The Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers met for the third and final game of their First Round series on Sunday afternoon. Hartford’s resilient 3-2 overtime win on Saturday set up the winner-take-all matchup. For the winner, a date with the Providence Bruins in the Second Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. For the loser, the end of their 2023-24 season.
Wolf Pack goaltender Dylan Garand was not ready for his team’s season to come to a close. Garand stopped 38 of the 39 shots he faced to lead Hartford by Charlotte and into the second round.
Hot Start from Chmelař
The two sides went through a feeling out process in the early minutes of the contest, swapping chances at the icebreaker. The Wolf Pack finally grabbed the game’s first lead just over the halfway mark in the opening frame. Blade Jenkins poked the puck away from Skyler Brind’Amour at neutral ice, and Blake Hillman grabbed the loose puck. Hillman slid it to Mac Hollowell, who banked it off the boards for Jaroslav Chmelař. Chmelař got a step on the Charlotte defense before beating Magnus Hellberg on the short side. It was the first Calder Cup Playoff goal for the rookie forward, and it gave Hartford a lead they would never concede.
The action picked up from there, with both teams earning powerplay opportunities. However, the dueling penalty kill units were up to the task in the first two periods. Charlotte killed three penalties, while Hartford squashed the sole man advantage they allowed. After the first 40 minutes, the Wolf Pack found themselves clinging on to the 1-0 lead courtesy of Chmelař.
The Pack Runs Away
Michael Benning was called for tripping in the early minutes of the third period, sending the Wolf Pack back to the powerplay. This time, Hartford would convert on the man advantage. Hollowell sent a pass across the ice to Brett Berard, drawing the Charlotte defense out of position. Berard found Riley Nash stationed on the back door, and the veteran forward tapped a backhand shot by Hellberg to double Hartford’s lead.
Berard himself took out an extra insurance policy about ten minutes later. A holding the stick call against Jake Leschyshyn sent the Wolf Pack back to the penalty kill. Nash found a loose puck at neutral ice and poked it towards the Charlotte zone. Santtu Kinnunen blew a tire in his own zone, allowing Berard to corral the puck and streak towards the net on a breakaway. Berard snapped a shot by the glove of Hellberg to put Hartford up by three.
Garand Larceny
Brendan Perlini ended Garand’s shutout bid just 45 seconds after Berard’s tally, potting a powerplay goal to put the Checkers on the board. However, that would be the only blemish on Garand’s record in the contest. Garand outlasted a number of late flurries by the Checkers, preventing them from clawing back into the contest.
Garand finished the three-game set with a 1.61 GAA and a .955 SV%. The second-year netminder also picked up his first professional point in the series, earning an assist on Nic Petan’s powerplay goal in Game Two. The Wolf Pack needed Garand to find his early-season self in order to have a chance to take this series. Garand was up to the task, and the Wolf Pack will keep on dancing as a result.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack have advanced to the Second Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, and will match up against the Providence Bruins. Games One and Two will emanate from Rhode Island on Wednesday, May 1st, and Friday, May 3rd, respectively. Puck drop in both games set for 7:05 pm. The series will return to the Connecticut capital for Game Three on Wednesday, May 8th, with puck drop set for 7:00 pm.
If necessary, Game Four will take place in Hartford on Friday, May 10th, with puck drop set for 7:00 pm. Game Five will return to Providence on Sunday, May 12th, with the puck dropping at 3:05 pm.
