#CaseyFitzgerald

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: ROCHESTER COMES TO HARTFORD AND LEAVES WITH TWO POINTS

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Rochester Americans' Tage Thompson return back home ended perfectly for him and his teammates, but not so good for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Thompson’s goal, the only one scored in the shootout session, gave the visiting Americans a 3-2 win after overcoming a 2-0 deficit at the start of the third period. The loss ended the Wolf Pack’s modest opening season success of a three-game winning streak. “There are going to be some growing pains. Everything will not be easy. The lesson tonight was that we have to keep pressing even though we have the lead. We have to play smart, and keep putting the pressure on," said Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch. Thompson scored the winning goal against his former UCONN teammate, Pack netminder, Adam Huska. “It was pretty special to play my old teammate,“ a smiling Huska said. “The shootout is 50/50. Hopefully, I’ll make the save next time.” For Thompson, it meant a lot more than just a win. His father Brent, the current Bridgeport Sound Tiger head coach and ex-Wolf Pack player, and his mother, Kim, were both in attendance. He was receiving post-game medical attention and was unavailable for comment. For the Wolf Pack, it was another third period where they let an opponent hang around and were unable to put the game away. Early in the third period, Huska was under pressure as Rochester pushed and finally broke through. Thompson was on the left-wing side, put a deftly-delivered soft-pass to rookie Remi Elie, who put on a burst of speed and slipped behind Pack defenseman, Mason Geertsen, and deposited his first pro goal at 4:42. The Americans cut the lead to one as they took advantage of their high-end, offensive firepower with some serious quality chances on Huska. Long-time Pack-killer, Jean-Sebastien Dea, was stopped on a right-wing bid and then at the end of his shift at 9:59. Dalton Smith was stopped with 5:51 remaining. Andrew Ogilvie was denied with 5:51 left in regulation. Danny O’Regan had a solid quality chance, but fired wide on his opportunity to make it a two-goal cushion. With 1:48 remaining, Rochester used their timeout. They elected to pull Andrew Hammond from the net, and with the extra attacker, they kept the puck in the Wolf Pack end of the ice. Dea and Thompson both had shots rejected by Huska before Thompson, on the left-wing, put a superb pass across to Roman Elie. Huska responded by turning it away. The Wolf Pack were unable to clear the puck, which found it's way over to the last guy the Pack wanted to have it, Zack Redmond. He entered the contest as last season's league leader in game-winning goals. He was on the left-wing and the righthanded shot went down to one knee and fired it past Huska with 12.6 seconds remaining. “We defended it well, but we just could never get the clear we needed there,” said Knoblauch. Early in Overtime, Rochester tried to end the three-on-three quickly. Porter and Thompson sought to end it, but Huska was equal to the task. In a critical defensive zone draw that was won by Boo Nieves, he saw his stick blade snap off and that left him in a very vulnerable position trying to defend a ton of space. “That was so tough because you're out there on an island with all that open ice. Boo couldn’t put a stick down in the lane for a block, or handle the puck to receive or clear out an outlet pass,” said Knoblauch. Chytil, who has gotten better each game, summed it up best. “We played a good game, unfortunately, we just couldn’t score in overtime.” In the second period, the Wolf Pack scored twice. Huska was strong in goal and the team seemed in control. It felt like a fourth straight win to start the season seemed assured. The Wolf Pack gained the 1-0 lead because of a missed shot. Danny O’Regan was in the slot and went to take his shot, but fanned on it. The puck was bouncing around and he swiped at it, sending it off the backhand over to Chytil, who was wide open with the whole net to shot at and scored his second goal in as many games at 9:47. “I was in the right place. He made the play (happen)and I'm not going to miss the (open) net." He said. The Pack extended their lead to 2-0 as Matt Beleskey banked a pass off the left-wing boards that caught Nieves speeding away behind the Americans defense for a clean breakaway. Eric Cornel tried to catch him in vain. Nieves moved in on Andrew Hammond, yes that Andrew Hammond, who was leading Ottawa in the playoffs two years ago as, "The Hamburglar" as he was dubbed. Nieves zoomed in and fired a shot saved by Hammond, but Nieves had his stick on the ice and got off a shot off the rebound. It went off the inside of Hammond’s right pad and into the net for his first goal for the season at 16:44. “I thought the Nieves goal was a good team play,“ Knoblauch said, speaking of one of his assistant captains. “Both Beleskey and Kravtsov made impressive passes on the breakout to make it happen.” Huska continues to impress and stopped several top-shelf Rochester scoring attempts. He stopped Kevin Porter’s left-wing shot, then kicked the puck to the right-wing corner where C.J. Smith attempted as well. Rasmus Asplund’s strong scoring chance from 15-feet out aimed for the short-side. The first period was a better skating version of last night’s game, but again quality chances were spaced out. Early on Casey Fitzgerald had solid chances for the Americans and Raddysh stepped into one that was denied by Andrew Hammond. Huska made a nice blocker save and did his best for the Wolf Pack to get the game’s first goal. LINES O’Regan-Di Giuseppe-Chytil Fogarty-Lettieri-Ryan Gropp Nieves-Beleskey-Kravtsov Jones-Newell-Gettinger LoVerde-Lindgren Day-Raddysh Ebert-Geersten SCRATCHES: Jeff Taylor Joey Keane Gabriel Fontaine Ville Meskanen. NOTES: Darren Raddysh has always worn number 24 and had received it, but Ebert is now wearing his former number 22 The Wolf Pack off to an undefeated start is stopped at three here is the top seven in team history. The 2003-04 squad went 8-0-3-1 and the following season the Wolf Pack won their nine games all in regulation (9-0-0). The 1998-99 team went 5-0-0 and 2013-14 squad went 5-0-1, and the 1999-00 team was 2-0-3-1. Thompson and Huska are the first two UCONN players to play against each other in this building as professionals. Rochester’s Dalton Smith is the nephew to former Whaler, Keith Primeau. Wolf Pack Fan jersey of the game: 18 Tyler Brown (Reading-ECHL player-assistant coach), 21 Bobby Sanguinetti (EHC Munich Germany-DEL), 30 Cederick Desjardins (Jonquiere-LNAH/Levis- QMAAA goalie coach), 32 Hubert Labrie (Belleville-AHL) and 41 Taylor Beck (Avangard Omsk-KHL). -Our condolences on the passing in Edmonton of former New England Whalers great Ted Green 79, who jumped from the Big, Bad brawling Bruins to tryout the upstart, renegade WHA. Green was the team’s first captain the first three years with the Whalers (two in Boston and one in Hartford) winning the first of his three Avco Cup titles before being traded to Winnipeg in his home province. As a young man he won a Memorial Cup with the Winnipeg Braves team. Green won the Stanley Cup in 1971-’72 when he was a member of those physically intimidating and also high scoring Bruins teams in their early form.  Green is known as “Terrible Ted” then was involved in one of hockey’s most violent episodes with him at the epicenter that changed his career playing style and cost him a whole year of hockey from 1969-’70. In an exhibition game in Ottawa against the St. Louis Blues on September 21, 1969, he got into a bloody stick fight with Wayne Maki where he suffered a fractured skull and suffered brain damage, remember very few players wore helmets in those days, which is hard to imagine today. Each player was charged with assault, the first NHL players ever to be charged for their on-ice behavior, both were acquitted. Maki was suspended for 30 games and Green was suspended for 13 games, but missed the whole season and missed out on the first Bruins Stanley Cup win. The players voted him a share of the playoff money and his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup. He did hoist the Cup for real when the Bruins won in 1972. Maki tragically died of brain cancer five years later. Green was teammates with Glen Sather in Boston who made him an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers winning five more Stanley Cup titles for seven in total. Sather hired him with the New York Rangers as an assistant. Green was a 2nd team NHL All-Star in 1969 and at one time held the record for assists for a defenseman at the now comically low 36. After the incident, he had just two major fighting penalties the last with Rangers great Rod Gilbert. Read the full article

[sirdidigregorius]

for my fave kazoo @caseyfitzgerald :-)

[nhlcommissioner]

I SENT THAT PREMATURELY MY NAME IS KARINA

k - karaoke by drake

a - american boyfriend by kevin abstract 

r - redmercedes by aminé

i - i miss the old u by blackbear

n - new york by st. vincent 

(a) - antichrist by the 1975

send me ur name and i’ll make a playlist out of the letters :+)))

[traviszajac]

@caseyfitzgerald aight sure i'll do nolan

[midar1]

Tbh Elina you've always been so damn cute and sweet and your blog always makes me laugh and like you're still too cool for me idk

ILYSM i’m crying ur too sweet? 😭💖 also everyone i’m mutuals w/ can confirm that i am very much not cool

[kidzboppizza]

Werenski and Larkin

   go on a road trip with: Zach• take to prom: Dylan probably • buy a puppy with: Dylan• make cupcakes for: Both of them• let pick the music in the car: Zach + who’s hoodie i’d “accidentally steal”: Zach is a blue jacket so if he has a cbj hoodie its mine now

[astarfilledsea]

🌠

three things that come to mind:

your shirtless jimmy vesey icon

accidental ask but turns out to be a cool, awesome person

christmas! probably because of your great xmas header

[jakeoettinger]

Periwinkle, blush, and coral

PERIWINKLE = You make me laughawwww 🤗

BLUSH = Seeing you on my dash makes my day a little better. 💕💕

CORAL = You’re a meme

i am 100% a meme, you right. hahaha you’re the best!!

see what your followers think | send them

[davidpastrnak]

@pbergeron @caseyfitzgerald give 🗣her 🗣a 🗣grammy

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: RYAN LINDGREN PROFILE AND LATEST NEWS

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings CROMWELL, CT - It’s been a rollercoaster of a first season for Hartford Wolf Pack rookie defenseman, Ryan Lindgren. His play has earned him a passing grade for his effort, despite not going to the postseason for a second straight season A majority of Lindgren's season was spent partnered with John Gilmour as the Wolf Pack’s top defensive duo. The expectation for the remainder of the season is that there will be new combinations tried at both the forward and defensive positions.  Lindgren played with Brandon Crawley last weekend. “It was a lot of fun playing with John, and we also got along well off the ice too. I'm happy for him to get a recall. He’s a heck of a hockey player. I played most of the year with him, with the exception of a few games. He's such an easy guy to play with, just give him the puck, and he’s such a good skater, you let him fly. "Now we're all going to have to make changes and adjustments with so many new faces,” said Lindgren. Lindgren is acutely aware of what coming into a locker room at the end of a tough, and a difficult season can be like for a player. “I came here last year for the last ten games, so I know what it's like when you’re the new face and everything is new to you. It’s a very exciting time for them to start playing (pro hockey). It’s still a big time for myself and all the other players to show management what you got. We've got to make sure nobody is taking any nights off. It’s an important final ten games for everybody here.” Lindgren had one advantage last year that helped in in his transition. His former college teammate, Vinni Lettieri, who was just recalled to the Rangers, was there to greet him last spring. “I went through the same thing they did in coming from college. It's just a different lifestyle going from class and knowing all your buddies to a place where you really don’t know anyone. To go from the structure of going to classes to where you go to practice in the morning and then the rest of the day is yours, it's a lot different as the hockey is different from the college game.” The Lettieri factor was big for him. “I was very lucky to have Vinni here when I got here, of course, I knew him from playing at (University of) Minnesota, so I was able to move in with him and he’s a guy who was always on the move, on and off the ice,” Lindgren said with a laugh. “He had family come in and always had something going on. I was very lucky to just not to sit in a hotel by myself, doing things with him or cooking meals at home. I was very fortunate.” Lindgren’s game is a physical, grind-it-out style that is a throwback to the players of 10-15 years ago. At that time, having a physical rearguard would be prized, but in today’s game, defensemen are more like defensive backs in football. Their hands are tied in how to defend against the opposing forward in their own end. “When I was playing for the US at the World Juniors with coach Bob Motzko (now the head coach at the University of Minnesota). He used to say to play as close to the line as you can. To crossover is a huge thing. I like to play a physical style. I do trash talk a bit, and run my mouth,” Lindgren said with a wry smile and wink. ”But you have to be careful not to carry it too far. In general, you have to stay focused on your game, so you don’t hurt the team with bad or ill-timed penalties. So that’s the game I bring and that’s not going to change, you just have to be smart to know when the right time is.” The first year has seen Lindgren’s potential tempered with reality. It was a season of ups-and-downs for the Wolf Pack as a team and individually. He now sports an "A" with Rob O’Gara out for the past 21 games since early February with a lower-body injury. “I have been happy about it there a very good group of guys here and I got time in New York which of course very special,” said Lindgren. The Second year pro was originally drafted by Boston, whose rights were acquired in the Rick Nash deal last spring “I have learned a lot in my time here. (Pack Head Coach) Keith (McCambridge) and (Assistant Coach) Joe (Mormina) have been huge for me in getting to learn the pro game, and the call-up, of course, to the Rangers was something else. I was fairly consistent for the year and the Rangers seem happy with me,” The season, however, boils down to one bad stretch, a ten game losing streak that ran from mid-January to mid-February just after the trade of then, team captain, Cole Schneider. “We were right in contention (three points out of fourth place) and we lost ten in a row and it's hard to make that up and others were winning (Hershey Bears) and next thing you know we fell out of it (playoff contention). It’s a very tough time of the year. Everybody is playing for a playoff spot and you're not. "We let up at that time and this is where we're at. Losing Schneids was tough, but we didn’t play as well as we should have.” The Checkers with a 44-15-7-1 record (96 points) are 31 points ahead of the Wolf Pack. They clinched a playoff berth last weekend by sweeping the Pack in a pair of games. Syracuse has also clinched a playoff berth last weekend as they lead the North Division. The Pack takes on the Checkers for a third straight game on Friday night at the XL Center at 7:15 pm which will be the last meeting with the Checkers this year. “They are the league’s best team. We got a lot of new faces, so it's going to be a big test for us if we play well,” said Lindgren last weekend as they departed for North Carolina. NOTES: No week is complete without some roster moves. Greg Chase, the nephew of former Hartford Whaler, Kelly Chase, had a two-goal game for the Maine Mariners (ECHL) against the Worcester Railers including an OT winner. He was signed to a PTO by Hartford while Dean Melanson was returned to the Mariners. Former UCONN player Karl El-Mir was released by Providence from his ATO deal without having played a game. Michael Doherty (Yale) was released by the Bruins too and sent back to Manchester (ECHL). A slew of El-Mir’s Hockey East opponents have all signed pro deals this week. Boston College saw Michael Kim and Chris Brown both sign with Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). Casey Fitzgerald (Buffalo-NHL/Rochester-AHL) and goalie Joseph Woll sign with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and a report from TSN’s Bob McKenzie says that freshmen, Oliver Wahlstrom, has told BC he will turn professional and is working on a deal with the New York Islanders and may wind up with the playoff-bound Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Woll’s departure will allow Darien’s Spencer Knight (US National Development Team) and one-time Avon Old Farms product to head to BC. He will likely be a first or second round pick in this upcoming summer’s NHL Draft in Vancouver. Boston University, saw top-end defenseman, junior, Dante Fabbro sign with Nashville. Ridgefield native, Chad Krys, sign an ATO deal with Rockford (AHL). Goalie, Jake Oettinger (Texas-AHL), Bobo Carpenter (Islanders) and, a surprise freshman, Joel Farabee (Flyers) have all left. A total of 27 Hockey East players have signed pro deals so far. There has been 105 Division I players and 118 college players in total have all signed North American/European pro deals. Matthew McGroarty (Westport/Brunswick Prep) has made an oral commit to Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) in 2021-22. Congrats to the state high school hockey champions. Early in March in the NEPSAC prep school boys tournament at St. Anselm College in Manchester, Kent School won the large Division title beating Cushing Academy 2-1. Kent grads include current Rangers head coach, David Quinn, and current Ranger and ex-Wolf Pack, Boo Nieves. In the Open Division, Salisbury Prep lost in the finals to Kimball Union 4-3. Salisbury features Thomas Richter (Greenwich), the son of the Rangers all-time great goalie, who is a Union College (ECACHL) commit 2020-21. In the public school tournament held at Yale University, in Division I Fairfield Prep captured their 17th Division I title (one Division II title in their first year as a varsity program) in the fifth championship meeting between ND-West Haven. They won by the score of 5-2. Mason Whitney and Thomas Quinn had a goal and an assist apiece to pace the Jesuits win. The final four for the first time in Division I history featured all four teams from parochial schools. In Division II, the Branford Hornets shutout Glastonbury 2-0 to capture the first title as David Engstrom’s goal and assist and Jared Yakimoff’s 20 saves paced the title win. It was Branford’s first title since 1988 when they beat Shepaug Valley (Washington, CT) by the score of 5-3 and only the third championship final in the history of the program. In Division III, the co-op program Lyman Hall/Haddam-Killingworth/Coginchaug knocked off the other Wallingford school, Sheehan, in the Battle of Wallingford by the count of 6-2 for their first ever hockey title. Senior Kyle Roberts had two goals and an assist and nine shots on goal and sophomore Aidan Weir’s tallied two goals on two shots, including what became the game-winner help the Trojans victory. The University of Wisconsin won the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four this past weekend in Hamden at Quinnipiac University with a 2-0 shutout win over Minnesota for their 5th national title. Loren Gabel of Clarkson (ECACHL-W) won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the Hobey Baker Award for women’s hockey. The Calgary Inferno captured the CWHL (Canadian Women’s Hockey league) championship shutting out the Les Canadiennes of Montreal, 2-0 at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, home of the AHL Toronto Marlies. CT Jr. Rangers forward, Jay de Ruiter, who played for the Netherlands WJC team in Division 2 Group B is playing for his home country national team at the U-18 World Championship Group B Division 2 in Belgrade, Serbia. Ex-Pack, Matt Carey, signs with Schwenniger (Germany-DEL) for next season. Four more European, Asian or Scandanavia titles have been decided. In Iceland, SA Akureyri Vikings of Northern Iceland (southern Iceland much warmer !) swept SR Rekyavik in four straight 2-0, 3-2 (OT), 3-2 and a final game at 4-1. The playoff MVP and top goalie was Adam Beukeboom, the second cousin of former Ranger player and coach and Wolf Pack assistant coach, Jeff Beukeboom. In Lithuania, Engergie Elektrenai won their 4th straight title over Hockey Punks Vilnius sweeping best of five series by the scores of 6-4,7-4 and 7-3. In Spain, Txuri Urdin beat CG Pulgcerda for their third straight title and 16th Spanish title winning the championship game 3-2. Turkey, saw Zeytinburnu Istanbul capture its sixth straight Turkish Super League (TSL) title beating Buz Adamlar. They swept the best of five series winning by the scores of 2-1, 4-3 (OT) and 4-3 in the short-season league. The leading regular-season scorer was former Danbury Whaler Matt Puntureri of KOC University-Istanbul with 52 goals and 21 assists and 73 points in just 14 games! Read the full article

[sirdidigregorius]

i associate you with jimmy vesey's dick up ur ass. next question

why is that the funniest thing ive ever said in my life

[nhlcommissioner]

karin

karen, sweaty :~~~)

[stamkos]

WAY TOOOOO EASY: @me @jules @damnwassup @caseyfitzgeralds @jakegardnr and @williamnylandersthighs and the good squad of @thealidoyle and @skjeiknbake

Haha glad you wrote out everyone's URLs bc I was too lazy too 😂@damnwassup @caseyfitzgeralds @jakegardnr @williamnylandersthighs @thealidoyle @skjeiknbake I love yall❤️

[midar1]

Elina your posts are killing me and I just had to let you know i love them and you

hdhzhsjs please theyre really lame but 😭💛 thank u ilysm too

[kidzboppizza]

⭐ because you always make me laugh and you're posts are grade A and like your humor is lol

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))0 thank you i love you so much too you’re such a good pal !! :0

[williamnylandersthighs]

thanks for 800 followers!!!

I can't believe this many of u like my dumbass jokes and adoption of half the NHL but I love you for it I've met so many amazing people so far on this site and I'm glad y'all wanna cry about hockey with me because god knows nobody irl does especially shoutout to the squad, ily guys so much @jakegardnr @caseyfitzgeralds @joewoll @fratboyhanifin @saintpatrice @jo-drouin @damnwassup @bisexualnylander