HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack continued their four-game homestand on Saturday night. The Wolf Pack welcomed the Providence Bruins to town as they aimed to snap a four-game losing skid.
The Atlantic Division foes played a wild game that saw eleven goals between them. When the final horn sounded, it was the Wolf Pack who walked away with a 6-5 win.
Just Find Jonesy
Providence opened the scoring in this contest. A pair of Wolf Pack players collided at the blue line, allowing Tyler Pitlick to enter the Hartford zone with possession. The former Wolf Pack forward had Jeffrey Viel going to the goal, but instead dropped the puck to the trailer, Patrick Brown. Brown ripped a shot from the high slot by the blocker of Dylan Garand to put the Bruins up early.
However, the Wolf Pack would even the contest just 57 seconds later. Chad Ruhwedel crashed down to keep the puck in the offensive zone and found Alex Belzile behind the net. Belzile banked a pass off the left boards to a wide-open Zac Jones. With Anton Blidh providing the screen, Jones stepped into a quick shot that flew by Brandon Bussi to even the score.
The goal was Jones’ first for the Wolf Pack since May 3rd, 2023. On that date, Jones scored a power play goal in a 6-3 loss to Providence in Game Three of the 2023 Atlantic Division Semifinals. Hartford would go on to win the series in four games.
The goal was also Jones’ first goal and point of his conditioning stint, which began on Friday.
Short Handed, Big Goals
Bryce McConnell-Barker took a tripping minor at 6:47 of the opening frame, sending Providence to the game’s first power play.
In the waning seconds of the man advantage, Jones controlled the puck at neutral ice and stretched a pass for Nathan Sucese. Sucese, working one-on-one against Frederic Brunet, attempted to dance around the defender, but lost control of the puck. The puck trickled to Bussi, who attempted to clear it, but his attempt hit Sucese and stayed in the zone. Sucese promptly regained possession and slid a backhander into the open cage to put the Wolf Pack on top.
The Bruins would tie the game just over seven minutes later. With Blidh in the box for tripping, former Wolf Pack forward Vinni Lettieri uncorked a one-timer by Garand to draw the teams even once again.
At the Buzzer
The Bruins took the lead back in the final minutes of the frame, Brown scored his second goal of the night, sniping a shot over the glove of Garand.
However, the Wolf Pack tied the game once again just before the horn sounded. Ruhwedel kicked a loose puck to Blidh, and the veteran forward started one last rush up the ice. Blidh dropped the puck back to Ruhwedel, who hammered a shot by Bussi with just 2.4 seconds to play in the period.
The goal gave Ruhwedel his first multi-point game as a member of the Wolf Pack, and sent the rivals into the first intermission tied at three.
Here Comes Chmelař
Early in the second frame, the Wolf Pack were forced to the penalty kill for four minutes when Casey Fitzgerald took a double minor for high-sticking. However, the Hartford penalty kill was up to task, preventing Providence from pulling ahead.
Late in the frame, the Wolf Pack regained the lead. Jake Leschyshyn golfed the puck into the Providence zone as the Wolf Pack made changes. The Bruins attempted to clear, but Brennan Othmann picked off the bid. Othmann skated to the front of the net and found Jaroslav Chmelař on the backdoor. Othmann fed Chmelař, who buried the puck by Bussi to put the Wolf Pack back on top.
The goal was Chmelař’s first point of an eventual three-point night. The Wolf Pack took the 4-3 lead into the second intermission.
Roo-Back on the Scoresheet
The Wolf Pack gained their biggest lead of the night just 1:45 into the final frame. A hard forecheck from Hartford allowed Adam Sýkora to control the puck along the back wall. Sýkora found Dylan Roobroeck in the slot and sent a pass to the towering forward. Roobroeck corralled the puck on his backhand and spun into a shooting position before snapping a quick shot by Bussi to put the Wolf Pack up by two.
However, the Bruins would not go away quietly. Trevor Kuntar drew them back within one, snapping a shot by Garand’s glove from the left circle just over the halfway point in the frame.
Four minutes later, Lettieri drew the teams even for the fourth time in the contest. Lettieri was left all alone on the backdoor, and he buried a feed into the open net to tie the game at five.
Sucese Success
Just over three minutes after Lettieri tied the game, the Wolf Pack took the lead back for good. Chmelař chipped the puck around a defender and into the Providence zone. Chmelař caught up to it in the right corner, drawing three Bruin defenders. As a result, Nathan Sucese, coming onto the ice, streaked into the slot unmarked. Chmelař fed Sucese, who promptly flicked a shot past Bussi to break the tie.
The goal gave Sucese his first multi-goal game as a member of the Wolf Pack.
Providence lifted Bussi for the extra attacker after Sucese’s second tally, but it wouldn’t be enough. Garand and the defense slammed the door shut, and the Wolf Pack earned an impressive 6-5 win.
“We earned that win tonight. We deserved that win,” Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told The Calder Times after the game. “To see things you’re trying to implement show up at the biggest moment, that’s a good feeling.”
Fitzgerald agreed with his bench boss. The Wolf Pack captain told The Calder Times: “It’s a big morale [boosting] victory for us. We’re taking steps in the right direction to play playoff hockey. It’s something we’ve harped on from day one, you gotta be ready to play a full 60 minutes.”
Playoff Primer
Believe it or not, we’re already approaching the home stretch of the 2024-25 regular season. The Wolf Pack have just 20 regular season contests remaining. As a result, it’s time to do a deep dive into Hartford’s chase for the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Wolf Pack are currently on the outside looking in. They sit in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with 48 points. They’re currently trailing the Springfield Thunderbirds, who are up nine points on the Wolf Pack with two games in hand, for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic. Hartford also trails the fifth-place Lehigh Valley Phantoms by 11 points – however, the Phantoms do not have any games in hand.
As it currently stands, the numbers do not favor the Wolf Pack. However, 20 games is quite a bit of time, especially in the AHL. Things can turn on a dime, as I’ve said before, and the Wolf Pack aren’t out until there’s an E next to their name.
Can the Wolf Pack go on a run and make the Calder Cup Playoffs? It remains to be seen. But a performance like the one on Saturday night is encouraging.
The Wolf Pack will host the Thunderbirds next Friday. They’ll need to win in regulation if they want a puncher’s chance at the playoffs. Anything other result, and the deficit simply becomes too much to overcome. Buckle up, Wolf Pack fans. Crunch time is here.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack continue their homestand on Friday, hosting the Springfield Thunderbirds for the biggest game of the season thus far. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
