A tight preseason match between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday night is setting the tone for a long and chippy season series.
Late in the third period, the Thunderbirds tied the game on a man advantage, but ultimately fell in a shootout 3-2.
Game Details
It was the Thunderbirds who got the scoring started. Just 2:57 into the game, Anthony Beauregard tipped home a net-front feed by Alex Fortin, making it 1-0 early in the first period.
Olof Lindbom got the start in net for the Wolf Pack. He played the entire first period and half the second before being replaced by Talyn Boyko. Hartford head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that it was the team’s plan to have him play half the game all along. Lindbom finished the game with 12 saves in net for Hartford, Boyko with 15.
“We had [Boyko] and Olof who were standing on their heads,” Wolf Pack defenseman Seth Barton said. “They gave us the opportunity to go the other way, and obviously the shots showed.”
Despite both Boyko and Lindbom playing tonight, Knoblauch said that Dylan Garand will make his season debut with Hartford and play the entire game.
Springfield starting goaltender Vadim Zherenko had a perfect night, making 22 saves in two periods of play. However, to start the third, Thunderbirds head coach Drew Bannister elected to go to the bench and put in Colten Ellis to start the third.
Special Teams Make the Difference
Not two and a half minutes later, Ryan McCleary tied the score at one goal apiece. Just 13 seconds later, Hartford went up a man after Beauregard was called for tripping.
Nine seconds after that, Barton scored from the right point, putting the home squad up 2-1.
Despite it being early in the preseason, both teams played with intensity and physicality. Barton even took it one step further.
“There was a little bit of something there,” Barton said in terms of the rivalry. “I know some of the guys may not have experienced that… But it’s cool that it’s chipping away to a long season.”
With 3:09 left to play in the third period, the Hartford Wolf Pack held a slim 2-1 lead over the Springfield Thunderbirds. However, Cristiano DiGiancito had just been called for slashing. Just like that, the Thunderbirds headed to the power play for a fifth time.
After not converting their first four tries, they were able to this time on a wrist shot by Tanner Dickinson. The shot beat the Wolf Pack goaltender underneath his glove. Just like that it was tied.
The score remained deadlocked through the rest of the period, and even throughout overtime. The game went to a shootout, with the Wolf Pack ultimately coming out on top by a score of 3-2.
“It was good, I thought there was a lot of energy,” Knoblauch said. “In the first five minutes, we were a little nervous. We couldn’t make a lot of passes, but after that, I thought there was a lot of good plays.”
What’s next for Hartford?
Hartford is back in action on Thursday afternoon when they take on the Bridgeport Islanders. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
