HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack made their final visit to Charlotte of the season this past weekend. The Wolf Pack traveled to the Queen City for a key pair of contests against the Checkers.
In a pair of games that felt like must-wins, the Wolf Pack simply couldn’t get the job done. Charlotte swept the weekend, winning 4-0 on Saturday and 4-3 in overtime on Sunday.
Saturday – Charlotte Checkers 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 0
Saturday’s contest started as a goalie battle, with Louis Domingue and Ken Appleby keeping the sheet clean. Domingue made nine saves, while Appleby denied eight bids. Each division rival earned a power play in the frame, which their respective penalty kill units denied.
However, it would be all Checkers from there. Wilmer Skoog opened the scoring just over the halfway point in the game, converting on an odd-man rush with a shot by the glove of Domingue.
Just over three minutes later, Wolf Pack captain Casey Fitzgerald laid a hard hit on Justin Sourdif at the top of the Hartford zone. However, the Charlotte forward recovered, took a feed from former Hartford forward Will Lockwood, and sniped home a goal to double the lead.
Sourdif made it a 3-0 game about fifteen minutes into the final stanza. Sourdif won a footrace for the puck and sped into the Hartford zone. There, Sourdif waited out a slide from Fitzgerald before roofing a shot by Domingue to push the margin to three.
A high-sticking call against John Leonard gave the Wolf Pack a chance to get on the board. Despite having a two-skater advantage thanks to the power play and the extra attacker in favor of Domingue, the Wolf Pack couldn’t challenge Appleby. Rasmus Asplund ended the intrigue with a shorthanded, empty-net goal, and the Checkers took a 4-0 decision.
Sunday – Charlotte Checkers 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 3 (OT)
The Wolf Pack and Checkers met for a rematch on Sunday afternoon.
Opening Bell Otter
Kyle Criscuolo took a tripping call just 3:26 into the game, sending the Wolf Pack to the game’s first power play. With Hartford’s struggling power play, sitting at 28th in the league entering play Sunday, facing off against Charlotte’s top-ranked penalty kill, the Wolf Pack seemingly had their word cut out for them.
However, a fortuitous bounce allowed the Wolf Pack to open the scoring. Matthew Robertson held the puck at the right-wing point and found Brennan Othmann along the boards. Othmann took a long shot that clipped the stick of Matt Kiersted in the slot before ricocheting by Cooper Black and into the net to break the ice.
The goal was Othmann’s third in as many games.
Easy Eddie
The Wolf Pack doubled their lead at 6:15 of the opening frame. Charlotte took another penalty, but this time, the Wolf Pack wouldn’t need a power play.
With the extra attacker out for Dylan Garand, Erik Brännström took a feed from Blake Hillman before ripping a shot from the slot. Black made the initial stop, the but the rebound popped directly to Lucas Edmonds, who jammed it home to put Hartford up by two.
The goal was Edmonds’ third as a member of the Wolf Pack.
However, Mike Benning scored twice in the frame to draw the teams even. Benning’s first goal came just 37 seconds after Edmonds’ score, snapping a quick shot by the left pad of Garand.
Benning struck again at 15:39 of the opening frame. Asplund left the puck for Benning in the right circle, and the blueliner went top shelf to draw the teams even at two.
Brennan Again
Neither team could find the twine in the second frame. Charlotte absolutely peppered Garand to the tune of 22 shots in the middle stanza. However, the 2025 AHL All-Star stood tall to keep the score tied at two heading into the third period. Garand even got a chance to add to his highlight reel, robbing Leonard with a wide-open cage.
The Wolf Pack regained the lead just over halfway into the third period. Charlotte attempted to start a rush the other way, but Robertson picked off a feed at neutral ice. Robertson then swung a rink-wide pass to Brett Berard, who immediately sent it back. Robertson carried the puck back into the Charlotte zone and found Othmann unmarked and skating to the right circle. The blueliner made a perfect pass, which Othmann hammered by Black and into the net to put the Wolf Pack back on top.
The goal gave Othmann his second multi-goal game in his last three games.
Collapse in the Carolinas
However, the Checkers simply wouldn’t go away. A late slashing call against Bo Groulx gave the Checkers a six-on-four bid in the final minutes of action. Sourdif took a shot that Garand made the initial stop on. However, the puck trickled through the Hartford netminder, and Leonard jammed the rebound home to tie the game with 30 seconds to play. The goal eventually forced overtime.
In the extra session, Criscuolo forced a turnover in the Hartford zone and left it for C. J. Smith. The former Wolf Pack forward moved in before sending a return feed to Criscuolo heading to the net. Criscuolo tipped the feed home on the back door to steal the extra point for Charlotte.
Despite never trailing in the game, the Wolf Pack couldn’t take the win, losing out on a big point in the process.
Getting Late Early
Every point matters right now for the Wolf Pack, who are currently on the outside looking in. They sit in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, five points behind Springfield for the final playoff spot. The Wolf Pack have just 23 games remaining, with Springfield having two games in hand over them. Missing out on a point in a game they never trailed is brutal.
Crazier things have happened in this league and with this team. Just two years ago, the Wolf Pack were a surefire lock to miss the Calder Cup Playoffs for the eighth straight year. However, the Wolf Pack won ten of their last twelve games to catapult themselves from eighth place to fifth in the Atlantic, secure a playoff spot, and go on a magical run to the Division Finals.
I’ve said before that I’m not ready to give up on this team. But earning a return to the Calder Cup Playoffs is going to take a near perfect run from the Wolf Pack from here on out. They’re chasing a Springfield team they’ve struggled against head-to-head and who has two games in hand. The path isn’t easy and won’t get easier.
This group has the talent to navigate this path and return to the Calder Cup Playoffs. We’ll see if they have the drive.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack will play their biggest game of the season thus far on Wednesday, traveling to Springfield for a matchup against the Thunderbirds with major playoff implications. Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm.
