HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack kicked off their 2024-25 season on Saturday night. For the third year in a row, the team opened the season on the road. This time, they travelled to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
The Atlantic Division rivals played a back-and-forth game, featuring three lead changes and three ties. The Wolf Pack picked up their first point of the season, but ultimately fell to the Phantoms in a shootout by a score of 4-3.
Brett’s Back At It
The two sides played a fairly even first period, trading chances at the icebreaker. The Wolf Pack finally opened the scoring in the waning minutes of the opening period. Lehigh Valley’s Adam Ginning was whistled for holding, setting up Hartford’s second power play bid of the contest.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald, quarterbacking the power play, fumbled the puck at the top of the zone. Fitzgerald had his stick poked by a Phantom, knocking the puck away, but Brennan Othmann collected it along the right wall. Othmann snapped a cross-ice pass to Brett Berard, who skated towards the goal. Berard faked a shot, toe-dragged around a defender, and ripped a shot on net. Alexei Kolosov made the initial save, but the puck trickled through the netminder and inside the post for a power play goal.
Berard potted 25 goals last season, good for second among rookies. He picked up right where he left off, scoring the Wolf Pack’s first goal of the season to give them the lead heading into the first intermission.
Phantom Menaces
A sloppy, undisciplined second period for Hartford allowed the Phantoms to take the lead. Othmann took a hooking penalty early in the period to send Lehigh Valley back to the power play. In the waning seconds of the man advantage, Louie Belpedio fired a one-timer towards the Hartford net. Jacob Gaucher, stationed in front of the net, deflected the shot under the blocker of Louis Domingue to tie the game at one.
Othmann was called for hooking again midway through the frame, and again the Phantoms took advantage. A board battle ensued in the left corner, with the Wolf Pack trying to clear the puck. However, the Phantoms were able to control it, and the puck ended up on the stick of Anthony Richard behind the net. Connor Mackey went to bump Richard, which left Samu Tuomaala wide open in front of the net. Tuomaala collected the pass between the circles and ripped a shot bar down over Domingue to put the Phantoms in front.
Each team had a pair of additional power play opportunities in the remainder of the period, but neither could find twine. As a result, the Phantoms took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
Back and Forth Battle
The Wolf Pack evened the score once again about five minutes into the third period. The Phantoms aimed to clear their zone, but a hard forecheck from Anton Blidh kept the puck in. Adam Sýkora poked the loose puck to Alex Belzile, who tapped it to Blidh. Blidh fed Sýkora, setting up a partial two-on-one chance. Sýkora slipped the puck back to Blidh, who flicked it into the open net to tie the game at two. It was the only even-strength goal of the night for either team.
However, penalties came back to burn the Wolf Pack once again. Blidh and Belzile were each sent to the box for hooking and slashing, respectively, giving the Phantoms a 5-on-3 chance. On the ensuing power play, Helge Grans fired a shot on net from just beyond the circles. Domingue made the initial save, but could not collect the puck. A scramble ensued, and the puck eventually trickled to Richard on the back door. Richard blasted the puck over a diving Domingue to put Lehigh Valley back on top.
The Phantoms, smelling blood in the water, continued to pepper Domingue throughout the third period. However, the Hartford netminder held strong, giving the Wolf Pack a chance to come back.
Perfect Fitz
The Wolf Pack finally caught their break in the final minutes of regulation. With just over two minutes remaining in the contest, Rhett Gardner earned a double minor for high-sticking. The penalty guaranteed that the Wolf Pack would have a man advantage through the end of regulation.
Hartford opted to lift Domingue for the extra attacker, giving them a six-on-four bid. The Phantoms were nearly able to clear the zone, but Fitzgerald blocked the clearing bid. Berard attempted to feed Othmann for a one-timer, but the shot went wide. Belzile corralled it along the wall and sent it back to Fitzgerald. The blueliner unleashed a howitzer from the high slot that blew by Kolosov and into the net to tie the contest again.
The goal gave Fitzgerald, making his Wolf Pack debut, a multi-point night. Belzile and Othmann, who earned the assists, also collected their second points of the contest. Hartford retained the man advantage, but they could not pull ahead, sending the game to overtime.
Opening Night Heartbreak
Each team fired three shots on goal in the extra frame, but Domingue and Kolosov each stood tall. As a result, the Wolf Pack’s first game of the season headed to a shootout for the second year in a row.
Berard and Jon-Randall Avon traded goals in the first round of the shootout. Richard and Othmann were each denied in the second round. Olle Lycksell put the Phantoms back in front with a goal in the top of the third round. In the bottom of the third round, Kolosov denied Belzile, and Lehigh Valley secured the extra point.
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
The Good
The players the Wolf Pack are relying on to be key contributors on offense showed up in the contest. Othmann and Belzile each had two assists. Berard and Blidh added goals, while Sýkora tacked on an assist. Those five players will each play key roles in the Wolf Pack’s success this season.
Fitzgerald impressed in his Wolf Pack debut, picking up a goal and an assist. Fitzgerald quarterbacked the top power play unit and looked fairly comfortable in the role. After the departure of Mac Hollowell this offseason, the Wolf Pack lack a true puck mover at the blueline. If Fitzgerald can step into that role, Hartford’s offense will be in a great spot.
Speaking of the power play, the Wolf Pack potted two power play goals in the contest. Hartford’s power play was among the best in the division last season, trailing only the Hershey Bears. If the Wolf Pack can have an effective power play once again, they’ll put themselves in great position to content for the Calder Cup.
The Bad
The Wolf Pack were very undisciplined in their season opener. They took 22 penalty minutes in the opening game, giving the Phantoms eight power play opportunities. Lehigh Valley cashed in on those opportunities, scoring all three of their goals on the power play.
It’s not young rookies who took these penalties, either – it’s guys who have plenty of pro experience under their belt. Othmann earned six PIMs in the contest, with two of his penalties directly leading to goals. Veterans Blidh and Belzile took simultaneous penalties which led to another Phantoms goal. These are mistakes that simply cannot be made.
There’s one thing saving this sloppy play from going in the “ugly” section – the Phantoms were just as undisciplined. Lehigh Valley also took 22 penalty minutes in the contest, and Hartford cashed in on two power play chances. However, this won’t be the norm throughout the season. Teams will get more disciplined as the season goes on, and Hartford will need to do so themselves. If they don’t, teams will take advantage of their mistakes, much like the Phantoms did on Saturday.
The Ugly
The Wolf Pack were outshot 49-25 in their season opener. In the final two periods, they were outshot 34-14 – a 20-SOG difference. They put a ton of pressure on Domingue, who made 45 saves to keep the Wolf Pack in it and earn a point.
Domingue, and tandem partner Dylan Garand, are great goalies. While they are capable of stealing games and points, the Wolf Pack can’t consistently rely on them to do so. In the defensive zone, the Wolf Pack need to work on preventing chances and helping out their goaltenders. In the o-zone, they need to shoot the puck more. Basic logic suggests that more shots lead to more goals, at least on average. The Wolf Pack have a talented forward group, but that talent will go to waste if they don’t try harder to score.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack will host their home opener on Friday, taking on the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first installment of the I-91 Rivalry this season. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
The Wolf Pack’s opening weekend festivities continue on Saturday as they host the Bridgeport Islanders for the first installment of the Battle of Connecticut in 2024-25. Puck drop is set for 6:00 pm. The Wolf Pack’s weekend ends with a rematch with the Isles on Sunday in Bridgeport. Puck drop is set for 3:00 pm.
