HARTFORD, CT – A rare cross-conference matchup went down at the XL Center on Wednesday night. The Hartford Wolf Pack hosted the Grand Rapids Griffins for the first matchup between the teams since December 2022.
The Wolf Pack did not lead at any point during regulation. However, a two-goal third period forced overtime for the fourth time through seven games. In the extra frame, Ryder Korczak played the hero, tipping a shot into the Griffins net to get Hartford back in the win column.
Not So Shining Star
The Griffins grabbed an early lead. A bad turnover from the Wolf Pack in their own zone led to Antti Tuomisto controlling the puck. Tuomisto fed Dominik Shine, who rifled a shot over the glove of Dylan Garand to put Grand Rapids in front just under four minutes into the frame. With the tally, Shine became the first Griffin to score in Hartford since Francis Paré on January 2nd, 2009. Hartford got a power play bid midway through the frame as Trenton Bliss went off for hooking, but they couldn’t find the equalizer. As a result, the Pack entered the first intermission trailing by one.
Brett Berard took a slashing minor early in the second period, giving the Griffins their first power play opportunity of the contest. Shine quickly took advantage, ripping a shot off the post and in to double the lead. It was Shine’s first multi-goal game of the campaign.
The Wolf Pack pressured Sebastian Cossa early, outshooting Grand Rapids by a 19-16 margin. However, Cossa held strong through two frames, and the Wolf Pack entered the final frame trailing by a pair of goals.
Roo’s Back
Hartford opened the third period with fire. They controlled possession, continuing to pepper Cossa. Matthew Robertson took a long shot that Cossa stopped. Cossa couldn’t hang onto the rebound, however, and the puck ended up on the stick of Dylan Roobroeck in the slot. The rookie forward flicked a shot towards the net, which pinged off the post. The errant puck danced along the red line before Cossa, falling backwards, inadvertently pushed it into his own net.
The goal stood as Roobroeck’s second in as many games. Suddenly, the Grand Rapids lead was cut in half, and Hartford carried the momentum throughout the remainder of the frame.
He’s A Sýko
Hartford got a pair of power play bids in the third period, but the Griffins prevented them from tying the score. Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack successfully killed off a tripping minor against Chad Ruhwedel to keep the deficit at one. Garand came up huge in the third frame, denying multiple great bids, including a shorthanded breakaway from Shine, searching for the hat trick.
Late in the frame, Jaroslav Chmelař swiped the puck from Tory Dello behind the Grand Rapids net. Chmelař sent the puck up top for Robertson, who snapped a shot on net. Adam Sýkora deflected the shot over Cossa and under the bar to tie the contest at two.
The goal was Sýkora’s second of the season. After being unable to beat Cossa through 40 minutes, the Wolf Pack had beaten him twice in the third period to tie the game. Neither team could claim the lead in the final three and a half minutes of the contest. As a result, the Wolf Pack went to overtime for the fourth time through their first seven games.
Ryding Off With a Win
In the bonus frame, the Wolf Pack took advantage of Shai Buium falling to the ice and coughing up possession in the Grand Rapids zone. Casey Fitzgerald won a board battle and slid the puck to Korczak behind the net. Korczak skated up the left wall and handed the puck to Sýkora to set up the chance. Sýkora walked down the wall before snapping a shot on goal. Korczak got his stick down and deflected the shot by Cossa, giving the Wolf Pack the overtime win.
The goal was Korczak’s first career game-winning goal. Additionally, the win was the Wolf Pack’s first of the season when trailing by two goals. It was also their first of the season when trailing after two periods. The Wolf Pack didn’t lead at any point in regulation, but a gritty performance allowed them to pick up a thrilling overtime victory.
“It feels nice to get the [game-winning] goal,” Korczak told The Calder Times after the contest. “We battled back in the third period. It’s definitely nice to get the win, for sure.”
“I thought it was an important game for us,” said Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny after the game. “[Grand Rapids is] one of the best teams in the West. They’ve come out on this road trip and been very successful. Going into this game, I think they’d only given up 11 goals in 6 games. We’ve kinda been the opposite. It was important for us to be able to defend to the level required to win a game 3-2. I thought, for the most part, it was maybe our best defensive effort of the season.”
Extra Frame Excellence
As previously mentioned, four of the Wolf Pack’s first seven games have gone to overtime. Hartford has a 3-1 record in games that go beyond 60 minutes, with their one loss coming in a shootout to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the season opener.
When asked if he was tired of the overtime nailbiters, Potulny simply told The Calder Times:
“I’m happy we win.” The Hartford bench boss continued, “Would I love to win 4-1? Sure. But I think it shows a bit of resilience too.”
Potulny is right. Hartford has shown some incredible resilience through the first seven games of the season. The team could’ve easily accepted defeat against a tough goalie in Cossa. Instead they battled back, tied the contest late, and picked up the win in overtime. These early-season character-building wins will become key later in the season as the Calder Cup Playoff picture begins to take shape. We know from previous years how tough this Wolf Pack team can be. They’ve kept that identity early in the 24-25 campaign.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack are opening up November on the road. Tonight, they take on the Syracuse Crunch in Syracuse, New York. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
Tomorrow, the Wolf Pack will visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 6:05 pm.
