HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack continued their six-game home stand on Saturday night, hosting the Springfield Thunderbirds. Hartford aimed for revenge, as Springfield took a 5-2 decision in their last visit to the XL Center.
However, revenge would escape the Wolf Pack on this night. Matthew Peca struck twice to lead the T-Birds to a 4-2 decision, handing the Wolf Pack their second home loss of the campaign.
Big Man, Big Goals
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring in this contest. An extended sequence in the Hartford zone, plus some slick puck movement, set up Peca on the back door. Peca blasted a shot by Dylan Garand for his first goal of the night about nine minutes into the action.
The Wolf Pack outshot Springfield 14-7 in the frame, and eventually, they found the equalizer. Matt Rempe won a board battle with Drew Callin, and Jake Leschyshyn swung the puck up the boards. A crashing Connor Mackey poked the puck away from a T-Bird, and Adam Sýkora collected the loose change. Sýkora fired a long shot into traffic where Rempe deflected it past Colten Ellis and into the Springfield net, tying the game at one.
The goal was Rempe’s second of the season and third point in his last three games. Additionally, Sýkora notched his seventh assist of the season on the play, tying Alex Belzile and Casey Fitzgerald for the team lead.
I’ll Only Fly Away
The tie ballgame would not last long. A defensive breakdown allowed Marcus Sylvegard to rifle a shot over Garand just 13 seconds after Rempe’s goal. Springfield took the 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
In the middle frame, the Wolf Pack earned a pair of early power play opportunities. First, Tyler Tucker went to the box for hooking at 1:12, and Hugh McGing was whistled for tripping at 5:00. However, the Wolf Pack failed to capitalize on the man advantage, and the deficit remained at one.
Springfield would later get a pair of power plays of their own. Bo Groulx took a boarding penalty at 9:20, and Matthew Robertson earned a tripping minor at 12:27. However, the Hartford penalty kill was up to the task, preventing Springfield from taking the lead.
With neither team able to capitalize on the advantages, the rivals seemed destined to head into the second intermission with the score still 2-1. Peca had a different plan, however. Peca took a cross-ice feed and blasted a one-timer by a diving Garand, scoring his second goal of the night and putting the Thunderbirds up by two heading into the second break.
Close but No Cigar
The Wolf Pack entered the final frame with fire. Springfield attempted to clear their zone, but Fitzgerald jumped, grabbed the puck, and kept it in the zone. Fitzgerald steered a pass to fellow blueliner Ben Harpur, who sent it right back. Fitzgerald found Brett Berard along the wall, who snapped a shot on net. The long drive sailed by Ellis and into the net, cutting the deficit back to one.
The Pack continued to apply pressure, getting multiple great looks on Ellis. However, the Springfield netminder kept Hartford from finding the equalizer. The Wolf Pack pulled Garand for the extra skater with just over two minutes to play. However, they couldn’t solve Ellis, and Matt Luff eventually nailed the empty net to ice the game and deliver a 4-2 decision to Springfield.
When speaking to The Calder Times after the contest, Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny noted that his team turned the puck over too many times. “You can’t turn pucks over in professional hockey,” Potulny told The Calder Times. “If you look at an NHL box score, the team that turns the puck over the most usually loses. You look at [Springfield’s] turnovers, and a high game would be 14, 15. We were much higher than that tonight.”
The good news? The Wolf Pack get a chance to bounce back. “The best thing about sports, and especially hockey, is you get another chance real quick, and we get a chance tomorrow,” Potulny told The Calder Times. “Hopefully we get back to it.”
Unwelcome Guest
The Wolf Pack have been very good at home so far this season – you may have heard from one of my many post game recaps. Hartford is 8-2-0-0 at the XL Center, with 16 points – only the Toronto Marlies have more points at home this season, with 17.
However, both of the Wolf Pack’s home losses have come at the hands of the Thunderbirds. Springfield handed the Wolf Pack their first home loss on October 27th, and followed up with another one last night. Safe to say, the Thunderbirds have been an unwelcome guest for the Wolf Pack so far this season.
The good news? The Wolf Pack won’t host the T-Birds again until the New Year. They’ll have almost two months to dig the Thunderbird-shaped thorn out of their home ice.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack’s six-game home stand continues tomorrow afternoon. They’ll host the Bridgeport Islanders in the latest installment of the Battle of Connecticut. Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm.
