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WOLF PACK BATTLE TO KNOCK OFF THUNDERBIRDS 6-4

Mitch Beck — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 03:41:48 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

SPRINGFIELD, MA—On Saturday night at the MassMutual Center, The Hartford Wolf Pack earned their fourth straight victory and a split of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ this season. The Wolf Pack came back on four different occasions before eventually completing the comeback in the third period, winning 6-4.

Brennan Othmann gave the Wolf Pack their first lead of the night 12:04 into the third period, scoring his 21^st goal of the season. Othmann weaved his way into the slot before rifling a shot by Vadim Zhernko’s glove. The goal proved to be Othmann’s fourth game-winning goal of the season.

The Thunderbirds opened the scoring 6:15 into the game, as Mathias Laferriere fired home his seventh goal of the season. Laferriere worked his way into the right-wing circle before beating goaltender Hugo Ollas with his blocker.

Just 57 seconds later, however, the Wolf Pack countered. Othmann snapped a shot by Zherenko’s glove from the left-wing circle, lighting the lamp for the 20^th time this season. Victor Mancini was credited with the lone assist on the goal at 7:12, the first point of his professional career.

The T-Birds regained the lead at 14:04, as the Wolf Pack failed to clear a puck. Matthew Kessel stepped into a blast that beat Ollas for his third goal of the season.

Once again, however, the Wolf Pack had an answer. Jaroslav Chmelař potted his second career professional goal at 17:27, converting on a breakaway. Chmelař went backhand-to-forehand before roofing a shot over Zhernko’s glove.

The Wolf Pack pushed hard for their first lead in the middle stanza, but Zherenko held firm before things settled down heading into the final five minutes. Zhernko made 13 saves in the period, preventing the Wolf Pack from gaining a lead.

Jakub Vrana gave the Thunderbirds their third lead of the night at 15:01, using his speed to gain a partial breakaway. Vrana drew a penalty on Nikolas Brouillard but didn’t need the man advantage. He finished it off right there, going to the backhand and beating Ollas through the five-hole for his 16^th goal of the season.

The Thunderbirds were awarded the game’s first powerplay at 17:20, as Othmann was whistled for boarding. After a solid kill, Mac Hollowell nearly sprang Othmann in on a breakaway after he exited the penalty box.

The pass harmlessly fluttered into the offensive zone, or so it seemed. Othmann turned on the jets, collected the puck, and fed Hollowell. Hollowell cut to the net, went to the backhand, and stuffed home his third goal of the season at 19:31 to tie things up again.

For the fourth time, the Thunderbirds took the lead. This time, a powerplay strike from Zach Dean at 2:50 of the third period made it a 4-3 game.

Sahil Panwar had the Wolf Pack’s fourth response, as he tipped in his first career AHL goal at 9:58. Blake Hillman stepped into a shot that Panwar deflected in front to make it a 4-4 game.

Othmann gave the Wolf Pack their first lead of the night at 12:04, completing a three-point effort (2 g, 1 a). Hollowell picked up his 40^th assist of the season, the first defenseman to accomplish the feat for the Wolf Pack since Andrew Hutchinson during the 2007-08 season.

Adam Sýkora completed the comeback at 18:36, hitting an empty net for his eighth goal of the season.

Ollas made 14 saves to collect the victory in his professional debut.

Hartford concludes the 2023-24 regular season tomorrow with a trip to Providence to take on the Bruins. The puck drop is set for 3:05 p.m.

# # #

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 safety, and more.

ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since its inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOWLINGS

The post WOLF PACK BATTLE TO KNOCK OFF THUNDERBIRDS 6-4 first appeared on Howlings.

WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: APRIL 15th, 2024

Mitch Beck — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:19:35 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT—The Hartford Wolf Pack have punched their ticket to the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. The club is heading back to the dance following back-to-back victories over the weekend, its first consecutive victories since early March.

With three games to go in the season, the Wolf Pack will look to lock up seeding and set the tone for a showdown with one of three division rivals.

Friday, April 12^th, 2024, Vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (5-3 W): The Wolf Pack snapped a six-game overall losing streak, five-game skid at home, and four-game losing streak head-to-head against the Thunderbirds on Friday night. The victory also officially clinched the Wolf Pack a spot in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Riley Nash and Mathias Laferriere traded goals in the opening period before the Pack took control of the game in the middle stanza.

Alex BelzBelzile’sg-range shot beat Colten Ellis at 6:41 of the second period, giving the Pack a lead they never lost. Jake Leschyshyn tipped in a Nikolas Brouillard shot at 10:30 to make it a 3-1 game; then Blake Hillman made it 4-1 with a shot through traffic at 18:18.

The T-Birds struck twice in 81 seconds to make it a 4-3 tilt early in the third period. Mikhail Abramov converted on a breakaway at 6:34, then Adam Gaudette took an excellent feed from Joseph Duszak and potted his 41^st goal of the season at 7:55.

The Pack killed the clock in the final minutes with suffocating defensive play and plenty of offensive zone time. Louis Domingue then sealed the deal at 19:37, hitting an empty net for his first career goal and the second goalie goal in Wolf Pack history.

Sunday, April 14^th, 2024, Vs. Charlotte Checkers (5-2 W): For the first time since January 10^th, 2020, the Wolf Pack claimed a regulation victory on home ice against the Charlotte Checkers on Sunday. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Checkers overall and a six-game skid on home ice dating back to October 29^th, 2022.

Casey Fitzgerald opened the scoring for the visitors just 43 seconds into the second period, scoring on a beautiful individual effort. The goal, FitzFitzgerald’srth of the season, marked the seventh time in eight meetings that the Checkers struck first.

The Pack responded with a powerplay goal at 9:06, as Adam Sýkora fired a shot into traffic that eluded Spencer Knight. The goal was SýkoSýkora’shth of the season and first in ten games.

Brett Berard then snapped a shot by Knight from the left-wing circle on a five-minute powerplay at 14:33, giving the Pack their first lead in six games over the Checkers. Initially, the call on the ice was no goal. At the next stoppage, the officials reviewed the play and determined that the puck hit the back bar and rocketed out, giving Berard his team-leading 25^th goal.

Adam Edström scored the game-winning goal at 16:28, converting a shorthanded breakaway for his tenth goal. Edström waited out Knight before lifting a backhander over the goaltender for the club’s tenth shorthanded goal of the season.

Jaroslav Chmelař made it 4-1 3:55 into the third period, scoring his first professional goal on a breakaway. At 6:36, Berard found Brennan Othmann at the back door, making it 5-1. After a nifty feed from Berard, Othmann tapped his 19^th goal of the season into the net.

Rasmus Asplund scored at 13:13 to make it a 5-2 game, but two late penalty kills by the Wolf Pack cemented the clubclub’sst victory against the Checkers this season.

Quick Hits:

DomiDomingue’sl on Friday night was the fourth goal scored by an AHL goalie this season. He joins LavaLaval’sauss Mann, Wilkes-Barre/ScraScranton’sx Nedeljkovic, and RockRockford’sson Stauber.
His goal was the second goalie goal in Wolf Pack history. AHL Hall of Famer J.F. Labbe accomplished the feat on February 5^th, 2000.
For the first time since the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns, the Wolf Pack have clinched a Calder Cup Playoff berth in back-to-back seasons.
On Sunday, forward Kalle Väisänen became the seventh player to make his AHL debut with the Wolf Pack this season.
Thanks to his goal on Sunday, Berard sits second in the AHL in goals by a rookie with 25. He trails only Josh Doan of the Tucson Roadrunners. Doan has scored 26 goals this season.

The Week Ahead:

Friday, April 19^th, 2024, Vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (7:00 p.m., XL Center, $2 hot dogs & $2 drafts, Fan Appreciation Night)
Saturday, April 20^th, 2024, @ Springfield Thunderbirds (7:05 p.m., MassMutual Center)
Sunday, April 21^st, 2024, @ Providence Bruins (3:05 p.m., Amica Mutual Pavilion)

ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s selection in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’NHL’s York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Ranger’s newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOWLINGS

The post WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: APRIL 15th, 2024 first appeared on Howlings.

WOLF PACK DROP 6-3 DECISION TO THUNDERBIRDS

Mitch Beck — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 07:09:47 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Tyler Pitlick scored twice for the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday night, helping the team build a 2-0 lead on the Springfield Thunderbirds at the MassMutual Center. The T-Birds would score six of the game’s final seven goals; however, they took a 6-3 decision in the seventh installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’.

For the second time in as many meetings, Zach Dean scored the game-winning goal for the Thunderbirds. Dean curled into the high slot and ripped a shot by Dylan Garand to break a 3-3 tie 6:50 into the third period. The goal was Dean’s fifth of the season and was the T-Birds’ first at five-on-five on the night.

The Wolf Pack jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a pair of goals 38 seconds apart. First, Pitlick notched his second with the Wolf Pack when a Hugh McGing outlet pass hit a leg and came right to the veteran forward. Pitlick fired a low shot that Colten Ellis never saw to make it 1-0 just 10:57 into the game.

Another turnover by the Thunderbirds resulted in a net-mouth scramble in front of Ellis. This time, Matthew Robertson jammed home a rebound for his fourth goal of the season at 11:35.

The Wolf Pack got into some penalty trouble after building the lead, as Blake Hillman took a roughing penalty at 11:46, and Brandon Scanlin went for cross-checking at 12:24. Dylan Coghlan wasted no time on the five-on-three, scoring just five seconds in via a shot from the point at 12:30.

51 seconds later, at 14:21, the T-Birds would even the game with a five-on-four goal. Coghlan’s shot was blocked by a Wolf Pack penalty killer but came right to Adam Gaudette. The veteran sniper quickly fired home his 26^th goal of the season to tie the game 2-2.

The Thunderbirds got their second five-on-three of the game at 7:31 of the second period and took the lead on their third powerplay goal of the night 15 seconds into the advantage. Jakub Vrana’s shot from the point was going wide but hit Matthew Peca at the side of the goal. The puck came right to Ryan Suzuki, who had a wide-open net to bury his fifth goal of the season to make it 3-2.

The Wolf Pack refused to quit, however, and tied the game just 20 seconds into the final frame. Jake Leschyshyn intercepted a pass from Coghlan and fed Brett Berard in the slot. Berard’s bid was denied by Ellis, but the rebound came free and was jammed home by Pitlick for his third goal with the Wolf Pack.

Dean’s marker at 6:50 broke the tie for good, however. Joseph Duszak blasted home a shot at 13:01 to make it 5-3, while Gaudette hit the empty net to seal the deal at 17:29.

The win is the Thunderbirds’ third straight in the ‘I-91 Rivalry’. They have a 4-3-0-0 edge in the season series.

The Pack is back at the XL Center on Wednesday, February 28^th, at 7:00 p.m. when the Charlotte Checkers come to town.

Tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.

# # #

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 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.

The post WOLF PACK DROP 6-3 DECISION TO THUNDERBIRDS first appeared on Howlings.

WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: FEBRUARY 2nd, 2024

Mitch Beck — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 04:41:10 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack opened a season-long, six-game homestand on Wednesday night at the XL Center. Unfortunately, despite a powerplay goal and a shorthanded goal, the Wolf Pack came up short against the Charlotte Checkers by a final score of 4-2.

The Pack are back on the ice this morning, preparing for two more home games before the All-Star break. The club will look to make up ground in the Atlantic Division and possibly jump to third place.

Friday, February 2^nd, 2024, Vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (7:00 p.m.): “We owe them one in our building,” interim head coach Steve Smith said Wednesday night about Friday’s matchup with the Penguins. After taking a 5-0 decision over the Pens on October 20^th, the Wolf Pack have dropped three straight in this head-to-head series.

The Penguins got off to quick starts in all three games at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, winning all three games in regulation time. They claimed a 4-2 victory on October 28^th, then won both meetings in January by scores of 2-1 (January 7^th) and 4-1 (January 24^th).

In all three games, the Penguins opened the scoring early. Most recently, on January 24^th, the Pens led 2-0 just 3:42 into the hockey game.

The good news for the Wolf Pack is that the home team has largely dominated this head-to-head matchup as of late. The Wolf Pack went 2-0-0-1 against the Penguins at home last season and have won three straight at the XL Center against the Penguins.

Following Friday night’s matchup, these two rivals won’t see each other again until April 19^th at the XL Center.

Saturday, February 3^rd, 2024, Vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (7:00 p.m.): The ‘I-91 Rivalry’ takes center ice at the XL Center on Saturday night in the final game before the All-Star break. This will be the sixth of ten meetings between the foes and the first of two in February. They’ll meet again at the MassMutual Center on February 23^rd.

This is the season’s third meeting at the XL Center and the first since November 15^th. The T-Birds took a 5-2 decision on their first visit on October 27^th, but the Pack paid them back with a 5-1 triumph on November 15^th.

Each of the last two meetings has taken place in Springfield, with each team picking up a victory. Matt Rempe scored the game-winning goal on November 24^th in a 4-2 Wolf Pack win, while the T-Birds scored a 3-1 decision on December 27^th.

The Wolf Pack lead the season series with a 3-2-0-0 record through five meetings thus far.

Quick Hits:

Thanks to his goal on Wednesday night, rookie forward Brett Berard now leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 13 on the season.
Berard’s shorthanded marker 12:00 into the third period was his first career shorthanded goal as a pro.
On Wednesday night, Rookie forward Brennan Othmann recorded an assist on Karl Henriksson’s first-period powerplay goal. Othmann is currently riding a career-high six-game point streak (1 g, 5 a, 6 pts).
Earlier on Thursday, the Wolf Pack agreed to terms with defenseman Bryan Yoon on a one-year AHL contract for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Yoon made his AHL debut with Hartford on January 19^th.
With an assist on Wednesday night, defenseman Nikolas Brouillard picked up his 20^th point of the season. It is the third consecutive season that Brouillard has hit the 20-point plateau. He recorded a career-high 39 points in both the 2021-22 (13 g, 26 a) and 2022-23 (6 g, 33 a) seasons while a member of the San Diego Gulls.

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.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOWLINGS

The post WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: FEBRUARY 2nd, 2024 first appeared on Howlings.

WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: JANUARY 29th, 2024

Mitch Beck — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 19:15:05 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack split the first two games of their four-game road trip, winning in Bridgeport on January 20^th before falling 4-1 in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last Wednesday night.

Over the weekend, the Wolf Pack made their first trip to Cleveland, OH, since November 2008. On Friday and Saturday night, the Pack battled the North Division’s top team, the Cleveland Monsters.

The results? Two huge wins kicked off the second half of the season for the Wolf Pack.

Friday, January 26^th, 2024, @ Cleveland Monsters (4-2 W): Brett Berard was the hero for the Wolf Pack on Friday night, notching the first multi-goal game of his career. At 14:26 of the third period, Berard stuffed home a second-chance opportunity on the powerplay, breaking a 2-2 tie. The goal would be the game-winner, the third of Berard’s career.

His second goal of the night would be the dagger, as Berard scored an empty-net goal at 19:23 to end the intrigue.

Anton Blidh and Adam Sýkora also both scored in the victory. Blidh’s goal was the icebreaker at 5:26 of the second period, as he lifted a shot over the shoulder of Jet Greaves. The goal was set up by Artem Anisimov, who also had an assist in Hartford’s only other visit to Cleveland before this past weekend.

Sýkora’s goal was a terrific effort while shorthanded. He won a foot race to a loose puck behind the Monsters’ goal, then fought to the front of the net and got three cracks at potting the first shorthanded tally of his career.

The win improved the Wolf Pack to 11-0-2-0 when leading after two periods of play this season.

Saturday, January 27^th, 2024, @ Cleveland Monsters (3-2 W): The Pack completed the weekend sweep thanks to another late tiebreaking goal on Saturday night. This time, Matt Rempe pounced on a rebound and buried his seventh goal of the season at 14:14 of the third period to put the Pack ahead 3-2.

It was Rempe’s second of the night. He opened the scoring 7:30 into the game when he tipped home a Cristiano DiGiacinto shot. 59 seconds later, Blake Hillman’s first goal of the season put the Wolf Pack ahead 2-0.

Brendan Gaunce (PPG) and Jake Christiansen scored to get the Monsters even by the 7:48 mark of the second period, but Louis Domingue was perfect over the game’s final 32:12 to preserve his eleventh win.

Rempe’s game-winning goal is his second of the season and the third of his career. He also recorded the game-winning goal on November 24^th against the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The Wolf Pack are now 3-0-0-0 all-time in Cleveland.

Quick Hits:

Rempe’s two goals on Saturday night marked his second career multi-goal game. He also had two goals on January 10^th, 2023, at Charlotte.
Mac Hollowell assisted Hillman’s goal on Saturday night, his career-high 29^th of the season. His 29 assists rank him T-5^th in the AHL and second among defensemen, one behind Chicago’s Matt Donovan.
The goal was Hillman’s second of the season and his first since December 9^th at Laval. This marks the first time in the versatile defenseman’s career that he scored multiple goals in a regular season. Last spring, Hillman had two goals in seven Calder Cup Playoff games with the Wolf Pack.
The weekend sweep of the Monsters moves the Wolf Pack to 6-2-3-0 against the North Division this season. They are 2-0-1-0 against the Monsters.
Hartford’s next North Division opponent is the Laval Rocket, who come to town for the first two visits on February 16^th (7:00 p.m.).
Saturday night’s victory improved the Wolf Pack to 9-2-0-0 when tied after two periods of play. It was the first time this season that the Monsters lost a game in regulation when tied after two periods (8-1-1-0).

The Week Ahead:

Wednesday, January 31^st, 2024, Vs. Charlotte Checkers (7:00 p.m., XL Center)
Friday, February 2^nd, 2024, Vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (7:00 p.m., XL Center, $2 beers & $2 hot dogs)
Saturday, February 3^rd, 2024, Vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (7:00 p.m., XL Center, youth jersey giveaway, Women in Sports Night presented by Nissan)

# # #

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOWLINGS

The post WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: JANUARY 29th, 2024 first appeared on Howlings.

WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: JANUARY 15TH, 2024

Mitch Beck — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:16:54 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack concluded their four-game road trip on Friday night in Allentown, opening a weekend back-to-back set. The club then trekked through the night back to Hartford before playing their first home game of 2024 on Saturday night.

The Pack earned the weekend split thanks to Saturday night’s comeback effort and now sit at 19-9-5-0.

Friday, January 12^th, 2024, @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms (4-1 L): Olle Lycksell scored twice in the opening period for the Phantoms, giving them a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes that they never lost. His goal 19:32 into the opening frame, a one-timer from the right-wing circle, would stand as the game-winner.

Brandon Scanlin scored his second goal in as many games 4:39 into the second period, getting Hartford within one. However, that would be as close as the Pack would get, as the Phantoms added two goals in the third period to pull away.

Jacob Gaucher potted a rebound 2:41 into the third period to make it a 3-1 game, then Victor Mete scored at 12:07 to extend the lead to 4-1.

The win was the Phantoms’ first regulation victory in the season series and snapped the Wolf Pack’s seven-game head-to-head point streak (6-0-1-0). Despite the loss, the Wolf Pack did win the season series 4-2 (4-1-1-0).

Saturday, January 13^th, 2024, Vs. Providence Bruins (3-2 OTW): For the second time this season, the Wolf Pack defeated the Providence Bruins when trailing after two periods of play. It was also the second time this season that the Pack picked up a victory over the Bruins in a game they never led.

Jayson Megna got the Bruins on the board 15:43 into the hockey game, potting a powerplay goal. The Pack responded with a powerplay goal of their own 10:44 into the middle frame, as Karl Henriksson fired a shot from the left-wing circle home.

Just 28 seconds later, Alec Regula restored the lead with a shot from the slot for his third goal of the season.

For the second time in as many meetings, the Pack would storm back when trailing after two against the Bruins. Mac Hollowell tied the contest 10:42 into the period when he blasted home a shot from the right-wing point. The goal was his second as a member of the Wolf Pack.

1:44 into overtime, Scanlin would complete the comeback when he jammed home a loose puck at the side of the goal. The tally was Scanlin’s first career game-winning goal in overtime.

Quick Hits:

Scanlin’s goal on Saturday night wasn’t just his first career overtime game-winning goal but also gave him his first career three-game goal-scoring streak.
Hartford’s comeback over the Bruins on Saturday night was their second victory this season when trailing after two periods of play. They defeated the Bruins 6-4 on November 22^nd after trailing 4-2 after two periods.
On Saturday night, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) assigned forward Jake Leschyshyn to the Wolf Pack.
On Sunday, the Rangers assigned forward Anton Blidh to the Wolf Pack.
Over the weekend, the Wolf Pack released two players from professional tryout agreements (PTO). First, the club released defenseman Grant Gabriele on Saturday night. Then, the club released forward Blade Jenkins on Sunday morning. Jenkins previously signed with the club on Saturday.
The Wolf Pack will be well-represented at the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto next month. In addition to Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, the following Wolf Pack alumni will be at the event: goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (Colorado Avalanche), goaltender Cam Talbot (Los Angeles Kings), and forward J.T. Miller (Vancouver Canucks).
Hollowell has a six-game point streak following his goal on Saturday night. The defenseman has one goal and five assists in that span. It is his second-point streak of six games or more this season.

The Week Ahead:

Friday, January 19^th, 2024, Vs. Hershey Bears (7:00 p.m., XL Center, New York Rangers Night)
Saturday, January 20^th, 2024, @ Bridgeport Islanders (7:00 p.m., Total Mortgage Arena)

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOME

The post WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: JANUARY 15TH, 2024 first appeared on Howlings.

ROSTERS UNVEILED FOR 2024 AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC

Mitch Beck — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 04:26:08 +0000

By: Jason Chaimovich, AHL

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … Today, the American Hockey League announced the playing rosters for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU, to be held February 4-5 in San Jose, Calif.

Twelve players will represent each of the AHL’s four divisions. Committees of AHL coaches determined rosters, and at least one All-Star represents all 32 AHL teams.

The 2024 rosters feature 41 first-time AHL All-Stars and 13 rookies, as well as 14 former first-round NHL draft choices and ten second-round picks. In addition, 23 of the All-Stars named have also played in the National Hockey League already this season, including Rochester’s Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen (Buffalo), Hartford’s Brennan Othmann (N.Y. Rangers), Grand Rapids’ Simon Edvinsson and Jonatan Berggren (Detroit), Tucson’s Dylan Guenther (Arizona), and reigning AHL MVP Dustin Wolf (Calgary). Utica’s Graeme Clarke (New Jersey) and Ontario’s Brandt Clarke (Los Angeles) have both been selected and will become just the second pair of brothers to skate in the same AHL All-Star Classic after Peter and Chris Ferraro in 1997 and 2003.

Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson, Cleveland Monsters head coach Trent Vogelhuber, Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham, and Calgary Wranglers head coach Trent Cull will serve as coaches for the event.

The 2024 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 4 (8 ET/5 PT) will pit the All-Stars from the two Eastern Conference divisions against those from the two Western Conference divisions in seven skills events. In the 2024 AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Feb. 5 (9 ET/6 PT), the four teams will participate in a 3-on-3, round-robin tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each. At the end of the round-robin, the two teams with the best records will face off for the championship, a six-minute, 3-on-3 game.

Ticket packages start as low as $56, including admission to the Skills Competition and the Challenge. For more information, fans can visit sjbarracuda.com/allstar.

The 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Cam Atkinson, Drake Batherson, Jordan Binnington, Thomas Bordeleau, John Carlson, Thatcher Demko, Lukas Dostal, Connor Hellebuyck, Tristan Jarry, Jordan Kyrou, Jonathan Marchessault, Jacob Markstrom, J.T. Miller, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Mikko Rantanen, Dylan Strome, Tyler Toffoli, Linus Ullmark, Vitek Vanecek and Mats Zuccarello, as well as current San Jose Sharks Logan Couture, Mike Hoffman, Luke Kunin, Kaapo Kahkonen, Mackenzie Blackwood and Jacob MacDonald.

Since 1936, the American Hockey League has been the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters, and staff of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players 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.

Atlantic Division All-Stars
G Joel Blomqvist, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (1st appearance)
D Lucas Carlsson, Charlotte Checkers (1st)
D Dylan Coghlan, Springfield Thunderbirds (1st)
F Ethen Frank, Hershey Bears (2nd)
F Adam Gaudette, Springfield Thunderbirds (1st)
D Mac Hollowell, Hartford Wolf Pack (1st)
F Ruslan Iskhakov, Bridgeport Islanders (2nd)
D Dylan McIlrath (“C”), Hershey Bears (1st)
F Georgii Merkulov, Providence Bruins (1st)
F Brennan Othmann, Hartford Wolf Pack (1st)
G Clay Stevenson, Hershey Bears (1st)
F Samu Tuomaala, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (1st)
Coach Todd Nelson, Hershey Bears (4th)

North Division All-Stars
D Jake Christiansen, Cleveland Monsters (2nd appearance)
F Graeme Clarke, Utica Comets (1st)
F Angus Crookshank, Belleville Senators (1st)
F Trey Fix-Wolansky, Cleveland Monsters (1st)
F Gage Goncalves, Syracuse Crunch (1st)
G Jet Greaves, Cleveland Monsters (1st)
D Max Guenette, Belleville Senators (1st)
G Dennis Hildeby, Toronto Marlies (1st)
F Jiri Kulich, Rochester Americans (1st)
D Logan Mailloux, Laval Rocket (1st)
F Isak Rosen, Rochester Americans (1st)
F Alex Steeves, Toronto Marlies (1st)
Coach Trent Vogelhuber, Cleveland Monsters (1st)

Central Division All-Stars
G Yaroslav Askarov, Milwaukee Admirals (1st appearance)
F Jonatan Berggren, Grand Rapids Griffins (1st)
F Matej Blumel, Texas Stars (1st)
F Mavrik Bourque, Texas Stars (1st)
D Ethan Del Mastro, Rockford IceHogs (1st)
D Simon Edvinsson, Grand Rapids Griffins (1st)
F Rocco Grimaldi, Chicago Wolves (2nd)
F Brad Lambert, Manitoba Moose (1st)
F Nic Petan, Iowa Wild (1st)
F Logan Stankoven, Texas Stars (1st)
D Spencer Stastney, Milwaukee Admirals (1st)
G Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild (2nd)
Coach Neil Graham, Texas Stars (2nd)

Pacific Division All-Stars
F Arshdeep Bains, Abbotsford Canucks (1st appearance)
D Brandt Clarke, Ontario Reign (1st)
F Matt Coronato, Calgary Wranglers (1st)
F Adam Cracknell (“C”), Henderson Silver Knights (1st)
D Ryker Evans, Coachella Valley Firebirds (2nd)
F Dylan Guenther, Tucson Roadrunners (1st)
F Danil Gushchin, San Jose Barracuda (1st)
F Raphael Lavoie, Bakersfield Condors (1st)
F Riley Tufte, Colorado Eagles (1st)
G Matthew Villalta, Tucson Roadrunners (1st)
G Dustin Wolf, Calgary Wranglers (2nd)
D Olen Zellweger, San Diego Gulls (1st)
Coach Trent Cull, Calgary Wranglers (1st)

AHL

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The post ROSTERS UNVEILED FOR 2024 AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC first appeared on Howlings.

WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: JANUARY 8TH, 2024

Mitch Beck — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 05:43:20 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack kicked off the 2024 calendar year with three road games in four days. The club played their first Thursday night game of the season against the Bridgeport Islanders, then trekked to Pennsylvania for a pair of contests.

Although the weekend ended in defeat, the Wolf Pack ended with two victories over divisional opponents to begin the New Year.

Thursday, January 4^th, 2024, @ Bridgeport Islanders (3-2 W): Artem Anisimov scored his first regular-season goal as a member of the Wolf Pack since 2009 just 1:13 into the third period to break a 2-2 tie on Thursday night. The goal would be the game-winner, Anisimov’s first with Hartford in the regular season at Albany since March 27^th, 2009.

Matt Rempe opened the scoring 2:28 into the contest, while Brett Berard buried a powerplay goal from the right-wing circle 4:29 into the middle frame.

The Wolf Pack went one-for-one on the powerplay, while their penalty kill stood strong with a four-for-five effort.

Dylan Garand picked up his second win at Total Mortgage Arena this season, making 28 saves.

The win was the Wolf Pack’s second straight victory, both coming over the Islanders. It marked the first time since December 1^st and 2^nd, both against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, that Hartford had won back-to-back games.

This was also the second straight game in which the Wolf Pack used an early third-period goal to break a 2-2 tie. They pulled the same trick on the Isles at the XL Center on December 30^th.

The Wolf Pack are now 2-0-0-0 at Total Mortgage Arena this season and have won five straight games in Bridgeport.

Saturday, January 6^th, 2024, @ Hershey Bears (5-3 W): It was a physical, intense, emotional game on Saturday night at the Giant Center in Hershey as the Wolf Pack and Bears met for the first time since the 2023 Atlantic Division Final last May.

Jake Leschyshyn got the Wolf Pack on the board 11:30 into the game, pushing home a rebound on the powerplay for his second goal of the season.

The defending Calder Cup Champions tied the game just over six minutes later via a double deflection, then took a 3-1 lead early in the second period. In just 39 seconds, a 1-1 game became a 3-1 lead for the Bears when Jimmy Huntington and Henrik Rybinski lit the lamp at 1:37 and 2:16, respectively.

Despite facing the top team in the AHL this season, who, besides being the defending Calder Cup Champions, also had a six-game home winning streak and nine-game overall winning streak heading into the game, the Wolf Pack did not back down. Matthew Robertson drew the club within one at 12:33 of the second, rifling a wrist shot from the left-wing circle.

Then, at 16:57, Connor Mackey tied the game with a blast from the right-wing side off a feed from Bobby Trivigno.

The Wolf Pack carried the momentum into the third period, scoring 23 seconds in to retake the lead for good. Brett Berard fired a puck from the right-wing circle that snuck in for his tenth goal of the season.

Leschyshyn added the insurance at 18:17, hitting an empty net while the Wolf Pack were killing off a penalty.

The win marked the third straight game that the Wolf Pack scored early in the third period to break a tie and win in regulation.

Sunday, January 7^th, 2024, @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (2-1 L): Despite a late push on Sunday afternoon, the Wolf Pack dropped their weekend finale to the Penguins at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Sam Poulin buried a rebound 7:27 into the hockey game, while Jonathan Gruden tacked on the insurance 11:44 into the second period while shorthanded. Gruden’s goal would prove to be the game-winner.

Brandon Scanlin got the Wolf Pack on the board 7:58 into the third period, but it wasn’t enough despite Hartford’s push. Joel Blomqvist made 12 third-period saves to preserve the victory.

Gruden’s shorthanded marker was his second game-winning goal against the Wolf Pack this season. It was also the Penguins’ second shorthanded goal against the Wolf Pack during the 2023-24 campaign.

Quick Hits:

Thanks to an assist in all three games this past weekend, defenseman Mac Hollowell is now tied for fourth in the AHL in assists with 25. He sits three behind the league leader, Chicago Wolves defenseman Matt Donovan.
After scoring goals in three straight games, rookie forward Brett Berard is now tied for sixth in the AHL in goals among rookies. He is tied with Laval’s Joshua Roy, Lehigh Valley’s Samu Tuomaala, Manitoba’s Nikita Chibrikov, Milwaukee’s Fedor Svechkov, and Abbotsford’s Max Sasson.
Berard’s goal on Saturday night in Hershey was his second career game-winning goal. He previously notched the winner in the home opener on October 20^th against the Penguins.
Thanks to his victory over the Bears, Louis Domingue is now tied for tenth in the AHL in wins with ten this season.
Following this weekend’s results, the Wolf Pack sit third in the Atlantic Division with 41 points, one behind the Providence Bruins (42). The Wolf Pack, however, have four games in hand on the Bruins.
Forward Brennan Othmann made his NHL debut with the parent New York Rangers on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. He became the second Wolf Pack player to make his NHL debut this season, joining forward Adam Edström.

The Week Ahead:

Friday, January 12^th, 2024, @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7:05 p.m., PPL Center)
Saturday, January 13^th, 2024, Vs. Providence Bruins (7:30 p.m., XL Center)

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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WOLF PACK EXTEND STRUGGLES ON WEDNESDAY

Mitch Beck — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 15:00:04 +0000

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Hartford Wolf Pack extended their season-high losing streak to five games and dropped their sixth of their last seven in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds.

At 5:58 of the third frame, the Thunderbirds would tally the game-winner when Joe Duszak sent a pass from his own blue line to Jamieson Rees that caught the Pack awkwardly in their own zone. Rees quickly moved it ahead to Drew Callin. For the second straight game, in a key moment, Matt Robertson decided to leave his position to go for the big hit, and it led to trouble.

With Robertson out of position, Callin got off a nifty backhanded pass to the exposed right-wing side to Mikhail Abramov. Bobby Trivigno, who was on his knees and sliding back, and unable to get to Abramov on time before he fired in his fifth goal of the season just off Pack goaltender Dylan Garand’s glove, who made a valiant effort in a butterfly split, but couldn’t get all of it.

GAME CENTER

Scoring was closed out with 24 seconds remaining after Garand was pulled for an extra attacker. Former Quinnipiac University Bobcat Matt Peca tallied his eighth of the campaign to make it the 3-1 final.

In the first period, the Wolf Pack took the lead with the only goal of the period despite only having four shots to their credit. They took advantage of a Thunderbirds’ miscue around their net.

At 12:42, T-Birds’ goalie Vadim Zherenko tried to clear the puck off the backboards to defenseman Dylan Coghlan, who couldn’t control it. Trivigno was behind the goal line and fired a pass to Turner Elson, who was wide-open.

Elson quickly fired it upstairs past Zherenko for his third goal of the year. Springfield’s interim head coach and ex-Pack, Daniel Tkaczuk, hasn’t seen his team have the lead since he took over since the promotion of Drew Bannister to the parent St. Louis Blues after Craig Berube was relieved of his duties on December 13th.

The Thunderbirds would get the equalizer at 2:25 of the second period in transition.

Joe Duszak moved in from the right point off a pass from the left point from Ryan Suzuki. Duszak took a shot, and it was re-directed by a rehabbing Jakub Vrana, who scored his third goal. Vrana has five points in five games.

The Wolf Pack had the maximum 12 skating forwards. They had to move a few bodies around with the return of centerman Jake Leschyshyn, playing for the first time since November 10th.

The Pack will next take on the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday night at the XL Center with a 6:00 pm puck drop.

LINES:

Alex Belzile-Brett Berard-Adam Edström
Karl Henriksson-Anton Blidh -Brennan Othmann
Bobby Trivigno-Turner Elson- Jake Leschyshyn
Matt Rempe-Matej Pekar-Cristiano DiGiacinto

Mac Hollowell-Blake Hillman
Nikolas Brouillard-Connor Mackey
Brandon Scanlin-Matt Robertson

Dylan Garand
Louie Domingue

SCRATCHES:

D Ben Harpur (upper body, indefinitely)
F Riley Nash (lower body, week-to-week)
D Zach Berzolla (lower body, week-to-week)
F Ryder Korczak (personal issue, day-to-day)
D Grant Gabriele (healthy)
F Drew Worrad (not in residence)

NOTES:

Current Bridgeport Islander, ex-Pack Tanner Fritz, has left Park City and signed for the rest of the year with Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL).

The St. Louis Blues reassigned Springfield’s Mackenzie MacEachern on Christmas Eve, and was recalled today again by the T-Bird’s NHL parent club. It’s likely a paper transaction to keep CBA compliant.

Ex-Thunderbird Tomas Jurco goes from HC Davos (Switzerland-LNA) to Avangard Omsk (Russia-KHL). At the same time, another defenseman, Thomas Schemitsch, signed with Kunlun (China-KHL) after playing in Sweden last year.

Ex-Pack Sean Day is recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Syracuse Crunch.

Ex-Pack Josh Wesley was reassigned to the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) by the Colorado Avalanche, and Trevor Cosgrove was assigned to Bridgeport from the Worcester Railers (ECHL).

Former Thunderbirds Joel Hofer’s 39 saves was the first star, and Scott Perunovich, with two assists was the third star in the Blues 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars.

In the World Junior Championships action, current Wolf Pack, Adam Sýkora, who’s captain of the Slovak team, also started Day 2 action with a 3-0 dogfight win over Switzerland. Winning the first two games of the preliminary round in Gothenburg, Sweden, is important.

Sýkora is pointless in two matches. Possible causes include jet lag transitioning back to a larger ice surface and adjusting to a different system. Sýkora is an effervescent 19-year-old with a big personality. After the two wins, he’s sought out the TSN on-ice camera person. After the Czechia win, he let out a big whoop after beating their biggest rival. Following the Switzerland win, he fist-bumped the camera lens.

In other action, Germany scored the first big tourney upset, beating Finland 4-3 for the first time in 26 tries. Goalie Philipp Dietel had 40 saves, allowing Germany to defeat Finland for the first time after a win over Finland. Finland has dropped its first two games. Czechia stomped all over Norway 6-1. Canada knocked off Latvia in a 10-0 whitewash of the tiny, hockey-crazed Baltic nation.

Matt Wood (UCONN-HE) sent a lead pass to his former U-18 linemate Macklin Celebrini for a breakaway goal. Wood then scored his seventh goal on a Latvian turnover at the blue line and rushed down the left wing.

Celebrini registered a goal and four assists. He is the leading candidate to be the first overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft. Mathis Rousseau, the grandson of New York Ranger & Montreal Canadiens great Bobby Rousseau, would add a 22-save easy shutout to the process.

Cristiano DiGiacinto was recalled for the second time this year from Cincinnati (ECHL), where he had 15 points in 19 games and has 84 AHL games to his credit.

He steps in for Riley Nash, out week to week with a lower-body injury suffered Friday against Bridgeport.

Ryder Korczak is also out and is dealing with a personal issue/matter. He is expected to be back Saturday against Bridgeport to close out the calendar year.

Ex-Pack Yegor Rykov played half a season with the Wolf Pack and signed with Omskie Krylia (Russia-VHL).

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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WOLF PACK FALL 3-1 TO THUNDERBIRDS ON WEDNESDAY

Mitch Beck — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 03:48:56 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

SPRINGFIELD, MA – On Wednesday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack and Springfield Thunderbirds battled in a tightly contested edition of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’. The sides were deadlocked 1-1 through 40 minutes of play for the second time in as many meetings. Tonight, however, the Thunderbirds won the third period and took the two points by a final score of 3-1.

Mikhail Abramov broke a 1-1 tie 5:58 into the third period, scoring his fifth goal of the season to give the Thunderbirds their first and only lead of the night. Drew Callin sent a nifty pass to Abramov on the right-wing side, where he fired a wrist shot that grazed Dylan Garand’s glove and found twine. The goal would stand as the game-winning goal, pushing the Thunderbirds to their first home win over Hartford this season.

Turner Elson opened the scoring for the Wolf Pack, the third time in as many visits to the MassMutual Center that they have done that this season. Dylan Coghlan attempted to play a puck out of the zone but flubbed on the backhand bid. The puck found Bobby Trivigno, who quickly sent a centering pass to Elson. From the slot, Elson ripped a shot over Vadim Zherenko’s shoulder for his third goal of the season 12:42 into the game.

Garand made eleven saves in the opening frame to keep the Thunderbirds at bay but was beaten just 2:25 into the middle stanza. Joseph Duszak fired a shot from the right-wing circle that Jakub Vrana tipped for his third goal in just five games with the club.

The Wolf Pack penalty kill was taxed in the middle frame, having to make a pair of kills. They successfully did so, with Garand making 12 saves in the period to keep things even heading into the final stanza.

Abramov broke the tie 5:58 into the third period, burying the feed from Callin to put the Thunderbirds ahead for good. Despite a strong effort from the Wolf Pack in the final minutes, Zherenko would slam the door shut while Matthew Peca hit the empty net to cement the win.

Zherenko made 13 saves in the final frame, while Peca’s goal at 19:36 was his eighth of the year.

The Pack is back at the XL Center on Saturday night when the Islanders return for the final game 2023. The first 1,500 fans into the game will receive a 2024 Wolf Pack calendar. The puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m., and tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.

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 NHLNHL’sw 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.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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