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WOLF PACK FALL 3-2 TO ISLANDERS IN THE SHOOTOUT

Mitch Beck — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 05:02:56 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack struck twice in the third period on Saturday night to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead at the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport. However, the lead lasted only 1:22 as the Islanders tied it up and eventually won it 3-2 in the shootout.

Ruslan Iskhakov dazzled in the bottom half of the shootout’s third round, going behind the back and beating Dylan Garand for victory. Iskhakov’s goal broke a 1-1 tie in the third round, giving the Isles a 2-1 edge in the skills competition.

The first 20 minutes of the game passed without much in the way of scoring chances, as both teams played a responsible defensive game. Garand made eleven saves in the frame, while Jakub Skarek turned aside five bids from the Wolf Pack.

Each team got a late powerplay in the first period, but both teams would take penalties to negate their skater advantages.

The Islanders broke through 5:05 into the second period, as a bad break for the Wolf Pack ended up in the back of the net. Brandon Scanlin inadvertently lost his balance when hitting a discarded stick in his own zone, resulting in a turnover.

William Dufour found the loose puck and sent a pass to Brian Pinho, who polished off the play for his sixth goal of the season.

Alex Belzile drew the Wolf Pack even 6:48 into the third period, jamming home a rebound for his 16^th goal of the season. Nic Petan’s shot from the high slot was denied by Skarek but popped to the top of the crease. Belzile found the rebound and beat Skarek to tie the contest.

3:53 later, the Wolf Pack took a 2-1 lead when Jake Leschyshyn converted a pass from Adam Edström for his sixth goal of the season. Edström muscled into the zone and set up Leschyshyn directly before Skarek.

82 seconds later, however, Dufour evened the affair with a goal from the right-wing circle. His shot snuck over Garand’s shoulder at 12:03 of the third period, forcing an eventual overtime.

After the Wolf Pack killed off a too many men of the ice penalty early in overtime, Brett Berard had an opportunity to end the game. Skarek’s right pad stoned him; however, he sent the game to a shootout.

Matthew Maggio opened the shootout with a goal in the bottom half of the first round, the only tally through four shooters. Petan tied the shootout in the top half of the third round, snapping a shot by Skarek’s glove.

Iskhakov’s brilliant move in the bottom half of the third round would prove to be the difference, however, as the Isles prevailed 2-1 in the shootout and 3-2 in the game.

The loss snapped the Wolf Pack’s six-game overall winning streak against the Islanders and seven-game winning streak at Total Mortgage Arena.

The Wolf Pack continue their three-game road trip Tuesday night when they visit the Charlotte Checkers. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting at 6:45 p.m. on AHLTV & Mixlr.

The Pack is back at the XL Center on Saturday, March 16^th, when the Utica Comets come to town. The puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m., and tickets are available at 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 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.

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WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: JANUARY 18th, 2024

Mitch Beck — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:38:15 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack wrapped up their four-game road trip to kick off the 2024 slate last weekend. While the club started the weekend with a defeat in Allentown, they bounced back in a big way on Saturday night in the first home game of the New Year.

Trailing 2-1 after two periods of play, the Pack stormed back to claim a 3-2 overtime victory.

The club remains at home for a key Atlantic Division tilt on Friday night before heading an hour south on Saturday night for the ‘Battle of Connecticut.’

Friday, January 19^th, 2024, Vs. Hershey Bears (7:00 p.m.): For the first time since May 17^th, 2023, the Hershey Bears visit the XL Center. It is the first of just two trips to Hartford this season for the Bears and the second of four overall meetings between the sides.

While the Bears swept the Atlantic Division Final back in May, completing the sweep in Hartford in Game 3 on May 17^th, the Pack got a little revenge earlier this month. Brett Berard’s goal 23 seconds into the third period on January 6^th broke a 3-3 tie, giving the Wolf Pack a lead they wouldn’t lose in an eventual 5-3 victory.

Jake Leschyshyn, assigned back to the Wolf Pack by the parent New York Rangers (NHL) on Saturday night, scored twice in the victory.

The Bears are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss in Bridgeport to the Islanders on Monday afternoon. The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, are fresh off a 3-2 overtime victory over the Providence Bruins on Saturday night.

The sides next meet in Hershey on March 17^th, then wrap up the season series on March 30^th in Hartford.

Saturday, January 20^th, 2024, @ Bridgeport Islanders (7:00 p.m.): The ‘Battle of Connecticut’ rages on at Total Mortgage Arena on Saturday night. It is the fifth of ten meetings between the rivals this season and the third of five in Bridgeport.

The Wolf Pack have taken three of the first four meetings, including each of the last two. Both of those games followed a similar script, as the Wolf Pack and Islanders were tied 2-2 after two periods of play on both nights.

On December 30^th, Cristiano DiGiacinto tipped home a Connor Mackey shot 6:57 into the third period to put the Wolf Pack ahead for good in a 3-2 win at the XL Center. On January 4^th, in Bridgeport, Artem Anisimov played the role of hero when he scored 1:13 into the third period to give the Pack a 3-2 edge.

The Wolf Pack are 10-6-0-0 against the Islanders dating back to the start of last season and have won five straight games at Total Mortgage Arena.

The sides next play at the XL Center on February 9^th.

Quick Hits:

Following Karl Henriksson’s powerplay goal on Saturday night against the Bruins, the Wolf Pack powerplay sits third in the AHL with a 23.7% success rate. That ranks first in the Eastern Conference and trails only the Chicago Wolves (24.8%) and Texas Stars (24.6%).
The Wolf Pack penalty kill remains top ten in the AHL following a five-for-six performance on Saturday night. The Pack have an 84.2% success rate on the penalty kill, tied with the Abbotsford Canucks for ninth-best in the league.
Defenseman Mac Hollowell extended his point streak to six games with a goal on Saturday night against the Bruins. He now sits in third in the AHL in points among defensemen with 28 (2 g, 26 a). Only Ontario’s Brandt Clarke (32 points) and Chicago’s Matt Donovan (31 points) have more.
Defenseman Brandon Scanlin’s overtime goal on Saturday night was the first game-winning goal of his professional career.
The Wolf Pack’s 33 games played are the fewest in the Atlantic Division. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have played the next fewest games, 35.

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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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)

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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)

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ANISIMOV RETURNS TO WOLF PACK AND SCORES WINNER

Mitch Beck — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 05:59:15 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

BRIDGEPORT, CT – It had been nearly 15 years since Artem Anisimov appeared in his last regular season game as a member of the Hartford Wolf Pack. On Thursday night, Anisimov returned to the team in style. His third-period goal propelled the Wolf Pack to a 3-2 victory over the rival Bridgeport Islanders at Total Mortgage Arena.

Anton Blidh carried the puck deep into the Islanders’ zone before sending a pass to Anisimov in the left-wing corner. The veteran forward, who scored 19 goals a season ago with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, flung a shot toward the goal from a sharp angle. The shot fooled Henrik Tikkanen, starting for the Islanders, just 1:13 into the third period to break a 2-2 tie. The goal, Anisimov’s first with the Wolf Pack since April 11^th, 2009, proved to be the game-winning goal.

The 3-2 victory is Hartford’s second straight win, their first back-to-back wins since December 1^st and 2^nd against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

For the fourth time in as many meetings, it would be the road team opening the scoring as the Wolf Pack found the icebreaker. Matej Pekar sent a centering pass to Matt Rempe from the left-wing side that clipped Rempe’s leg and beat Tikkanen just 2:28 into the game. The goal was Rempe’s fifth of the season, while the assist was Pekar’s fourth as a member of the Wolf Pack.

The Islanders’ powerplay answered, scoring on their second opportunity of the game. Otto Koivula curled into the slot and ripped a shot that beat Dylan Garand for his seventh goal of the season. The tally was Koivula’s second against the Wolf Pack this season and was the Isles’ fourth powerplay marker in the season series.

Brett Berard responded for the Wolf Pack powerplay, scoring his second goal in many games against Islanders early in the middle frame. With Aidan Fulp in the penalty box for hooking, Berard took a feed from Nikolas Brouillard in the right-wing circle and wired a low shot by Tikkanen for his ninth goal of the season 4:29 into the period.

Late in the stanza, the Islanders began to pressure heavily at five-on-five, eventually breaking through. A puck bounced off Pekar in the neutral zone and ended up on the stick of Kyle McClean, who dropped the puck to Cole Bardreau. Bardreau fired a shot that McClean tipped, but the deflection hit the post to Garand’s right. With a scramble in front, the puck ended up on Bardreau’s stick, and he buried a rebound 17:52 into the frame to even the tilt 2-2.

The Wolf Pack and Islanders entered the third period deadlocked 2-2 for the second time in as many meetings. For the second straight game, it would be the Wolf Pack striking early in the third period to take the lead for good.

This time, Anisimov would have fired his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack since April 11^th, 2009, from an angle to restore Hartford’s lead for good.

Dyland Garand made five saves in the third period, preserving his eighth win. He is 2-0-0 at Total Mortgage Arena during the 2023-24 campaign.

The Wolf Pack continued their four-game road trip on Saturday night when they visited the Hershey Bears for a 2023 Atlantic Division Final rematch. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV & Mixlr starting at 6:45 p.m.

Hartford’s first home game in 2024 will be on January 13^th as they host the Providence Bruins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available on 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 formation 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 RangRangers’ most famous faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK BEAT BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS 5-3

Mitch Beck — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 20:34:06 +0000

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack

BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack won their second preseason affair in less than 24 hours on Thursday afternoon, knocking off the rival Bridgeport Islanders 5-3 at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport.

Bobby Trivigno needed just 18 seconds of third-period action to restore the Wolf Pack’s three-goal lead and put the game out of reach. A Zach Berzolla shot from the point was denied by Islanders goalie Henrik Tikkanen, but Trivigno was camped out in front of the crease and pushed home the rebound for his second goal of the afternoon to make it 4-1 Wolf Pack.

The goal would stand as the game-winning tally.

The Wolf Pack opened the scoring for the first time in the preseason, as Cristiano DiGiacinto lit the lamp just 4:05 into the contest. DiGiacinto set himself up in the crease before Tikkanen, earning prime real estate. While playing in his second game of the exhibition season, Matej Pekar slid a pass through the crease to DiGiacinto, who buried his first exhibition campaign.

The Pack extended their lead to 2-0 at 12:44, as Brett Berard struck for the first time in the preseason. Berard, who had a pair of assists in Hartford’s 3-2 victory over Springfield on Wednesday night, fired a shot through traffic from the left-wing circle in the Islander zone. The shot beat Tikkanen cleanly to give the Pack a multi-goal lead they never lost.

Trivigno and Karl Henriksson, both making their preseason debuts, collected assists on the goal.

Hartford’s special teams units impacted the middle stanza, as both the penalty kill and powerplay had their time to shine. The Wolf Pack penalty kill was forced into action at the 3:59 and 8:09 marks and successfully killed both minor infractions. At 12:01, the powerplay would get their first look of the afternoon as Christian Krygier was whistled for slashing.

Trivigno made the Islanders pay on Hartford’s first powerplay of the afternoon, as he sniped home his first of the preseason at 12:29 of the second period. Trivigno received the puck from Matthew Robertson in the slot and lasered a shot over the glove of Tikkanen to give him his second of three points in the contest.

The Islanders would respond at 15:45, finally beating Dylan Garand and getting on the board. A scrum ensued in front of Garand, and Anthony Callin was able to locate the puck first. Callin jammed the puck through Garand for his first of the preseason.

Trivigno restored the three-goal lead just 18 seconds into the period, potting his second of the game. Just under two minutes later, at 2:14, Pekar would light the lamp for the first time in the preseason. DiGiacinto slid the puck to the right-wing circle, where Pekar quickly collected the puck and fired it over the glove of Tikkanen to make it a 5-1 game.

Samuel Asselin, making his Islanders preseason debut, drew the club within three at 10:05 of the final frame. Asselin collected the puck to the right of Garand and tucked home a backhander by the goalie’s glove to make it a 5-2 affair.

Ashton Calder wrapped up the afternoon’s scoring at 18:51, firing home a shot for his first of the preseason.

Garand made 26 saves on 29 shots to collect the win.

The Wolf Pack conclude the 2023 preseason this Saturday, October 7^th, when they host the Islanders at 1:00 p.m. The game will take place at the Koeppel Community Sports Center on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford.

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK AND SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS PREVIEW

Mitch Beck — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 21:19:56 +0000

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack went thru the paces Tuesday in preparation for Game 1 with the Springfield Thunderbirds at the Mass Mutual Center on Wednesday and Game 2 on Friday at the XL Center.

Dylan Garand is being handed the baton to handle the goaltending, and the Pack forwards must work on solving the Thunderbirds goalie Joel Hofer.

The Thunderbirds (38-26-3-5) were 9-2-0-1 in the season series and had points in nine of the twelve games.

The Pack defense also needs to find a way to neutralize forwards Will Bitten, the top scorer in the season series. Bitten has eight goals and 15 points after playing in all 12 games. Martin Frk led the team in the season’s scoring with 30 goals and 64 points. He, too, did well against the Pack in the regular season. The Pack must also contend with containing defenseman Mike Perunovich.

On the Wolf Pack side, they will need to get offense and score on Hofer, who was 7-1-1 with three shutouts against the Wolf Pack. He holds a .955 save percentage, and Hofer had three of the four shutouts the team endured this season. The Wolf Pack were scoreless over 120 minutes in the last two meetings.

Will Cullye led the Wolf Pack in the head-to-head matchup. He had nine points in twelve games (six goals and three assists) in the season series and fifth best among all AHL rookies. The Wolf Pack (35-26-4-7), with 81 points, enter the playoffs in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Cullye and Lauri Pajuniemi had hat tricks against the T-Birds, the first the franchise has had in a year and a half.

The Wolf Pack’s road mark this year at 17-13-4-2 was the best since 2015-16, when they last made the playoffs with 21 road wins.

The Pack lost leading scorer Jonny Brodzinski (21 goals and 48 points) to recall by the Rangers to be among their Black Aces for the playoffs.

NOTES:

The Wolf Pack did some roster housecleaning and made depth transactions with Jacksonville.

In separate transactions, goalie Parker Gaghen, who came in as an emergency backup twice, will be available along with Talyn Boyko for backup duty behind Garand. The defense added Cooper Zech for depth. He was acquired at the trade deadline from the Chicago Wolves as part of the multi-layered Patrick Kane deal. Easton Brodzinski was returned to the Icemen.

The Rangers won Game 1 of their series against the New Jersey Devils, 5-1. One-time CT Whale Chris Kreider scored twice.

THE ISLANDERS WILL STAY IN BRIDGEPORT

The Bridgeport City Council agreed to $28 million in arena upgrades at the Total Mortgage Arena in exchange for a new ten-year lease to replace the expired 20-year lease from last year at the original $20M figure.

The late Roy Boe initially negotiated the lease in 2000 when he brought the Beast of New Haven from Carolina thirty days after they were suspended and briefly mothballed. His bid of 20 years at $20M beat out the Beast by a wide margin (11 years at $1.1 M). After making the initial payment, however, Boe never made another payment.

The lease was then negotiated with Center Plate Management, the food and beverage company of the arena that initially ran the building for the first ten years starting in 2000. However, Center Plate elected not to renew its management deal when it expired or made a bid on a new contract.

The new deal concludes four years of contentious negotiations between the city, who owns the building, and the Islanders.

The city cited legal costs over $6000K, matching the figure the city claimed the Islanders owed in back rent. In addition, the Islanders said that promised building renovations were never performed as per the original lease and never occurred under Boe or the aegis of Charles Wang either.

Boe and Charles Wang both had ownership of the AHL team at different times. Unfortunately, both men are now deceased.
The Islanders (nee Sound Tigers) also cited the new amphitheater across from the parking lot from the arena on the stadium site of the Bridgeport Bluefish, a former Atlantic League baseball team, and they felt it violated the non-compete clause in the original lease.

Boe turned over ownership after failing to pay the Islanders their required affiliation fee. They nearly had the franchise suspended by the now-retired AHL President, CEO, and AHL HOF member, Dave Andrews. The late Bill Torrey, a former NY Islanders part-owner, General Counsel, and NHL heavyweight in his day, persuaded Boe to relinquish his operating control of the franchise.

In addition to defaulting on paying their affiliation fee, Boe and his son Todd didn’t pay many local vendors and employees during their brief ownership.

The XL Center is run by OVG (Oak View Group), which also runs the Total Mortgage Arena. They are waiting for bids on the long overdue renovations at the XL Center to come back in. OVG hopes the bids come in close to the $107.2M estimates they received last month from SCI Architects and Dimeo Construction. In addition, they are handling the stalled, unfinished construction of the sports betting area at the XL Center.

Does OVG operate the arena in Bridgeport under a management fee or on profit/loss? It is unknown. Spectra, at the time, inspected the books; a source revealed at the time, ‘they ran from the building’ and never put in a bid. Unfortunately, the contents of the contract are not a matter of public record, so there’s no way to know what is in the details.

When Wang came in after 2010 to run the building, he created a company to do it after the management deal with Center Plate expired.

The company Wang created was run by the owner of The Rinks at Shelton, Howard Saffan. He was summarily dismissed several years later after his billing to the Islanders for their practice ice time in Shelton was less than honorable. He owns and operates the amphitheater with long-time concert promoter Jim Koplik.

The number of NCAA college pro signees is 226 from Divisions I and II. Hockey East leads the six collegiate conferences with 36 signees for the second straight year. The rest are NCHC-36, CCHA-31, Big Ten-28, ECACHL-23, AHA -20, NCAA Division I Independent,t-13, and Division III-28. Ten head to Europe; departing early are 37.

The transfers for both grad and in-school are even at 35. Canadian college is just one so far.

University of Dubuque (Iowa) is going NCAA D3 in both men’s and women’s hockey in the NCHA conference as they will get a shipment of players from Finlandia University (Hancock, MI) from the school that is closing entirely at the end of the school year. The team will share the Dubuque Ice Arena in the city with the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints. One coach has stepped down, and another one has signed an extension.

After 30 years, Colgate Red Raiders (ECACHL) coach Don Vaughn has stepped down. A national search for a new bench boss has already begun.

After a strong year, Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks (NCAA Independent) Erik Largen was given a new five-year deal, as the school just missed out on an NCAA regional berth. However, they collected 20 wins for the first time in nearly two decades.

Cheshire native and former Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, Robert “Bert” Malloy, and his fellow Australian teammates dropped the first two games at the IIHF Division II Group A tournament. They suffered an 8-1 loss to host Spain in game two. Malloy had two shots and was a plus-one in the loss.

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK ARE BOUND FOR THE PLAYOFFS

Mitch Beck — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 16:18:35 +0000

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack extended their winning streak to seven games with a 5-3 win over the Providence Bruins. Combined with a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 8-2 thrashing of the Bridgeport Islanders to clear the last hurdle, the Pack ended an eight-year playoff drought.

The Pack extended their winning streak to seven games and punched a playoff ticket in the process on Libor Hajek’s early third-period goal, which stood as the game-winner.

The winning streak, the first since the late season run in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, along with the deadline acquisitions of Will Lockwood, Anton Blidh, Wyatt Kalynuk, and Adam Clendennine, paid off.

With the win, the Pack returns to the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. The last playoff series the team won was against the Hershey Bears, with two of the home games played in Worcester. The eventual Calder Cup champions, the Manchester Monarchs, swept them in the conference finals.

The Wolf Pack started the third like they did the first – by scoring.

Bobby Trivigno had a game-best three assists. He was stopped from the right wing. Turner Elson, already with two goals in the contest, made a hat trick. However, he was stopped as he went to play the rebound attempt. Karl Henriksson took a swing-and-a-miss, but Libor Hájek came in off the left point and caught the puck instead. His blast made it 4-2.

Josiah Didier made it 4-3 and doubled his goal total with a right-point low shot with two Bruins in front, creating havoc as the puck eluded Pack netminder Dylan Garand.

Tanner Fritz scored his tenth into an empty net at 19:34 to clinch the game and secure a career-best 42 points.

In the second period, the Pack took the lead and showed resilience.

Trivigno started with a shot toward the net that hit some skates and sticks and came to Tim Gettinger. He tried a wraparound that went to Ryan Carpenter, who fired his 21st goal of the season at 6:03

The Pack had the game’s first goal.

The team has been getting solid offensive zone entries. Henriksson came across and found Zac Jones. He, in turn, found Elson as he deposited his 14th from the right-wing circle.

Ty Emberson, who seems to have one big hit per game during the recent surge, took down Didier early.

Providence showed why they have been at or near the top Atlantic Division most of this year.

Didier curled off the right-wing wall and fired into traffic. Samuel Asselin moved in front and created a screen getting Didier’s shot past Garand.

Then the Bruins took a 2-1 lead as Luke Toporowski, back from an early season injury, was on the left wing side. He zipped his 14th into the net using Jones as a screen as he beat his former junior teammate at 10:54.

Elson tallied his second of the night and 15th of the season as he filled the gap in front of the net while Kale Keyser made a shoulder save. Elson found the loose biscuit and put the Pack in a two-two tie at 16:46.

The Pack saw the Bruins nearly score late in the first period as Wyatt Kalynuk intercepted Justin Brazeau’s feed bound for Toporowski.

LINES:

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

Jones-Emberson
Hájek-Scanlin
Clendening-Kalynuk

Domingue
Garand

SCRATCHES:

Matt Rempe (healthy)
Blake Hillman (healthy)
Adam Edström #34 (healthy)
Brett Berard #27 (healthy)
Adam Sýkora #29 (healthy)
Bryce McConnell-Barker #8 (healthy)
Matt Robertson (upper body, week-to-week, may be ready by the first of the playoffs)
Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery).
C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season).

NOTES:

Wilkes Barre/Scranton romped over Bridgeport 8-2 at the Total Mortgage Arena. The win by the Penguins also sent Charlotte and Springfield to the Calder Cup playoffs.

On a set play, Quinnipiac University’s Jacob Quillan zoomed in on the left wing, taking Arizona Coyotes draftee Sam Lipkin’s backhand pass ten seconds into OT to score and secure the Bobcats their first NCAA title of any kind for the Hamden-based school defeating midwestern powerhouse Minnesota.

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QUINNIPIAC WINS REGIONAL HEADS TO FROZEN FOUR

Mitch Beck — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 05:45:37 +0000

By: Drew Camposano, Howlings

BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Quinnipiac Bobcats are headed to Tampa, Florida, to compete in their third NCAA D1 Frozen Four Tournament after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 4-1 Sunday in the Regional Final in front of 4,557 at the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport CT.

Quinnipiac Head Coach Rand Peknold doesn’t see this trip any less exciting than his other two trips. “I mean it’s exciting,” he said. “The third one is as good as the first two.”

Quinnipiac’s campus is less than thirty minutes from Bridgeport, which flooded the crowd in Bobcat yellow, giving them a clear home advantage. The environment didn’t go unnoticed by the players, “It was great. Everybody was very loud tonight; it helps us get our legs going,” sophomore forward Cristophe Tellier said.

Ohio State’s Joe Dunlap gave the Buckeyes an early lead and their only lead of the game at 1:31. Dunlap took a turnover, beat two Quinnipiac defenders to go one-on-one against Yaniv Perets, a finalist for both the Hobey Baker Award as college player of the year and the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s top goalie. Dunlap beat the Bobcat netminder, going right-to-left and putting a backhander into the net for the only goal they would get by him in the contest.

But Quinnipiac continued to pressure the Buckeyes and scored two goals 15 seconds apart. Christophe Fillion equalized the score at 13:20, and then Skyler Brind’Amour scored what proved to be the game-winner at 13:35.

The period ended 2-1 with Quinnipiac leading, which didn’t bode well for the Buckeyes, who entered the game 2-7-0 when trailing at the end of the first.

The coaching staff of the Buckeyes adjust the team’s approach for the second period, and they responded and looked like a different team. After a back-and-forth affair in the second period, Ohio State had its best shot at the equalizer early in the third period with a breakaway on Perets, who made an outstanding save to keep the lead. Tellier and his teammates knew closing the game out against the Buckeyes was not going to be easy. “Ohio State is coming off a dominant 8-1 victory against Harvard. It doesn’t take long for this high-powered offense to get going.”

In the third period, with Gustaf Westlund in the penalty box for a Boarding call, Tellier thought he had scored and started to celebrate. The referees disagreed, and the play continued, which silenced the crowd. At the next stoppage, the play was reviewed, and the referees’ decision was overturned. The Bobcats were awarded their third and backbreaking third goal at 15:30 to make it 3-1. Quinnipiac would add an empty net score by Jayden Lee with 1:57 left, ending the Buckeyes’ run in the NCAA Tournament.

They didn’t go out without putting up a fight,” Ohio State Head Coach Steve Rohlik said. “Obviously, it’s a disappointing result. I couldn’t ask for more from my team though we played a good game. I thought we left everything on the rink.”

The Buckeyes close their 2022-23 season with a 21-16-3 record.

Quinnipiac will play Michigan in the April 6 semifinals at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

BOX SCORE

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OHIO STATE DESTROYS HARVARD IN NCAA REGIONAL

Mitch Beck — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:05:07 +0000

BY: Drew Camposano, Howlings

BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Ohio State Buckeyes not only upset the second-seeded Harvard Crimson but pounded them with an 8-1 win in the semi-final of the NCAA tournament game at Total Mortgage Arena on Friday.

Jake Wise led the Buckeyes (21-15-3) attack with a massive four points, while Gustaf Westlund, Mason Lohrei, and Cam Thiesing each had three points in the shellacking of the Crimson, who finished the season with a record of 24-9-2.

Ohio State will face Quinnipiac in the NCAA Regional Final on Sunday with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line. ESPN2 will televise the game on WatchESPN.

Ohio State dominated from the start scoring the game’s first of a Buckeye school record, eight goals, at 3:22 of the first period, with Thiesing putting it past Crimson’s goaltender Mitchell Gibson. Westlund and Wise got the helpers. The Buckeyes would tally the game-winner with just 1:36 left in the first when Cole McWard scored his first of two goals in the game.

The Buckeyes ran Ted Donato’s team out of the building in the second period. Donato played 796 NHL games, including nine years with the Boston Bruins, two with the New York Islanders, and one with the New York Rangers. They would break the game open with two goals six seconds apart at 3:44 by Westlund and Thiesing tallying his second at 3:50. They were followed by Lohrei (8:24), Dunlap (15:08) and McWard’s second (16:59). The second period came to a close with the Buckeyes leading 7-0.

Donato changed his goaltender to Derek Mullahy. However, Ohio State kept pouring it on as Dunlap sent a beautiful pass across the crease to Patrick Guzzo for the eighth and final goal of the game for the Buckeyes.

The frustration for Harvard became apparent as the game became chippy, with players talking after the whistles and some pushing and shoving.

Harvard avoided the shutout at 16:46 of the third frame when Dunlap was called for tripping and put the Crimson on the power play. They took advantage of that opportunity. John Farinacci took a pass from Sean Farrell and buried it past Jakub Dobes to bring the final score to 8-1.

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