakstol’s staff. They’ve hired ex-Sound Tiger Jay Leach, who manned the bench for the Atlantic Division-winning Providence Bruins. The other is Paul McFarland, a head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs (OHL). He worked with Hakstol when they were on Mike Babcock’s staff in Toronto with the Maple Leafs.

The Leach hire makes three ex-Sound Tigers in Seattle. They include the Sound Tigers’ one-time head coach Dave Baseggio (Yale University), Director of Pro Scouting, and equipment manager, Jeff Camellia.

Seattle announced their first three games, all exhibitions against all Canadian opponents. The games will be played in Washington State. The first game will be played September 26 against Vancouver in Spokane and the next against Edmonton on October 1st in Everett, and the next night in Kent.

All three cities are home to major junior WHL teams, Spokane Chiefs, Everett Silvertips, and the Seattle Thunderbirds.

The last pre-season game will be played in Vancouver, and the Kraken will open on the road for three regular season games before they baptize their new arena-Climate Pledge Arena.

LOTS MORE MOVEMENT

Ex-Sound Tiger Scott Burt was named the new head coach for the Rapid City Rush (ECHL), replacing another ex-Sound Tiger, Daniel Tetrault, who was let go after four years.

Ivan Nalimov leaves the Rockford Icehogs for the Russian Far East team returning to the KHL after a year off for COVID and financial reasons, HC Vladivostok Admiral (Russia-KHL).

Rinat Valiyev, who didn’t play last year, last skated with the Stockton Heat in 2019-20 signs with AK Bars Kazan (Russia-KHL).

Two members of the Iowa Wild sign overseas, Tyler Sheehy with Nuremberg (Germany-DEL) and Jarrett Burton with the Stavanger Oilers (Norway-NEL).

Ian Scheid leaves the Colorado Eagles and signs with the EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL).

42 AHL’ers have left for Europe, and 21 of 31 AHL clubs have lost at least one player.

Seven players have gone to Germany, and two to Norway and Russia leads with 11 signees, with the KHL has attracted 14 players.

EX-PACK ON THE MOVE

Ex-Pack Chad Nehring,  after taking a year off recovering from a concussion and signed for a fourth German DEL season with a new team, the Augsburger Panthers.

Ex-Wolf Pack/CT Whale Evgeni Grachev departs Dynamo Riga (Latvia-KHL) and heads east through 13 times zones to sign with HC Vladivostok (Russia-KHL).

Ex-Wolf Pack Ahti Oksanen leaves KooKoo (Finland-FEL) and signs with HK Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic-CEL).

MEANWHILE, BACK AT UCONN

The UCONN Hockey East schedule dates are not finalized, but the opponent matrix is set.

After playing all of their home games at the Freitas Ice Forum on the UCONN campus last year, this season will see all of the Huskies/ home games played at the XL Center. The new arena UCONN is building has broken ground, and work is steadily being done.

The Hockey East portion of the schedule will feature three meetings against Boston College, Boston University, University of New Hampshire, and Northeastern. All other series meetings will be two games.

The non-conference home opponents will be Sacred Heart University (AHA) of Fairfield, Colgate, and a home-and-home with American International College – AIC (AHA) from nearby Springfield. The road non-conference schools include; Ohio State (two games), Dartmouth College (ECACHL) that feature former Quinnipiac Bobcat player and coach Reid Cashman as their new coach, and Harvard University (ECACHL).

The Connecticut Ice Festival at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport returns. The tournament will be played on Saturday and Sunday, January 28th and 29th of 2022. The participants are Connecticut’s D-I teams, Sacred Heart, Yale University, UCONN, and Quinnipiac. No schedule matrix or game times has been finalized.

MORE COLLEGE NEWS

Former Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) assistant Bill Riga is the new head coach at Holy Cross (AHA). He announced his coaching staff, and it has some CT flavor.

Caston Sommer, who played at Hotchkiss Prep (Lakeville, CT) and is a grad of the Crusader program, was an assistant with the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) for the last three years. His father is current San Jose Barracuda head coach and the all-time winningest coach in AHL history, Roy Sommer.

Ex-Pack Bobby Butler was named the team’s volunteer coach. Since retiring last season in Hartford, he has been the Director of Hockey Operations for the Worcester Jr. Railers (EHL).

Ex-Danbury Whaler Max Mobley, an assistant last year at Holy Cross, was named the new assistant coach for Canisius College (AHA). Mobley was part of the first class of Arizona youth hockey players to play junior and college hockey.

The Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks of the USA Hockey Tier-2 level NAHL will be playing in a 29 team league in the fall.

Coming back after a year off will be the Jamestown (NY) Rebels, Springfield (Illinois) Jr, Blues coached by ex-Sound Tiger Tyler Rennette, and the Corpus Christi (TX) IceRays.

TEAM MOVEMENT

There will also be two expansion teams and a pair of relocated teams.

The expansion teams are the El Paso (TX) Rhinos and the Anchorage (AK) Wolverines.

The relocated team is the Amarillo (TX) Wranglers; currently, the Kansas City Scouts. They previously were the Topeka Scarecrows. The Amarillo Bulls were relocated to Mason City, Iowa, on the Iowa/Minnesota border. They will be called the North Iowa Bulls.

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The post CANTLON: HOCKEY BUSINESS ACTIVITY PICKING UP first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The second major junior draft conducted by the QMJHL finished up Friday and Saturday.

The first 14 rounds encompassing the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland/Labrador, and Prince Edward Island saw 255 young men get selected.

One American school player was taken second overall in Tyler Peddie (St. Andrews, Nova Scotia) by the Drummondville Voltigeurs from the Shattuck’s St. Mary’s Sabres (MN) program.

The second day of the draft saw the US Draft of 36 players from various northeastern US schools and junior programs selected, among them, nine players from Connecticut.

Kurt Gurkan (Darien) was the first taken in the first round (2nd overall) by the Cape Breton Eagles. Last season, the Phillips Exeter Academy (NHPREP) enrollee played for three New Jersey Hitmen teams (USPHL/NCDC/U-18) and two New York River Rats squads (U-18/U-16).

Joe Connor (Avon Old Farms-CTPREP) was taken by the Moncton Wildcats in the first round 5th overall. He was taken in the spring by Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL Phase-2 Draft.

Alex Pelletier (Manchester/Avon Old Farms) was taken in the first round (12th overall) by the Blainville/Boisbriand Armada, located about 30 minutes from Montreal.

Then taken in the 1st round 14th overall, Matt Fusco, youngest son of former Whaler Mark Fusco was selected. He finished his fourth year at Dexter Southfield School (MAPREP) and is slated to join his older brother John at Harvard University (ECACHL) this fall.

Ryan Sanborn (Brookfield/Mid-Fairfield U-15) was taken in the 1st round (16th overall) by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He was taken by the Youngstown (OH) Phantoms in the USHL Phase-2 draft earlier in the spring.

Then Nick Capasso (Northford) was the third Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers player taken in the 2nd round 23rd overall by Moncton.

Tanner Duncan (Ridgefield) was drafted two selections later by the Rouyn Noranda Huskies, located in Northwest Quebec near Ottawa.

Then the biggest surprise selection was Ben Carfora, from the public school ranks and the West Haven Blue Devils program. He also skated some with the Yale Jr. Bulldogs U-15 AAA team and was taken in the 2nd round 32nd overall by Shawinigan Cataractes, located about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City.

“Cataractes” is the plural form of the word “cataracte,” which means in English ‘cataract’ in the sense of a powerful waterfall, derived from the Latin word “cataracta,” meaning ‘waterfall.’

No relation to eye surgery in any way.

The team is named after the Shawinigan Falls, a prominent waterfall in the city of Shawinigan which till 1951 was known as Shawinigan Falls.

The team is the only team in the league still playing in its original location when the QMJHL was founded in 1969.

According to West Haven hockey sources, he is expected to head to either a prep school or US junior program next season.

The last pick from CT was Wes Zolin (Greenwich) in the second round 33rd overall, who also skated for the Yale Jr. Bulldogs U-16 AAA team last year was selected by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, whose GM is former New Haven Nighthawk, Sylvain Couturier.

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HARTFORD, CT – A Cantlon’s Corner exclusive – While an Atlantic Division playoff is becoming increasingly unlikely to out of the question, it’s not so out West

A West Coast-based NHL source indicated that the Pacific Division is formulating a divisional playoff plan. The plan would include a play-in game, then a best-of-three series. Those series would be held in either Irvine, California, at the San Diego Gulls’ home facility, or in a bubble scenario in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The preliminary starting date is sometime in mid-May, likely May 15. Still, the limited post-season will conclude no later than the end of May to make players available for their parent team’s Stanley Cup playoff rosters.

More on this story as it develops.

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The post CANTLON: * EXCLUSIVE * AHL WEST PLAYOFFS first appeared on Howlings.

Hartford Wolf Pack 5, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2

Hartford, CT, March 27, 2021 – Special teams made the difference for the Hartford Wolf Pack in its second straight win Saturday, a 5-2 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the XL Center.

Darren Raddysh and Austin Rueschhoff scored power-play goals for Hartford, and Justin Richards had a shorthander for his first pro goal.  Tarmo Reunanen and Paul Thompson added third-period goals, and Adam Huska made 20 saves for his second consecutive win.

Cole Bardreau scored both Bridgeport goals, and Jakub Skarek stopped 32 shots.

The Wolf Pack got the only goal of the first period, at 12:28, after some vital work early by Huska, who had made 23 saves in his first win of the season Thursday, a 4-2 decision at Providence on Thursday.

With Otto Koivula in the penalty box for hooking, Raddysh blasted a shot from the middle of the blue line through a screen and high into the net behind Skarek.

The Wolf Pack power play scored on its next opportunity at 4:29 of the second period, with Yanick Turcotte serving a charging penalty.

Thompson fed a pass from the left-wing side to Rueschhoff headed to the net, and he deflected the puck through Skarek’s pads.

Then, on Bridgeport’s first man-advantage opportunity, the Wolf Pack added a shorthanded goal at 9:58.  With Thompson off for cross-checking, Anthony Greco sped down the left-wing and fired a shot that Skarek stopped, but the rebound came off his pads, and Richards easily buried it.

Bardreau got Bridgeport on the board at 12:26, though, with his fourth goal of the season.  Tom Kuhnhackl sent the puck off the right-wing corner boards from inside the red line, and Bardreau caught up to the carom and sent a close-in shot past Huska.

Bardreau struck the first shift of the third period, only 12 seconds in, cutting the margin to 3-2.  Richards tried to pass the puck behind his net to the corner to Huska’s left, but Bardreau intercepted and sent a quick backhand shot that found its way under Huska’s right arm and into the net.

After that, the Wolf Pack settled down, though, and Reunanen got the lead back to two goals at 13:51.  Ty Ronning broke down right-wing and centered a pass that Tim Gettinger deflected on goal.  Skarek made a sharp save but could not control the rebound, which came to Reunanen high in the slot, and Skarek had no chance on his hard shot.

Thompson completed the scoring with 3:54 left, taking a pass from Patrick Khodorenko and firing a sharp-angle shot from nearly the bottom of the right circle that went over Skarek’s short-side shoulder and under the crossbar.

The Wolf Pack’s next game is at Bridgeport this Friday, April 2.  Faceoff is 1:00 PM, and all of the Wolf Pack’s 2021 action can be seen live online at theahl.com/AHLTV.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2 at Hartford Wolf Pack 5
Saturday, March 27, 2021 – XL Center

Bridgeport  0 1 1 – 2
Hartford      1 2 2 – 5

1st Period-1, Hartford, Raddysh 1 (Ronning, Richards), 12:28 (PP). Penalties-Koivula Bri (hooking), 10:36.

2nd Period-2, Hartford, Rueschhoff 2 (Thompson, Greco), 4:29 (PP). 3, Hartford, Richards 1 (Greco), 9:58 (SH). 4, Bridgeport, Bardreau 4 (Kuhnhackl, Kubiak), 12:26. Penalties-Turcotte Bri (charging), 3:15; Timashov Bri (tripping), 5:57; Thompson Hfd (cross-checking), 8:07; Wotherspoon Bri (fighting), 12:35; Gettinger Hfd (fighting), 12:35; Holmstrom Bri (high-sticking), 13:03.

3rd Period-5, Bridgeport, Bardreau 5   0:12. 6, Hartford, Reunanen 3 (Gettinger, Ronning), 13:51. 7, Hartford, Thompson 2 (Khodorenko), 16:06. Penalties-Raddysh Hfd (cross-checking), 7:28; Carpenter Bri (slashing), 10:44; Turcotte Bri (cross-checking), 17:45.

Shots on Goal-Bridgeport 7-10-5-22. Hartford 11-16-10-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Bridgeport 0 / 2; Hartford 2 / 6.
Goalies-Bridgeport, Skarek 1-6-0 (37 shots-32 saves). Hartford, Huska 2-1-0 (22 shots-20 saves).
A-0 (Covid Protocol)
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Casey Terreri (75).
Linesmen-Glen Cooke (6), Brent Colby (7).

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