The Hartford Wolf Pack and Lehigh Valley Phantoms wrapped up their weekend series at the XL Center on Saturday. The two sides played a thriller, with the Wolf Pack capturing a 5-4 overtime victory.
First Period Fireworks
The Atlantic Division rivals played with fire right out of the gate, trading dangerous chances. Nikolas Brouillard was called for interference at 5:33, but a strong penalty kill only allowed one shot on goal. Hartford’s penalty kill faced another challenge at 8:51, with Riley Nash earning a tripping minor. This time the Phantoms struck, as Wade Allison jammed the puck by Dylan Garand on the short side to break the ice. Helge Grans followed up just over three minutes later, beating Garand over the shoulder on a sharp angle shot.
Tensions from Friday night were still high, and Saturday’s game featured a number of scrums between the teams. Grans, Garrett Wilson, Mac Hollowell, and Brennan Othmann were all awarded roughing penalties at 17:36 of the first period. Another scrum broke out a minute later. In this scrum, Anton Blidh earned a four-minute double minor for roughing and a ten-minute misconduct, while Cooper Marody took a roughing minor and a ten-minute misconduct. Neither team struck before the end of the period, and the Phantoms took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The Pack Answer Back
The Wolf Pack quickly captured momentum in the second period. The Phantoms’ Ronnie Attard took a hooking minor just 1:04 into the period. Hartford needed just nine seconds of powerplay time, as a shot from Othmann snuck through the defense and lit the lamp.
Saturday was also the Wolf Pack’s annual Teddy Bear Toss night, and Othmann’s goal sent the bears flying. Take a look at my view of the flying teddies below.
Matt Rempe tied the contest just 24 seconds later. Matej Pekar won a puck battle behind the Lehigh Valley net and sent a pass to Rempe. The towering forward jammed the puck into the net to even the score. Pekar’s assist was his first point for the Wolf Pack on the play.
The Wolf Pack took their first lead of the game with just over three minutes remaining in the period. Hollowell took a shot from the top of the zone. Karl Henriksson skated into the slot and beautifully deflected the shot just under the bar to put Hartford in front.
Brett Berard doubled the lead about five and a half minutes into the third period. Berard attempted a shot, but Adam Ginning blocked the puck. Berard quickly grabbed the loose puck and snapped a follow-up shot over the glove of Felix Sandstrom for his fifth goal of the year.
Phantoms Force OT
However, the two-goal lead wouldn’t last for long. The Phantoms cut the lead in half just 33 seconds after Berard doubled it. Jordy Bellerive blasted a feed from Emil Andrae into the Hartford net for his first goal of the season. Ten minutes later, Lehigh Valley tied it, with Wilson deflecting a shot from Attard by Garand to even the score again.
Hartford was put in a dangerous place at the tail end of the third. Officials sent Connor Mackey to the box for elbowing at 18:38, giving the Phantoms a powerplay opportunity and a chance to re-take the lead. As time ticked down, Lehigh Valley set up a chance. Olle Lycksell set up at the side of the Hartford net and collected a pass from Tanner Laczynski. With an open net, Lycksell blasted a one-timer. However, Garand slid across the crease, and gloved the shot to send the game to overtime. The Hartford netminder made some incredible saves in this contest, but none were more impressive than this one.
Overtime Othmann
The Phantoms still had 38 seconds of powerplay time to begin the extra frame. However, the Wolf Pack completed the kill, preventing Lehigh Valley from even recording a shot on goal.
At 1:51 of the extra frame, Samu Tuomaala earned a tripping minor, giving the Wolf Pack a powerplay in overtime. Othmann called game, taking a feed from Brouillard and ripping a shot from the slot that Sandstrom couldn’t stop. It was the first game-winning goal of Othmann’s AHL career.
After scoring the game-winner, Othmann said to AHL News Now, “Scoring the first goal feels good, but scoring the overtime goal feels just as good. I needed to score that one cause I hit Nasher in front [with the puck]…but it definitely feels good to get the two points.”
Burn, Brennan, Burn
Last week, when I recapped the Wolf Pack’s final weekend of November, a section of my article highlighted Othmann. I started that section by saying “if you haven’t been paying attention to Brennan Othmann this year, you should start now.”
I stand by that statement. Othmann has five goals in his last three games, including Saturday’s overtime dagger. Additionally, the Ontario native has recorded ten points in his last seven games, totaling six goals and four assists.
“That cold streak [of scoring]…I was playing good hockey, but not my best hockey,” Othmann told AHL News Now during his postgame press conference on Saturday. “The older guys were telling me to stick with it. Keep playing, shoot the puck. That’s what got you here, your shot. Don’t be afraid to use that.” Othmann certainly hasn’t been afraid to use his shot recently, and he’s been rewarded for it.
Interim head coach Steve Smith told AHL News Now he rarely talks with Othmann about scoring goals, but instead wants to develop Othmann as an all-around player. “I know he’s gonna score goals. He’s got a natural shot and an ability to find an open spot,” Smith said. “We talk on a daily basis about how well he’s backtracking, how well he enters our zone, what’s he’s doing on the wall, and how physical he is. We’re talking about all-around hockey.” Watching Othmann over his last few games, it’s clear he’s taken the coaching to heart. The rookie forward looks much more comfortable in professional hockey, so it’s no surprise that his scoring has picked up.
Six Straight Wins
The Hartford Wolf Pack have won their last six games. The streak started on November 18th, with a 5-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch. It’s their longest win streak since the team won eight straight games from March 26th to April 14th, 2023. The six-game win streak is also the second longest in the AHL, trailing only the league-leading Hershey Bears’ nine-game win streak.
Smith told AHL News Now after the game that finding a way to win and keeping things simple were keys to staying in the win column.
“There’s been a couple games we’ve been outplayed in stretches, like everyone would, but somehow we’ve been able to continue to roll lines. All four lines made a contribution tonight, and they’ve done that throughout this stretch.”
Smith on how the Wolf Pack got the win
Up Next
The Wolf Pack will host the Cleveland Monsters tonight for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Monsters last visited the XL Center on February 13th, 2009, when they were known as the Lake Erie Monsters. Hartford took a 6-2 win in that contest. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
On Friday and Saturday, the Wolf Pack will travel to Laval, Quebec, for a weekend series with the Laval Rocket. Hartford last visited the Rocket on March 18th, 2022, where Laval took a 7-4 win. Puck drop for Friday’s game is set for 7:00 pm, while the rematch on Saturday has a 3:00 pm puck drop.
