The Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins kicked off their Atlantic Division Semifinals series in Rhode Island on Wednesday night. Hartford, fresh off a victory over the Charlotte Checkers in the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, aimed to keep the momentum rolling against their rivals.
Thanks to a three-point night from Tyler Pitlick, the Wolf Pack took Game One of the best-of-five series.
At the end of this article, you’ll also find a gallery of the game’s action by The Calder Times’ photographer, Brian Stone Sr.
Hartford’s Howling Start
The opening game of the series between the division rivals was scoreless for just 67 seconds. Hartford’s first shot of the game broke the ice, with Jake Leschyshyn recording the tally. Pitlick held the puck along the right wall and slid a backwards pass to Leschyshyn. Leschyshyn cut towards the slot before snapping a shot by Brandon Bussi to give the Wolf Pack an early lead.
Blake Hillman doubled the lead just over five minutes later. Brett Berard had a pair of Bruins draped on him, allowing Hillman to sneak into the slot. Berard fed Hillman, who blasted a shot by Bussi and into the net to put the Wolf Pack up by two.
In 89 regular season games in Hartford over the past two seasons, Hillman has totaled four goals. Meanwhile, in 11 Calder Cup Playoff games with the Wolf Pack, Hillman has three goals. The veteran defenseman has a knack for coming through in the playoffs, and he did it again in Game One.
The Bruins Battle Back
Providence came out of the first intermission playing with fire. Jimmy Lambert eventually got the Bruins on the board at 6:19 of the second period. Lambert carried the puck into the Hartford zone and got behind the defense before snapping a shot under Garand’s blocker to cut the Wolf Pack lead in half.
Just over seven minutes later, Nikolas Brouillard aimed to clear the puck out of the Wolf Pack zone. However, Brouillard turned the puck over to Oskar Steen. Steen found Lambert powering towards the goal and sent him a pass, and Lambert cashed in, potting his second goal of the night to tie the contest.
The Pack Runs Away With It
Lambert’s goals lit a fire under the Wolf Pack, and their play improved in the final minutes of the middle stanza. They took the lead back, this time for good, in the waning seconds of the period. Victor Mancini took a drop pass from Berard and fired a shot on net. Pitlick, skating in the slot, tipped the shot by Bussi to reinstate the Hartford lead. The goal was Pitlick’s first Calder Cup Playoff marker in almost eleven years. Pitlick’s last Calder Cup Playoff goal came on May 3rd, 2013, when he scored twice as the Oklahoma City Barons beat the Charlotte Checkers 8-1.
Anton Blidh put the game out of reach in the opening minutes of the final frame. Pitlick bumped Jayson Megna off the puck, allowing Leschyshyn to collect the loose change. Leschyshyn fired a pass to Blidh, who was stationed in front of Bussi. Blidh reached around the Providence goaltender and tucked the puck into the net on the backhand. It was the first goal of the playoffs for the Bruin, and the tally put the Wolf Pack up two for the second time in the contest.
With time ticking away and the deficit now at two goals, the Bruins made a late push. Providence lifted Bussi for the extra skater, and Patrick Brown cashed in with under a minute to play. Brown tipped a shot into the Hartford net to cut the lead back to one. However, the Bruins could not find the equalizer, and the Wolf Pack earned a 4-3 victory in the first game of the series.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack and Bruins will meet for Game Two of the Atlantic Division Semifinals on Friday, May 3rd, in Providence. Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm.
