HARTFORD, CT – After completing a six-game homestand on Wednesday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack embarked on their first road trip since November 10th. The Wolf Pack traveled up I-91 for a rivalry matchup against the Springfield Thunderbirds, looking to snap a three-game losing skid.
However, the Wolf Pack’s road demons once again reared their heads. A pair of goals from Springfield in the opening frame proved to be enough, and Hartford dropped the game 4-1.
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The Thunderbirds opened the scoring in this contest. Matt Luff did the honors, picking off a clearing attempt by Victor Mancini and walking to the slot. Luff snapped a shot by the blocker of Louis Domingue to break the ice.
The Wolf Pack responded about nine minutes later. Bo Groulx won a draw in the offensive zone, and Alex Belzile collected the puck. Belzile skated to the slot before sliding the puck to Brandon Scanlin, who was stationed beyond the circle. Scanlin hammered a shot that sailed by Ellis and into the net, tying the contest at one.
A hooking call against Nathan Sucese at 15:32 of the opening frame gave Springfield their first power play bid. On the man advantage, Luff wrapped around the net and snapped a centering feed to Matthew Peca. Adam Sýkora lifted Peca’s stick to prevent the shot, but the Thunderbird captain eventually got it free and found Dalibor Dvorsky on the back door. Dvorsky blasted a shot by a diving Domingue to put the T-Birds back on top heading into the first intermission.
Not Pulling Out a Win
Neither team could score in a relatively quiet middle frame. As a result, the rivals entered the final 20 minutes with the score still 2-1.
Springfield took out an insurance policy just under three minutes into the final frame. Mathias Laferrière beat Ben Harpur to a loose puck in the Hartford zone. Laferrière cut to the net and beat Domingue on the backhand to put Springfield up by two.
Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny made an aggresive move, opting to lift Domingue with over three minutes to play. However, the aggressive play would not lead to a Wolf Pack goal. Mancini fanned on a shot from the point, and Luff batted the puck out of the Springfield zone. Luff won a footrace to the puck before firing a shot into the empty net, delivering a 4-1 win to the T-Birds.
Fight Night
Tensions always run high in the I-91 Rivalry. As a result, the Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds dropped the gloves twice in this contest. First, Connor Mackey fought Drew Callin at 16:38 of the first period. Later, Casey Fitzgerald and Tyler Tucker got into a scrap at 10:03 of the third period.
The last time the Wolf Pack had two separate fights in the same game came on January 12th, 2024. In that game, Matt Rempe fought Rhett Gardner in the second period, while Garrett Wilson got into a memorable scrap with Domingue later in the frame.
Neither fight was surprising to see. Mackey isn’t one to back down from a challenge, and Fitzgerald, the newly-appointed captain, wanted to create a spark for Hartford late in the game. Ultimately, the efforts didn’t work, and the Wolf Pack remain on the search for their first road win.
Jekyll and Hyde
I’ve documented the Wolf Pack’s success at home and their struggles on the road this season. With Saturday’s loss, the club dropped to 0-5-1-1 away from the XL Center this season. They’ve recorded just two points on the road – ironically, the only other AHL team with less than six road points is Springfield, with five. Even the Utica Comets, who lost 13 games in a row to start the season, have four road wins and nine road points. Furthermore, the Wolf Pack have recorded just twelve goals on the road, the lowest mark in the AHL.
For comparison, the Wolf Pack are 8-3-1-0 at the XL Center this season. Their 17 home points are good for second in the league, only trailing the Toronto Marlies (18). Additionally, they’ve scored 42 goals at home, good for third in the league – only the Colorado Eagles (49) and San Jose Barracuda (43) have recorded more tallies at home.
Logic suggests that teams will perform better at home. Playing in a familiar stadium, staying at your own home, and having a supportive crowd all psychologically contribute to this. However, the difference in the Wolf Pack’s home and road performance takes this to the extreme, as they’ll enter December without a road win. If the Wolf Pack can solve their road troubles, they’ll be in great position for another Calder Cup Playoff run. However, if they don’t, they may find themselves on the outside looking in.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack wrap up a brief two-game road trip on Wednesday, when they take on the Bridgeport Islanders in the latest installment of the Battle of Connecticut. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
