HARTFORD, CT – After a two-game road skid last weekend, the Hartford Wolf Pack returned to the XL Center on Friday night looking to reset. They hosted the Charlotte Checkers in a Calder Cup Playoff rematch.
The defense led the way for the Wolf Pack in this contest. Five of Hartford’s six defensemen recorded a point, and all four goals were scored by blueliners. The performance earned Hartford a 4-2 win over Charlotte.
Mack Attack
The Wolf Pack earned the game’s first power play bid just 58 seconds into the game as Aidan McDonough went off for slashing. Once again, the Wolf Pack power play failed to convert, continuing their cold streak.
Despite failing to capitalize on the man advantage, the Wolf Pack soon earned the icebreaker. Matthew Robertson attempted to set up Ryder Korczak in front of the net, but Korczak couldn’t settle the feed. Connor Mackey kept the puck in the zone and walked the blue line before flinging a shot on net. Chris Driedger couldn’t locate the puck in traffic and it found the back of the net. The goal was Mackey’s first of the campaign.
The Checkers tied the contest about 12 minutes into the game. Bryce McConnell-Barker took a tripping minor, sending the Wolf Pack to the penalty kill. Hartford nearly had the minor killed, but an extended sequence in the Wolf Pack zone allowed Kyle Criscuolo to take advantage of an open net and blast a goal by Louis Domingue. The two teams headed into the first intermission even at one.
The Moose is Loose
A low-event second period saw no goals, no penalties, and just nine total shots between the two teams. As a result, the 1-1 tie carried into the third period.
However, the Wolf Pack took the lead for good just 3:23 into the final frame. Victor Mancini, playing in his first AHL game since May, walked down the wall and attempted a centering feed. The puck caromed off a Checker in front of the net and bounced into the goal.
The goal was Mancini’s first career AHL goal. Mancini, fresh off assignment to Hartford by the New York Rangers on Wednesday, immediately made his presence felt in the Wolf Pack lineup.
“I just try to let the game come to me,” Mancini told The Calder Times following Friday’s contest. “There [were] a lot of opportunities to play offense in this game, so I was able to step up and really contribute.”
The Wolf Pack hope to get more contributions out of Mancini on both sides of the ice as the season goes on.
Brandon Blasts it Home
Patrick Giles took a slashing minor at 4:10 of the third period, sending Hartford back to the power play. For the second time, the Wolf Pack could not capitalize on the man advantage. However, also for the second time, Hartford scored shortly after the power play expired.
Shots from McConnell-Barker and Korczak in the slot went off the pad of Driedger. The puck slowly trickled into the right circle, where Brandon Scanlin crashed down on it. Scanlin snapped a quick shot that beat Driedger by the blocker to double the Wolf Pack lead.
From there, tensions hit a breaking point. At 11:34 of the frame, Justin Sourdif blindsided Brett Berard, throwing him down to the ice and punching the defenseless Berard multiple times in the head. As a result, a massive scrum ensued, with Sourdif, Berard, and Alex Belzile at the center of the controversy. Sourdif earned two misconducts, one for instigating and an aggressor penalty game misconduct. Belzile, meanwhile, earned a misconduct for being the third man in the fight. As a result, both teams were forced to play with shortened benches for the remainder of the contest.
Fitzy Finishes It Off
Late in the third period, John Leonard brought the Checkers back within one with a quick shot tucked just under the bar. Just seconds later, Robertson took a roughing minor, sending the Wolf Pack to a massive penalty kill.
With an offensive zone draw coming up, the Checkers opted to lift Driedger for the extra skater, giving them a two-skater advantage. However, Jake Leschyshyn won the ensuing faceoff, and Casey Fitzgerald controlled the puck. Fitzgerald lofted a high shot from deep in his own zone to clear. The puck landed, tumbled towards the goal, and tucked just inside the post for an emphatic empty net goal.
Fitzgerald’s insurance marker capped off the scoring, and the Wolf Pack earned a 4-2 win over the Checkers.
Defensive Dominance… On Offense
In this contest, it was the blueliners who provided most of the offense for the Wolf Pack. All four of Hartford’s goals were scored by defensemen, and five of their six d-men recorded at least one point in the contest.
“It’s funny, I was thinking about that the other day, we haven’t had a D goal in a little bit. Tonight, they get all of them,” Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny joked, following Friday’s contest.
However, Potulny also told The Calder Times that Friday’s game was the Wolf Pack’s best game of the season. “I thought that was the best game we played, best 60 minutes we played,” Potulny said. “To get the contributions from the blue line was the difference in the game.”
The Wolf Pack offense, at times, has struggled mightily this season. They’re missing playmaking forward Brennan Othmann – who will now be out until Christmastime – and the power play is in a massive cold streak. Having defensemen who can jump in and heavily contribute in the offensive zone is a massive plus, especially as the Wolf Pack iron out the kinks early in the season.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack continue their six-game home stand tonight, hosting the Providence Bruins. Puck drop is set for 6:00 pm.
