HARTFORD, CT – After dropping Saturday night’s game, featuring a tribute to Hartford’s half-century hockey anniversary, the Hartford Wolf Pack aimed to return to their winning ways on Sunday afternoon. The Wolf Pack welcomed the Springfield Thunderbirds to town for the latest I-91 Rivalry battle.
The Wolf Pack took the game’s first lead, but it wouldn’t be enough on this night. Springfield scored three unanswered goals, leading them to a 3-1 decision.
Tic-Tac-Korczak
The rival clubs set off the fireworks early in the contest. Just 44 seconds after puck drop, Brennan Othmann and Matthew Kessel dropped the gloves for a scrap between the benches.
The first was Othmann’s first of the season, and first since he fought now-teammate Casey Fitzgerald, then with Charlotte, on April 6th, 2024.
Each side fired eight shots on net in the opening frame, but Dylan Garand and Colten Ellis each denied their eight bids against. As a result, the rivals entered the first intermission with the game scoreless.
Ryder Korczak finally broke the ice 3:37 into the middle frame. Victor Mancini fired a breakout pass to Korczak, got around a crashing Thunderbird and started the rush. Korczak took the puck across the blueline and found Nathan Sucese along the left-wing wall. Sucese walked towards the middle of the ice before slipping a no-look pass to Anton Blidh in the right circle. Blidh immediately sent the puck back to Korczak on the backdoor, who ripped a shot by a downed Ellis to give Hartford the first lead of the contest.
The goal snapped an eight-game goal drought for Korczak and a four-period scoreless drought for the Wolf Pack.
Slipping Through the Cracks
Springfield tied the contest about three minutes later. Corey Schueneman took a shot that Garand made the initial save on. However, the Hartford netminder was unable to corral the rebound. The puck popped to Simon Robertsson in front, who flipped a shot over Garand’s glove to tie the game.
Robertsson’s second goal of the frame put the game out of reach for Hartford. Robertsson forced a turnover in the Hartford zone and muscled his way through a pair of Wolf Pack defenders. Robertson threw the puck towards the net, and a nightmarish bounce allowed it to sneak through Garand’s five-hole and put Springfield in front. The Thunderbirds took the 2-1 lead into the second break.
The Wolf Pack came out with fire in the final frame, peppering Ellis to the tune of 19 shots. Jaroslav Chmelař earned Hartford’s best chance in the frame, but his shot rang the iron. Ultimately, Ellis denied all 19 attempts he faced in the period.
Hugh McGing tacked on an empty-net dagger with just under two minutes to play in the contest, giving Springfield a 3-1 victory on the night.
“The reality of it is throughout the course of the year, there’s games you deserve better,” Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told The Calder Times on Sunday night. “There’s [also] games where you might not deserve what you got. Hopefully there’s a game coming where we get one that maybe we didn’t have our best stuff in. I thought we played three good games this weekend. To come away with two points is frustrating.”
Home Sickness
One of the key storylines earlier this season was the Wolf Pack’s improved play at home and poor play on the road. However, things have shifted recently for the club.
The Wolf Pack have lost their last four home contests. They’ve been outscored 11-2 over the stretch and have been shut out twice. Their last home win came on December 14th, a month ago, a 4-2 win over Laval.
Meanwhile, on the road, things are starting to click for Hartford. They posted a 3-1-0-0 record on their recent four-game road trip. Since picking up their first road win, a 6-1 win in Bridgeport on December 4th, they’re 5-3-0-0 away from the XL Center. It’s an interesting reversal of fortunes.
Obviously, the Wolf Pack are better than a four-game losing streak with a -9 goal differential at home – we’ve seen it this season. Like Potulny said, they almost certainly deserved better this weekend, as they played three strong games. The Wolf Pack are back on the road for three games this week, but they’ll look to send the Hartford crowd home happy starting next Friday.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack are headed on a three-game road trip. The trip kicks off on Wednesday, with the team making their only visit to Utica to take on the Comets. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.