HARTFORD, CT – Fresh off a key win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack aimed to keep the good times rolling on Saturday. The Wolf Pack welcomed the Utica Comets to town for their only visit of the season.
The Wolf Pack controlled much of the game, outshooting the Comets 36-29 through 65 minutes. However, a nightmarish bounce ended up being the difference as Utica took a 3-2 shootout decision.
Brandon’s Blue Line Blast
Utica pushed early, firing eight of the game’s first ten shots at Dylan Garand. The All-Star netminder turned aside all eight, however, to prevent the Comets from breaking the ice.
The Wolf Pack opened the scoring on the game’s 11th shot. Utica attempted to clear their zone, but Casey Fitzgerald kept the tumbling puck in with a blast from the right-wing point. Fitzgerald’s shot went wide, but Lucas Edmonds collected the puck to keep possession. Edmonds sent a pass to Brandon Scanlin at the left-wing point to set up the chance. With Adam Sýkora providing the screen, Scanlin stepped into a one-timer that flew by Jeremy Brodeur to put Hartford on top just over 12 minutes into the game.
The goal was Scanlin’s sixth of the season, putting him just two tallies away from matching his career high of eight from the 2023-24 season. The Wolf Pack took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This
The Wolf Pack dominated play in the middle stanza, outshooting the Comets 14-5. A delayed penalty call against Utica’s Colton White would give the Wolf Pack a chance with the extra skater. However, disaster struck.
Chad Ruhwedel attempted a back pass for Alex Belzile at the blueline, but the puck trickled by the veteran forward and took a line straight for the empty Hartford net. Belzile backchecked hard in an attempt to redirect the loose puck, but he couldn’t catch up to it. The puck slid into the open net to tie the game at one.
Santeri Hatakka earned credit for the goal.
“I’ve been in hockey a long time, and I’ve never been in the building, as a fan, a coach, or a player, where something like that happens,” Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told The Calder Times about the unfortunate empty-net goal after the contest.
Hartford couldn’t score on the power play, and the teams entered the second break tied at one.
Sucese’s Hot Stick
The Wolf Pack regained the lead just over nine minutes into the final frame. Belzile fired a shot on net from the right wall. Nathan Sucese, stationed in the slot, got a piece of it and redirected it by Brodeur and into the net.
The goal was Sucese’s fifth of the year and third in his last three games – he potted two in Hartford’s 6-5 win over Providence last Saturday.
However, Utica would once again tie the contest just three minutes later. Nathan Légaré worked past the Hartford defense and snuck a shot by Garand on the short side to tie the game at two.
Neither team could take the lead in the remainder of the frame, sending the contest to overtime.
The Latest Heartbreak
The teams swapped prime chances in the extra session, with each recording three shots on goal. However, Garand and Brodeur held strong, and the game progressed to a shootout.
Belzile and Max Willman traded goals in the first round of the skills competition. Dylan Roobroeck was denied in the top of the second round, while Topias Vilen stuffed a bid by Garand’s pad to give Utica the advantage.
The Wolf Pack sent out Blake Hillman in the top of the third round to see if he could recreate the previous night’s magic. However, the veteran blueliner couldn’t beat Brodeur, giving Utica a 3-2 decision in a game they never led.
“Are you disappointed when you play like this and don’t win, yeah. Players are disappointed. Fans, everyone is disappointed,” Potulny told The Calder Times after the loss. “You just gotta keep going back to, ‘are we doing the things that create success for us?’ If the answer is yes, you just have to move past it.”
Up Next
The Wolf Pack conclude their three-in-three on the road, taking on the Providence Bruins. Puck drop is set for 4:05 pm.
