The Hartford Wolf Pack wrapped up a four-game road trip last week with visits to Wilkes-Barre and Cleveland. The Wolf Pack wrapped up the road trip with a pair of victories against the Monsters, their first since the 2008-09 season.
Wednesday – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 1
The first game of the week was not kind to the Wolf Pack. Just 1:05 into the Wolf Pack’s final trip to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Jesse Puljujärvi gave the Penguins a lead they wouldn’t lose. Alex Nylander doubled the lead about three minutes later, ringing a shot off the post and into the Hartford net.
The Penguins kept their foot on the gas in the second period, adding a pair of goals. Jack St. Ivany tripled the lead, going bar down off a slap shot from the top of the Hartford zone. Sam Poulin followed up about three minutes later to push the lead to four. Poulin tipped a deflected Puljujärvi pass over Louis Domingue to give the Penguins their largest lead of the night.
The Wolf Pack finally ended Joel Blomqvist’s shutout bid about eight minutes into the third period. Corey Andonovski was sent to the box for slashing 6:51 into the third period. On the ensuing powerplay, Brennan Othmann got the Wolf Pack on the board. Othmann took a cross-ice feed from Mac Hollowell and buried it into the open net.
Othmann’s goal was the only blemish on Blomqvist’s record, and the Penguins earned a 4-1 win. Hartford lost all three of their trips to Wilkes-Barre this season, totaling just four goals across three games. The teams will meet two more times this season, with both games happening in Hartford.
Friday – Hartford Wolf Pack 4, Cleveland Monsters 2
The Wolf Pack traveled to Cleveland for a pair of matchups with the Monsters. It was the Wolf Pack’s first visit to Cleveland since November 16, 2008, where they earned a 5-3 win over the Monsters.
Dylan Garand and Jet Greaves kept the first period scoreless, denying a combined twelve shots. Anton Blidh finally broke the ice five and a half minutes into the second period. Artem Anisimov held the puck behind the Cleveland net and snapped a quick pass to Blidh. Blidh promptly beat Greaves on the short side to give the Wolf Pack the game’s first lead.
Brendan Gaunce tied the contest at 9:44 with a quick shot from the slot that beat Garand. Hartford got into more trouble just over two minutes later when Bobby Trivigno was called for slashing. On the penalty kill, Adam Sýkora won a battle for a loose puck in the Cleveland zone. Sýkora attempted to jam the puck home, but was denied by Greaves twice. The third time would be the charm, as Sýkora snuck the puck into the net while falling down to put Hartford back in front.
However, the Monsters would tie the score again. Carson Meyer took advantage of a tripping call to Brett Berard and notched a powerplay goal to even the score at two.
Berard himself would reinstate the Wolf Pack lead at 14:26 of the third period. Meyer took a cross-checking minor and a game misconduct, sending the Wolf Pack to the powerplay. Berard took a shot that deflected off Cole Clayton. However, Berard grabbed his own rebound and buried it past Greaves, giving Hartford the lead for good.
Cleveland lifted Greaves, searching for the equalizer. However, Berard hit the empty net, his second goal of the night, giving Hartford a 4-2 win.
Saturday – Hartford Wolf Pack 3, Cleveland Monsters 2
The two teams met for a rematch in Cleveland on Saturday night. This time, the Wolf Pack would be without defenseman Connor Mackey, who was recalled by the New York Rangers earlier that day.
For the second night in a row, Hartford broke the ice. This time it was Matt Rempe, who deflected a Cristiano DiGiacinto shot by Jet Greaves to give the Wolf Pack the game’s first lead.
Blake Hillman doubled the lead just a minute later. Hillman sent a pass down low for Bobby Trivigno before powering into the slot. Trivigno dropped the puck back to Mac Hollowell, who snapped a pass to Hillman in the slot. Hillman blasted a one-timer into the Cleveland net to push the Wolf Pack lead to two.
Cleveland got one back at 14:23 of the first. Turner Elson was sent to the box for a faceoff violation, giving the Monsters a powerplay opportunity. Brandon Gaunce converted, scoring his second goal in as many nights to cut the Hartford lead in half.
The Monsters tied the game in the second period. Jake Christiansen took a shot that banked off the post and into the Hartford net, evening the score at two apiece.
The score remained even at two deep into the third period. Just over the 14-minute mark, Brennan Othmann took a shot from the right circle that Greaves turned away. However, Rempe, streaking towards the goal, collected the rebound and buried it to put Hartford back in front. It was Rempe’s seventh goal of the season, setting a new career high, and first multi-goal game of the campaign.
Cleveland once again pulled Greaves, searching for the equalizer late in the third period. However, Domingue held strong, and the Wolf Pack swept the Monsters.
Garand’s Great in Goal
There’s a lot of first and second-year players on the Wolf Pack roster that have been impressive this season. However, none have been more locked in recently than second-year goaltender Dylan Garand.
Garand has not allowed more than two goals in his last six starts. The last time Garand allowed more than two goals was on December 17th, when he allowed four goals in an overtime loss against the Toronto Marlies. In those last six starts, Garand has posted a 4-2 record and pitched a shutout against the Bridgeport Islanders on January 20th.
Garand and his goaltending partner Louis Domingue have formed one of the best goalie tandems in the American Hockey League. Both goaltenders have a 2.60 GAA, tied for 16th in the AHL. They’re one of four goalie tandems in the top 20; the others are Clay Stevenson and Hunter Shepard (Hershey), Yaroslav Askarov and Troy Grosenick (Milwaukee), and Hugo Alnefelt and Matt Tomkins (Syracuse). The Wolf Pack will continue to rely on this strong goaltending duo as they push towards the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Anisimov Adds Assists in Cleveland
Here’s a fun piece of Wolf Pack history for you.
The Wolf Pack last visited the Cleveland Monsters back in November 2008. In that game, Artem Anisimov earned an assist, setting up Brodie Dupont’s goal at 7:31 of the second period which tied the score at two.
On Friday, in the Wolf Pack’s first game in Cleveland since November 2008, who earned the primary assist on Anton Blidh’s icebreaker? None other than Artem Anisimov.
It’s a full circle moment for the veteran forward, who has recorded a goal and two assists since signing a professional tryout agreement with the Wolf Pack on January 2nd.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack will kick off a six-game homestand this week. The homestand starts Wednesday, when Hartford hosts the Charlotte Checkers for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
The Wolf Pack will then host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday and the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday. Puck drop for both games is set for 7:00 pm.
