As the calendar turns into 2024, I looked back on the games the Hartford Wolf Pack played in 2023. From miraculous comebacks to returning to the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Wolf Pack played some thrilling and entertaining contests last year. Here is my list of the ten best Hartford Wolf Pack games of 2023.
#10. Hartford Wolf Pack 5, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 0 – October 20th, 2023
For the second straight year, the Hartford Wolf Pack hosted the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in their home opener. However, the result was much different this year. Five players scored and Louis Domingue pitched a shutout as Hartford cruised to a 5-0 win over the Penguins.
After a scoreless first period, Brett Berard broke the ice midway through the second. The goal was Berard’s first as a professional, and stood as the game-winner.
Jonny Brodzinski doubled the lead at 18:31 of the second, and Riley Nash tripled it at 6:21 of the third. Connor Mackey and Adam Edström tacked on a pair of empty netters to cap off the scoring. Meanwhile, Domingue was flawless, stopping all 35 shots the Penguins fired at him, including this miraculous sequence.
There’s no better outcome for a home opener than a shutout victory, and this win kicked off a great start to the 2023-24 season for the Wolf Pack.
#9. Hartford Wolf Pack 6, Providence Bruins 4 – November 22nd, 2023
The Wolf Pack were mighty thankful on this Thanksgiving Eve, as a four-goal third period helped them earn a comeback victory over Providence.
The teams traded goals in the first period. Marc McLaughlin broke the ice just 30 seconds into the contest, and Karl Henriksson tied it with 2.7 seconds remaining in the first period.
Jonny Brodzinski put the Wolf Pack in front early in the middle stanza. However, Luke Toporowski re-tied the contest just over two minutes later. Curtis Hall put Providence in front at 14:53 of the second, and Joey Abate doubled the lead 40 seconds later.
The third period was all Hartford. Alex Belzile cut the lead in half with a powerplay goal at 8:51. Brennan Othmann followed up at 12:15, exiting the penalty box and converting on a partial breakaway for his first goal at the XL Center.
The game remained tied at four apiece until the final minute of regulation. Alec Regula was whistled for interference at 19:11, giving the Wolf Pack a powerplay that would last into overtime if necessary. However, Hartford wouldn’t need the extra frame. Belzile potted his second powerplay goal of the night just five seconds later, putting the Wolf Pack in the lead for good.
Providence pulled Michael DiPietro from net as they sought the equalizer. However, Adam Edström delivered the dagger with an empty-net goal, cementing the Wolf Pack’s comeback victory.
#8. Hartford Wolf Pack 5, Providence Bruins 3 – April 8th, 2023
At first glance, this seems like a fairly standard hockey game, not a “top 10 game of 2023” game. However, there is significance in this choice. This win, coupled with the Bridgeport Islanders falling to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 8-2, clinched Hartford their first playoff appearance since 2015.
The teams played a back-and-forth first period. Turner Elson broke the ice at 2:42, but goals from Josiah Didier and Luke Toporowski put the Bruins in front. Elson evened the score again with his second goal of the night at 16:46.
Ryan Carpenter put Hartford in the lead for good at 6:03 of the second period with a quick shot that beat Kyle Keyser. Libor Hájek doubled the lead at 2:21 of the third period. It was only Hájek’s second goal of the season, but it proved to be the difference-maker.
Didier cut the lead back down to one with his second goal of the night, and the Bruins desperately searched for the equalizer. In the waning seconds of the game, Tanner Fritz delivered the dagger, hitting the empty net and sending the Wolf Pack back to the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Just like that, the longest active playoff drought in the AHL was snapped. Merry Clinchmas indeed.
#7. Hartford Wolf Pack 9, Bridgeport Islanders 0 – March 4th, 2023
Yes, you read that score right.
This game was an offensive showcase for the Wolf Pack. Will Cuylle broke the ice at 3:36 of the first, and Jonny Brodzinski doubled the lead at 5:15. However, the pace picked up in the second period.
Hartford exploded for five goals in the middle stanza. Ryan Carpenter scored the first two goals of the period. Carpenter’s first tally came at 2:35, and he followed it up with a powerplay goal at 4:30. Jake Leschyshyn scored his first goal for Hartford at 10:31, at which point Bridgeport swapped Cory Schneider for Jakub Skarek in net. It didn’t matter to the Wolf Pack, however. Tanner Fritz scored the Pack’s sixth goal at 12:49, and Matthew Robertson kicked the extra point with a powerplay goal at 19:01.
Brodzinski and Tim Gettinger capped off the scoring with goals at 8:10 and 14:47 of the third period, respectively. When the final horn sounded, the Wolf Pack tied their largest margin of victory in franchise history. The only other nine-goal win in franchise history came on March 29th, 2008, with a 10-1 drubbing of the Springfield Falcons.
Brodzinski (2 G, 2 A) and Gettinger (1 G, 3 A) led the scoring with four points each. Other players to record multiple points included Cuylle (1 G, 2 A), Carpenter (2 G), Leschyshyn (1 G, 1 A), Zac Jones (2 A), Turner Elson (2 A), and Lauri Pajuniemi (3 A).
The defense was superb as well. Hartford allowed just eleven shots on goal in the contest, the fewest shots allowed in a game in franchise history. Dylan Garand stopped all of them, collecting his third shutout of the season.
Check out the supercut of the nine tallies below!
#6. Hartford Wolf Pack 1, Providence Bruins 0 – April 28th, 2023
We go from an offensive explosion to a defensive masterclass.
The Wolf Pack met the Providence Bruins in the Atlantic Division Semifinals. Providence was the top team in the Eastern Conference, recording 98 points during the regular season.
However, in Game One, the Wolf Pack needed just one goal to earn the first win of the series. Bobby Trivigno attempted to set up Adam Sýkora on an odd-man rush. However, Trivigno’s pass clipped a defender and ricocheted into the Providence net, giving the Wolf Pack the lead for good. Sýkora was credited with an assist on the goal, his first North American point.
On the other end of the ice, the Wolf Pack limited Providence to just 14 shots on goal. The Bruins simply couldn’t get many chances against a strong Hartford blueline. Of the chances Providence did get, none of them were good enough to beat Dylan Garand. The rookie netminder denied all 14, earning his first Calder Cup Playoff shutout and giving the Wolf Pack the lead in the series.
#5. Hartford Wolf Pack 6, Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 – February 19th, 2023
You’ll notice a theme throughout this list – the Wolf Pack had some incredible comeback victories in 2023. This one was no different.
Ty Emberson fired a long shot that Pat Nagle turned away. Nagle couldn’t control the rebound, however, and Gustav Rydahl buried it on the short side to give Hartford the game’s first lead.
However, the Phantoms turned the tides in the second period. Garrett Wilson tied the contest just 1:39 into the middle stanza. With Rydahl in the box for hooking, Elliot Desnoyers put the Phantoms in front with a powerplay goal at 5:20. Wilson doubled the lead at 12:34 with his second goal of the contest.
Will Cuylle cut the lead in half with a powerplay goal just over seven minutes into the third period. However, Wilson completed the hat trick, potting his third goal at 9:24 of the final stanza. With just over ten minutes to play, the Wolf Pack faced a two-goal deficit.
Rydahl scored his second goal of the night, jamming a loose puck by Nagle to cut the lead back to one. Just over two and a half minutes later, Rydahl completed a hat trick of his own. Rydahl snapped a quick shot by Nagle for his third goal of the night, evening the score again.
Hartford pushed for the go-ahead tally late in regulation. A scrum for a loose puck ensued in front of the Lehigh Valley net. The puck popped free, and Turner Elson slid it up the ice to Libor Hájek. Hájek stepped into a quick shot from the slot that snuck through traffic and into the Phantoms’ net.
Lehigh Valley lifted Nagle, searching for the equalizer, but Elson delivered the dagger with an empty-net tally, cementing the comeback victory.
#4. Hartford Wolf Pack 6, Springfield Thunderbirds 1 – April 19th, 2023
On April 19th, 2023, the Hartford Wolf Pack played their first Calder Cup Playoff game since 2015.
Their opponent? Their rival, the Springfield Thunderbirds, who Hartford posted a measly 3-7-0-2 record against.
Neither their playoff inexperience nor their poor record against the T-Birds mattered. The Wolf Pack bludgeoned Springfield, exploding for six goals and cruising to a win. Lauri Pajuniemi broke the ice early in the first period with a powerful shot by Joel Hofer.
Hartford pushed the lead to three in the second period with a pair of breakaway goals. Zac Jones took an interference minor at 3:52 of the middle stanza. The Wolf Pack killed the powerplay, and Jones took a feed from Will Lockwood and sped into the Springfield zone. Jones undressed Hofer, stuffing the puck in on the forehand to double the lead.
About four and a half minutes later, Pajuniemi got a breakaway of his own. Pajuniemi was whistled for hooking at 8:37. In the waning minutes of Springfield’s powerplay, Nikita Alexandrov took a shot that ricocheted off Anton Blidh and into neutral ice. Pajuniemi, fresh out of the box, grabbed the loose puck for a breakaway, and ripped home his second goal of the night from the slot.
Blake Hillman scored his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack in the final seconds of the second period to push the lead to four. Ryan Carpenter followed up 3:42 into the final stanza with a quick blast by Hofer. Adam Gaudette ended the shutout bid at 11:44 with a powerplay goal, but Ty Emberson scored on the empty net to put the game away. The win was the start of an incredible Calder Cup Playoff run for the upstart Wolf Pack.
#3. Hartford Wolf Pack 4, Providence Bruins 0 – May 5th, 2023
As late as March 2023, most people around the AHL expected the Hartford Wolf Pack’s Calder Cup Playoff drought to enter its eighth year.
The Wolf Pack had other ideas.
Hartford won ten of their last twelve regular-season games to clinch a playoff spot. After knocking off their rivals, the Springfield Thunderbirds, in the opening round, Hartford now faced the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Providence Bruins. The Wolf Pack won the first two games of the series in Providence, but the Bruins took Game Three to stay alive. This set the scene for Game Four at the XL Center in downtown Hartford.
The Wolf Pack denied the Bruins any chance to force a decisive fifth game. Turner Elson broke the ice just under four minutes into the opening period, giving Hartford a lead they wouldn’t lose.
Early in the second period, Tim Gettinger sped into the Providence zone and took a shot that Brandon Bussi denied. Multiple bodies crashed the net in search of the rebound. Jake Leschyshyn managed to pop the puck over Bussi and into the Providence net. Officials reviewed the play before awarding Leschyshyn the goal, his first career playoff goal.
Ryan Carpenter tripled the lead about ten minutes later. Jonny Brodzinski grabbed a loose puck and fired a quick shot that Bussi kicked away. The rebound came right to Carpenter, who blasted a powerful shot into the net to put the Wolf Pack up three.
Providence pulled Bussi in the final stanza, desperately looking to keep their season alive. However, Leschyshyn hit the empty net to cap off the scoring. Dylan Garand made 32 saves, recording his second shutout of the Calder Cup Playoffs as Hartford advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals.
#2. Hartford Wolf Pack 7, Springfield Thunderbirds 1 – April 21st, 2023
For the first time since 2015, playoff hockey returned to the XL Center. After handily dispatching the Thunderbirds in Game One of the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Wolf Pack hosted their rivals for Game Two.
Much like Game One, the Wolf Pack routed their rivals. Seven different players scored goals in the victory, and the defending Eastern Conference Champions were swiftly swept out of the playoffs.
Tanner Fritz broke the ice just over eight minutes into the game, scoring his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal. Wyatt Kalynuk followed up about three minutes later, blasting a howitzer from the blue line that Joel Hofer never saw. It was Kalynuk’s first goal with Hartford, his first Calder Cup Playoff goal, and stood as his first game-winner.
Ty Emberson capped off the offensive blitz two minutes later, ripping a wrist shot through the five-hole to push the lead to three. Will Bitten got Springfield on the board with a powerplay goal late in the first period, which would be the only blemish on Dylan Garand’s record.
Bobby Trivigno scored his first Calder Cup Playoff goal to push the lead to four. Trivigno sped into the Springfield zone and sniped a shot by Hofer’s glove on the powerplay to reinstate the three-goal lead. Blake Hillman followed up about three minutes later, scoring his second goal in as many nights. An extended sequence in the Springfield zone ended with Zac Jones feeding an open Hillman. Hillman walked in and uncorked a shot that Hofer had no chance of stopping.
Anton Blidh and Tim Gettinger added empty-netters in the final stanza to cap off the scoring. Overall, Hartford outscored Springfield 13-2 in the two-game set, completing the sweep and advancing to the Atlantic Division Semifinals.
#1. Hartford Wolf Pack 6, Springfield Thunderbirds 5 – March 24th, 2023
Simply put, this is the greatest hockey game I’ve ever seen in person.
At the time, the Wolf Pack held a record of 2-5-0-2 against the Thunderbirds. There were plenty of games where Hartford outplayed their I-91 rival, but the bounces simply didn’t go their way.
At first, this game seemed to be more of the same. Lauri Pajuniemi and Will Cuylle gave the Wolf Pack an early two-goal lead. However, Springfield would rattle off five straight goals in a 17:30 stretch between the second and third periods. By the time the fifth goal went in, the crowd was deflated.
Cuylle took advantage of a holding minor to Steven Santini, potting his second goal of the night on the powerplay at 6:05 of the third period. However, time continued to tick away, and Hartford still found themselves trailing by two.
When Hugh McGing was called for slashing at 15:00 of the third period, the Wolf Pack went back to the powerplay. However, this time Louis Domingue was lifted in favor of the extra skater, giving Hartford a six-on-four advantage. Jonny Brodzinski capitalized, scoring a powerplay goal to cut the lead to one.
Nikita Alexandrov took a tripping minor at 16:46, giving Hartford another powerplay opportunity. Again, Domingue was lifted for the extra skater, and again Hartford capitalized on the advantage. Tanner Fritz snapped a shot into the Springfield net, tying the game with 2:38 to play.
Hartford earned yet another powerplay opportunity at 18:56, as Matthew Highmore went to the box for delay of game. Just 10 seconds later, Cuylle gave Hartford the lead – for good. The rookie forward flipped a backhand shot over a sprawled-out Zherenko, completing his first professional hat trick.
Check out the ice-level angle, filmed by yours truly.
A Year to Remember
Overall, 2023 will go down as one of the best years in recent Wolf Pack history. From thrilling comebacks to returning to the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Wolf Pack have a lot to be proud of in 2023. Now, the team looks to have an even better year in 2024!
