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mitchbeck · 3 years

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CANTLON: KNOBLAUCH - WOLF PACK SEASON REVIEW

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The 2021 season has come to a close, and the trials and tribulations have given Hartford Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch a new perspective as he heads into the off-season to prepare for the 2021-22 season. The Wolf Pack valiantly fought back in this short season to put themselves in a position to compete for a division title. With six weeks to go, they found themselves 18 points behind the first-place Providence Bruins. “We got the lead; it's what you want to do on the road. We capitalized on our chances. They were much than we were in the second half of the game, and we just didn’t have enough push back on them,” Knoblauch said after the 6-2 loss that closed it all out. CALL-UPS Knoblauch lost two-thirds of his topline and power play unit the previous night to recall when Tim Gettinger and Justin Richards went to New York. The Pack also saw defenseman Tarmo Reunanen finish the season on recall in the Big Apple. Recalls are par for the course for AHL teams. It didn't help the Wolf Pack objective of winning the division after working so hard to get themselves into that position. Still, injuries and suspensions in New York made the recalls necessary. It forced the Wolf Pack to use every player they had and only their third goalie, Francois Brassard, as the only scratch for the final game. The Pack gave up 42 shots-on-goal for the first time since March 4th against these same Bruins in the game. Providence was the only team to eclipse the 40-shot hurdle over the last six weeks, and over that same timeframe, the Pack gave up more than 30 shots just twice. “We had the first seven shots of the game and credit their goalie (Dan Vladar). He kept his team in it, and in the second, we let things open up, way too much, and lost control of the game.”

KHORDORENKO IMPROVING

Patrick Khordorenko got some serious ice time, and he showed how much progress he has made a high, hard wrist shot for a goal. He also placed a backhand pass perfectly to Vincent LoVerde on his first and only goal of the season that gave Hartford the lead. “Pat had a very good game, and in fact, his last two games were very good. He also was very strong on the faceoffs, and he has taken a lot on penalty kills, and he did so five-on-five. It’s important for his success, and he helped the team out tremendously.” The center position was a point of emphasis from the beginning, and Richards earned his recall and picked up his first NHL point with an assist. Meanwhile, Khordorenko has good size and made strides in his development this season. “Both players fulfilled expectations and trended in the right direction as the season progressed, as did the team. Though such a short season, you're just getting going, and the season is over. So, that makes it tough as you measure his progress. That’s what we have.”

VACCINATIONS

All the players received their vaccinations in the final two weeks, and they were all gone last Friday. Nobody was staying around with a reduced salary when saving money was the objective. The Canadian players were heading back home to an increased COVID environment and a very different set of requirements upon their return home. “Everybody got their second shot. I think maybe one or two didn’t elect to do so.” Moderna or Pfizer? “It was a mixture of both, and yes, for Canadian guys, it’s going to be very different indeed going back.”

MOST CONSISTENT

Morgan Barron and Tarmo Reunanan were the players who maintained the most consistency throughout the season. Barron played the last four Rangers games while Reunann got into two games this season. Where he will be next season is anyone's guess. “(Barron and Reunanan) got their foot in the door. That’s the upside. Now we'll see over the summer how we progress (roster-wise). Their play makes things difficult in a good way. "The progress they had was good, earned the opportunity, so we'll just have to wait until September.”

HUSKA

After spending so much time on the Rangers taxi squad during the first half of the season, Adam Huska's play down the stretch certainly made an impression on the organization. “Adam was very good for us. He came in and made big saves in many games over the last month for us, and that’s what a team needs. He managed the puck well for us, helping the defense and offense. He has made progress his first two years for the organization.”

DEVELOPMENT OVER GAMES

Knoblauch came away with this season and hoped to see going forward a more equitable schedule in 2021-22. Knoblauch wants to see very few "three-games-in-three-days," so the emphasis can be on development with a mixture of games and practice time. “I think it gave players some more focus, especially with both shorter and more focused practices, and when we finally did get to play as close a normal schedule. "It was difficult all the way around, but I think playing two games a week was about right, just perfect for an American (Hockey) League team. "I don’t see the value of playing three-in-three for either team toward player development. Two could be light, three spaced out a few times might be the perfect recipe. Five or six games every two weeks might be right. "The question is how much development occurs at that point playing three in three? It obviously wasn’t enough games this year.” The ongoing debate over having 68 or 76 games will likely be continued at the AHL Board of Governor's meetings with the East, potentially heading more toward the Pacific Division direction of fewer games and more practice.

SCHEDULING

Losing the Springfield Thunderbirds late in the 2020-21 schedule-making process put a major hit on the conference-leading to an unhealthy, unbalanced three-team division. How the 2021-22 Wolf Pack schedule matrix will look will be interesting at its unveiling in July. Despite the schedule in the COVID environment, the Wolf Pack did maintain a semblance of a solid lineup. They had no infections and had just one game postponed in Bridgeport were down to one goalie because of COVID issues in New York. “We just had that one COVID situation, and thankfully everything with our guys worked out. We were very fortunate considering everything; it worked as best as it could.”

WHO'S COMING BACK?

If Knoblauch and his associate coach, Gord Murphy, are back behind the bench next season, they will have a much different lineup with a little more movement than the usual AHL turnover. That will be most evident on defense with Braden Schneider, Matt Robertson, and potentially Nils Lundkvist starting the season in Hart City. “We will have a lot of the forwards returning. On defense, there will be new faces, a lot younger on the back-end. It’s exciting, and there is a lot more than will be going on with possible trades, the (amateur) draft, and of course the Seattle (expansion) draft.” Jonny Brodzinski and Anthony Greco will be back finishing off their entry-level deals. They will be the anchors next season upfront. For Gettinger and Ty Ronning, who played very well, they have expiring entry-level contracts. The team will have a lot of those over the next several years due to the stockpiling of draft picks and prospects during the Rangers rebuild process. “We have a nice surplus of forwards (coming) back and more expectations and hopefully ready and have the first season under their belt now and ready for a full season. "Tim and Ty both have those expiring deals, but they were among our best forwards throughout the year, and we'll see how it works (out), but I would love to have them back with us next year.”

RONNING

Ronning had a great late second-period power play shot ring off the post in the finale. On the next shift, the P-Bruins got a late shorthanded goal and got the momentum. “That was tough. Ty was in the right position, and a shorthanded goal late was a game-changer for us." Projected over a 76 game schedule, Ronning was on pace to see his output somewhere in the 68-70 point range. That's a big jump for the 23-year-old after being buried in Maine with the Mariners for the first two years of his contract. He started this season on the Wolf Pack taxi squad.

THOMPSON

Paul Thompson now lives in West Springfield, MA. He fills the veteran spot and really embraces working with the younger players as his career starts to wind down. “Paul had an outstanding second half. He got better and better every game. He’s great for our younger players, and now it just depends on the amount of prospects that are coming in and the space we'll have.” The ending of taxi squads and the return of Maine (ECHL) to action will make a big difference in the development part of the hockey equation. “It was so hard for our players on our taxi squad. Not playing games, and we didn’t have a place to send these players to play, so they had to just practice and work on their skills and when we had the chance, such as the last two games, to get them in the lineup. "It was a different situation, and they didn’t play enough games that they would have liked, or we would have liked.”

OTHER FORWARDS

Forward Gabriel Fontaine re-injured the same shoulder as last season. Again, he had to undergo season-ending surgery after playing in only 17 games over the last two years. It's doubtful he will return next season. Fontaine got his vaccinations and headed back to Sherbrooke, Quebec. Defenseman/left winger Mason Geersten suffered a late-season hand injury unrelated to his last scrap with Ian MacKinnon of Providence. Over the last six-to-seven weeks, the team converted Geersten to forward as a pilot project to possibly recall him to New York for fourth-line duty this year. “He really liked and embraced it, and it helped the team out quite a bit. He did a good job upfront with the puck. He provided some intimidation, caused havoc in front of the net, made some plays, and scored several goals. "He had a great opportunity in the first period early against Providence (in the last game) which would have given him a three-game goal-scoring streak. We‘re very happy with the way he played.” This experiment will likely be reprised in Rangers training camp.

MSG CHANGES

The Rangers fired their entire coaching staff, except for goalie coach Benoit Allaire. Despite saying publicly that the team was looking for an experienced NHL coach, Knoblauch could get an interview in New York with new team President and General Manager, Chris Drury, based on his very strong two-week COVID sit-in showing he had for the Rangers. Knoblauch keenly felt the loss of John Davidson, who has since returned to his previous position with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Jeff Gorton. “They both supported me and wanted me to coach this team. I’m grateful for the chance they gave me. This is the tough part of the business, and I’m sure both will be somewhere in this game. That said, I think the team is in good hands with Chris Drury, and we have a good foundation with our prospects.”

NOTES

Ex-Pack Ryan Lindgren’s contract was extended by three years by the Rangers. Brodzinski was “sent back” to Hartford, so Justin Richards could make his NHL debut. Then he, Gettinger, and Tarmo Reunanen were returned to the Wolf Pack for cap space purposes under the CBA. Brodzinski's younger brother, Easton, who suffered a gruesome broken femur in the NCAA semifinal against Boston College in Pittsburgh, will return next year as a fifth-year senior with St. Cloud State. Huska’s hometown team in Slovakia, who he played for the fall, HKM Zloven, won the Slovak Elite League title beating HK SKP Poprad four games to one. HKM had ex-Pack, Allan McPherson on the team for Poprad, was ex-CT Whale, Brandon Mashinter. Ex-Wolf Pack, Andrew Yogan, departs Dornbirner EC (Austria-IceHL) to HC Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia-IceHL) next year. After winning the Swedish SHL title with the Växjö Lakers HC, ex-CT Whale and Ranger defenseman Tim Erixon departs as his two-year deal ends. Among his teammates was fellow Springfield Falcons teammate Illari Melart. Erixon was also an original Springfield Thunderbirds player.

MORE NOTES

Team USA hired former Bridgeport Sound Tiger head coach Jack Capuano to be a head coach for the World Championship held May 21-June 6 in Riga, Latvia. It was announced by Team USA GM Chris Drury. Drury named his nephew Jack to the team coming off his winning the Swedish LeMat Trophy title with the Växjö Lakers HC. In the ECHL, ex-Pack Matt Register is enjoying a strong season playing with the Allen (TX) Americans with 44 assists, the second-most in the league. He is first with 24 power play points. Logan Roe (Kent School) of the Florida Everblades is tops in the ECHL plus/minus with a plus-28. Ex-Pack goalie Charles Williams with the Jacksonville Icemen is one of the Top 10 goalies with a record of 16-10-2. Pack defenseman Hunter Skinner still leads the league in shootout goals with three despite leaving the Utah Grizzlies for Hartford in early February. Mike McKee (Kent School) is second in PIM with 121. Alex Kromm, the son of former Hartford Whalers assistant coach and NHL player Richard Kromm, is second in major penalties with seven. Ex-Sound Tiger Mathieu Gagnon with the Wichita Thunder is third in the ECHL with 113 PIM.

EVEN MORE NOTES

Providence sent forward Alex-Olivier Voyer and goalie Kale Keyser to Jacksonville (ECHL) to finish the season and get some ECHL playoff time. Congrats to Columbus (GA) River Dragons (FPHL) and their head coach, former New Haven Nighthawk, Jerome Bechard, to capture the FPHL title. The FPHL added a new team for 2021-22, the Binghamton Black Bears, two weeks after it was announced the AHL team would be relocated to Utica. It was an unusual final weekend of the AHL regular season the Binghamton Devils were still playing. The other AHL division winners joining Providence, the Atlantic Division champ, are the Hershey Bears, who wins the North Division, the Laval Rocket win the Canadian division, and the brand new Henderson Silver Knights, winners of the Pacific Division.

AHL PACIFIC PLAYOFFS

The AHL Pacific Division will start its truncated “playoffs” on Tuesday with a single-elimination format. The Tucson Road Runners will take on the San Jose Barracuda, and the Ontario Reign challenges the Colorado Eagles, with the winners playing each other on Wednesday. On May 24, the best-of-three series with Pacific division winner Henderson will begin. The #2 and #3 seeds will also start a best-of-three series, and on May 29, the Pacific Division best-of-three final series will start. Only the play-in Pacific Division playoff games will be played at the 2020-21 home of the San Diego Gulls at the Five Points Arena in Irvine, CA, the practice facility of the Anaheim Ducks. All three games of the finals and semifinals will be played at the higher seed's arena. In a published report, 93% (133 of 141 respondents) to a confidential survey conducted by agent Allan Walsh of Octagon Sports stated players do not wish to participate because they were unpaid, a normal occurrence in the postseason of major and minor league sports. Worker’s compensation insurance does not cover them should they be injured. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 3 years

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CANTLON: (SAT) PACK DROP SOUND TIGERS 5-2

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack won for the second straight game on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center, 5-2, over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The line of Justin Richards, Tim Gettinger, and Ty Ronning powered the Pack with six points on six shots. Gettinger and Ronning had two assists each, while Richards scored his first pro goal and added a helper. The Wolf Pack record improves to 5-6-1-0 (11 points). Bridgeport’s record drops to 3-8-0 (6 points) and remains in last place in the Atlantic Division following a nine-day layoff. Associate Head Coach, Gord Murphy, was back behind the bench running the game with Kris Knoblauch still in Philadelphia with the Rangers. “I’m very proud of the team the last two games. The club played for each other, playing better individually and collectively," an ebullient Murphy said.

THIRD PERIOD

Early in the third period, the Sound Tigers made it interesting, drawing within 3-2, but the Wolf Pack regained control and posted two goals to pull away for the win. The puck was dumped into the Wolf Pack zone by Samuel Bolduc. Richards chased it down and won a battle with Jeff Kubiak for control of the puck. However, his outlet pass was swiped by Cole Bardreau, who was at the right side of the net, and slipped a backhander, surprising netminder Adam Huska, who was making his second consecutive start and playing in just his sixth game of the season. The puck went between Huska's arm and body just 12 seconds into the period and made it a 3-2 lead for the home team. “We didn’t panic. We didn't let it get us down. We stuck to what we did in the first two periods, and we came out with a win,” said winger Anthony Greco. The Wolf Pack counter-attacked the rest of the period as Ronning and Gettinger's combo made some magic.

RONNING, GETTINGER, AND RICHARDS

“That line the last three or four games has come together with Richards in the middle. They're complementing each other well with Richards winning draws. You see the confidence and the contributions they're making," said Murphy of Ronning, Gettinger, and Richards. Tarmo Reunanen tallied his third goal of the season after Ronning broke down right-wing and snapped a shot that Gettinger redirected. Sound Tiger goalie, Jakub Skarek, made a pad save but left a big rebound. Reunanen came in from his defensive position at the left perch and zipped the puck into the net at 13:41. “That play wasn’t a fluke or accident," Murphy said. "Tarmo read the play and reacted, and for players coming from Europe, there is that adjustment period to get used to the ice (size of the rink) and how to play the puck and the game. He is a solid hard worker and has shown a lot of determination to get better, and he showed that on that goal which came at a great time for us.”

THE FINAL TALLY

On the game's final tally, Patrick Khordorenko slipped a short pass to Paul Thompson coming from left-to-right. Thompson had good speed for his zone entry and drove deep into the Sound Tigers' end. At the lower right-wing circle, Thompson fired a shot that went high over Skarek’s left shoulder and just under the crossbar at 16:06. It was his first goal since the season opener and sealed the 5-2 win.

SECOND PERIOD

The Wolf Pack expanded their lead with two more goals in the second period. The Pack tallied on their second power play via Yannick Turcotte being sent to the box for charging Zach Giuttari at 4:29. Thompson was on the left-wing and led a hard-charging Austin Rueschhoff with a pass. Rueschhoff deftly deflected the puck through Skarek's five-hole for his second goal of the season. The Wolf Pack added a shorthanded goal after coming so close three times in the last game against the Providence Bruins. Richards tallied at 9:58 and made it 3-0, benefiting from Anthony Greco’s high-octane speed. Greco sped down the left wing was able to launch a shot at Skarek, who stopped, but the rebound came off the pads, and Richards deposited that puck quickly into the net, “Sometimes on a power play, a team can get a little lackadaisical, and I try to catch them and create some offense, and Justin put it away,” remarked Greco.

SOUND TIGERS STRIKE BACK

The Sound Tigers did get one back with an intense rush into the Wolf Pack end, with Bardreau sniping in the goal. He cut in from the right-wing after a Thomas Kuhnhackl dump in came right off the backboards to Bardreau, who slipped it by Huska at 12:26. Parker Wotherspoon further ignited his bench by picking a fight with the much taller Gettinger, who was not known as a fighter. For Gettinger, it was just his second fighting major in three years. In the first one, he was TKO’d. The Sound Tigers came close to scoring again when, on the rush, Mitchell Vande Sompel took Otto Koivula’s backhanded pass and zinged one over Huska’s glove and hit the crossbar at 15:22.

FIRST PERIOD

The first period started slowly but ended with the Wolf Pack holding a 1-0 lead on another power play goal, their third in the last two games. Darren Raddysh was parked dead center just inside the blue line. He took a pass from the right-wing pass and sent a rocket of a shot that beat Skarek high to the glove side at 12:28. “The powerplay is just generating better shots and simplifying things and getting rewarded. Darren, like most of the players, especially veterans, it’s been very difficult with the schedule getting into a rhythm when you’re playing just one or two games a week spaced out. Getting several together is making a difference,” said Murphy. The Wolf Pack had the best chances over the last seven minutes of the period and held the Sound Tigers to just two shots the rest of the period.

LINES:

Newell-Barron-Greco Richards-Gettinger-Ronning Khordorenko-Thompson-Whelan Sanchez- Rueschhoff-Geersten Raddysh-Crawley LoVerde-Reunanen Giutarri-Sieloff Huska Wall

THREE STARS

1. Tim Gettinger, HWP 2, Ty Ronning, HWP 3. Cole Bardreau, BST

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Justin Richards, HWP (goal and an assist getting better each game) Taro Reunanen, HWP (goal and strong D zone work) Paul Thompson, HWP (goal and an assist, his best game thus far as a Wolf Pack) Mason Geersten, HWP (strong two-way play shifted to D from LW for PK situations)

SCRATCHES

Gabriel Fontaine - (Upper-Body - Likely done for the season) Jonny Brodzinski - (Upper-Body - 3-4 weeks) Jeff Taylor Will Cullye Michael O’Leary Ryan Dmowski Zach Bezzola (Just signed) Hunter Skinner (Recalled, Assigned #20) Francois Brassard

NOTES

Pack goalie Michael Lackey was released on Sunday. Yannick Turcotte, playing his second game of the season for the Sound Tigers, tried to entice Geersten to fight him off the draw late in the game was hit with a penalty. He then stayed on the ice after the penalty expired and, in the last 15 seconds, tried to run Reunanen as time expired. The referees made no call on the play after the brief scrum. Vincent LoVerde, came to Reunanen's aid, as did the rest of the Wolf Pack. Defenseman, Hunter Skinner, signed a three-year, entry-level deal on Monday. The contract starts in the fall. He will stay in Hartford for the rest of the season on a PTO contract. Peter Diliberatore (Cos Cob/CT Oilers/Brunswick School) from Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) also signed. He puts his name to a contract on a standard NHL three-year, entry-level deal for the same package as Skinner paying $925K in the NHL and $70K for play in the AHL.

BRODZINSKI BROTHERS

With Jonny Brodzinski out with an injury, his youngest brother Easton, of St. Cloud State University, and the team's leading goal scorer, tallied two goals to lead the team to a 6-2 win over BU. However, he suffered a devasting broken left leg injury on a collision in the first minute of the second period in Sunday's 4-1 win over BC to reach the Frozen Four. His other younger, Bryce, picked up an assist in the Minnesota Golden Gophers 7-2 win over the University Nebraska-Omaha on Friday at the NCAA Regionals. They lost to another Minnesota-based team, Minnesota State, 4-1 on Sunday. They were led by the superb goaltending of Dryden McKay, named for the NHL great Montreal Canadiens goalie, Hall-Of-Famer, Ken Dryden. McKay is the son of former Hartford Whaler, Ross McKay. He played one game with the Whalers in relief of ex-Whaler and Wolf Pack, Kay Whitmore, on March 30, 1991, a 5-5 tie against the Buffalo Sabres. The Minnesota roster is forward Darian Gotz, the nephew of ex-Pack Head Coach and one-time captain Ken Gernander.

PROSPECTS

The Rangers have a few prospects in UMASS defenseman Zac Jones. The Minutemen played big in their 4-0 shutout win over Bemidji State and will play two-time defending national champion, Minnesota-Duluth, on Thursday. Minnesota-based schools fill three-of-the-four slots in the Frozen Four.

LEMIEUX TRADED

The Rangers traded forward Brendan Lemieux to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2021 fourth-round draft choice. The move frees up a roster spot for Vitali Kravtsov, who completed his quarantine and is cleared to play. Ex-Wolf Pack, Kodie Curran, and Vinni Lettieri were sent down by the Anaheim Ducks to the San Diego Gulls.

UCONN

UCONN got a grad transfer from Yale University (ECACHL) for next season. Forward Kevin O’ Neil didn’t play this season. Junior goalie Tomas Vomacka had successful surgery on his torn meniscus in his left knee. Expect him to turn professional and sign with the Nashville Predators in the coming days. Despite a seeming nasty left knee injury in their season-ending loss to Providence College, winger Kale Howarth did not require surgery and has headed back to Red Deer, AB, for off-season rehab. He should be back in the Huskies lineup next year.

OTHER NEWS

Current contracted Wolf Pack defenseman Yegor Rykov played Game 7 of the KHL Gagarin Cup Conference Semifinals on Monday. His CSKA Moscow club won 2-0 over Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and will advance to play in the KHL semifinals against SKA St. Petersburg, where their goalie is ex-Pack, Magnus Hellberg. One of Rykov’s current teammates is an ex-Pack, defenseman, John Gilmour. The Sound Tigers reassigned goalie Francois Marrotte to the Allen (TX) Americans (ECHL) last week. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 3 years

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CANTLON: PACK BEAT PROVIDENCE BREAK LOSING STREAK

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings MARLBOROUGH, MA - The Hartford Wolf Pack marched into the New England Sports Center and erased a nine-game winless streak by toppling the Providence Bruins 4-2 in an old-style, physical Providence-Hartford meeting. The Wolf Pack record improves to 4-6-1-0 (9 pts). Providence’s record drops to 11-3-1-0 (23 pts) and is still tops in the Atlantic Division by 14 points over Hartford. The Wolf Pack face-off against the 3-7-0-0 (6 pts) Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday at 1 PM at the XL Center. All the tweaks to the Wolf Pack lineup had their desired effect in what was their most complete game since the start of the season.

PACK DOMINATE FIRST PERIOD

The first twenty minutes added up to the best period since their opening game and where the Wolf Pack did their most damage of the day. The team's moribund power play, which entered the game operating at 12%, awoke scoring on their first two chances. Rookie James Sanchez scored his first professional goal as he got the puck back after a shot on goal. Paul Thompson dislodged it from Bruins starting netminder, Jeremy Swayman. He couldn’t cover the puck, and Sanchez swooped in and jammed it home at 8:03. Just 2:01 later, the Wolf Pack cashed in on an instigator penalty that was issued to the Bruins' Ian MacKinnon in a wrestle/scrap with Patrick Sieloff. Tarmo Reunanen cut to the middle of the ice just below the blue line and made a high-end, behind-the-back pass to Anthony Greco at the right point. Greco sent a low shot on the net. Morgan Barron was positioned in front and deflected the shot off the crossbar for his sixth goal of the season. The offensive roll for the Pack continued in gaining a 3-0 lead with a solid transition play. Justin Richards got Tim Gettinger moving. As he crossed the Bruins blueline from left-to-right, he was tripped by Urho Vaakanainen and a penalty was called. During the delayed penalty, Gettinger was on the ice and swept the puck back. Ty Ronning quickly got to the loose puck and picked it up and swept across the net. He snuck a backhander past Swayman to the short side for his third goal of the season at 17:22. The Pack outshot the Bruins 16-5 in the period and were committed to stepping in front of pucks and blocking shots which benefitted goaltender, Adam Huska, who made his first start since February 27th, just his fifth start of the entire season, who also looked solid throughout.

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE

After having already played each other eight times to this point in the season, in the third-period tensions spilled over and the gloves came off. The Pack's 6’7 rookie, Auston Rueschhoff, outdueled Matt Filipe in the first pro fights for both players. Mason Geersten was battling in front protecting Huska when the Bruins' Jakub Lauko took an extra swipe at the puck. That act sent the two to pair off for a battle. Lauko, a rookie and a willing combatant, fought the much larger Geersten who scored a TKO as he cut Lauko open, sending him to the locker room for repairs. With 2:09 left in the game and a screen in front of Huska (23 saves), Robert Lantosi's snapshot found the back of the net spoiling the shutout for the former UCONN Husky netminder. It was his first win since playing in Slovakia. Before the goal was scored there was a final eruption of hostilities. The officials prevented it from turning into a major melee with MacKinnon trying to go with Huska and everybody paired off. No punches were thrown and MacKinnon was tossed at 14:56

SECOND PERIOD

The Wolf Pack managed to avoid their season-long second-period blues. They did so by widening their lead and surrendering just one on a power play. They exited the period up 4-1. The Pack clamped down on the Bruins, holding them to just two shots on goal in the first ten minutes of the period, and made it 4-0 on Barron's excellent effort. Barron received a pass from Reunanen in the Pack zone. He took that pass and went upright, thru center unchecked. Barron gained entry into the Bruins' end of the ice and ripped a 35-foot wrist shot past Swayman (27 saves) for his second goal of the game and seventh of the season at 11:57. The loss was Swayman's first of the season against seven wins. The Wolf Pack had to kill a roughing call to Geersten, who was roughing it up with MacKinnon in front of the Wolf Pack bench. The Bruins took advantage after Brady Lyle's first shot was blocked by Richards, he launched another from the left point. Huska made the save, but Anton Blidh, who was alone in front, jammed in the rebound for his third goal of the season at 14:33 to make it 4-1. With 25 seconds left in the period and the Wolf Pack again on the PK, Greco had a shorthanded breakaway bid late in the PK, but Swayman stopped him. Huska responded for the Pack with a big and timely stop on Alex-Olivier Voyer with two seconds left in the period. Filipe made a strong play on a pass from behind the net, but Huska kept the advantage to three goals. There was some rough stuff as the period ended between Thompson and Voyer, the Bruins Josiah Didier with Sieloff, and a Euro shoving match with Reunanen and Vaaakanainen.

LINES

Newell-Barron-Greco Richards-Gettinger-Ronning Khordorenko-Thompson-Whelan Sanchez- Rueschhoff-Geersten Raddysh-Crawley LoVerde-Reunanen Giutarri-Sieloff Huska Wall

SCRATCHES

Gabriel Fontaine (upper-body injury) Jeff Taylor Will Cullye Michael O’Leary Ryan Dmowskinewly Zach Bezzola Michael Lackey Francois Brassard

COACHES

Pat Boller Jeff Malcolm Brook Ballard It was Boller's first time, since 2016-17 when he was an assistant to Ken Gernander, that he was behind the bench. He's coaching his third game since head coach Kris Knoblauch and associate coach Gord Murphy were recalled to the New York Rangers last Wednesday after David Quinn and his entire staff were subject of COVID protocols. Malcolm, the team’s goalie consultant, and a Yale grad is handling the defensemen, and Ballard is one of the Rangers skills coaches.

THREE STARS

- Morgan Barron (2 goals) - Tarmo Reunanen (2 assists) - James Sanchez (first pro goal)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

- Ty Ronning - Patrick Sieloff - Darren Raddysh

NOTES

The Wolf Pack adds another defenseman as Hunter Skinner is recalled from his loan to the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL). Skinner, 19, was a fourth-round (112th overall) selection in 2019 from London (OHL). Since the OHL has not been in session, the 6’3 200-pound rearguard has been playing in Utah. Boston recalled goalie Callum Booth (Salisbury School) to their taxi squad and simultaneously reassigned both Swayman and defenseman Vaakanainen to Providence. Ex-Pack captain, Steven Fogarty, was recalled by the Buffalo Sabres from the Rochester Americans. He has five goals (four on the power play) and eight points in ten games, which is good for the second-best on the Americans roster. Heading back to Rochester and three others is ex-Wolf Pack goalie, Dustin Tokarski, after returns after two NHL starts, one of them against the Rangers earlier this week. The Avalanche returns ex-CT Whale, Jayson Megna, to the Colorado Eagles. Philadelphia recalls goalie, Alex Lyon (Yale University), from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to be on their taxi squad. The same thing for Mark Kastelic, the son of former Hartford Whaler Ed Kastelic, as he is recalled from the Belleville Senators by Ottawa. Mike McKee (Kent School) is loaned to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) by the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL). Marc Johnstone, the captain for the last two years at Sacred Heart University (AHA), signs a deal with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL). Former Wolf Pack great, Derek Armstrong, saw his youngest son, Easton, lace them up with the WHL's Regina Pats. They are in their limited hub city playing a 25 game schedule with Regina’s Brandt Centre being one of the sites. The team GM and VP of Operations is Wolf Pack great, and AHL Hall of Famer, John Paddock. The younger Armstrong is pointless in five games though he played earlier this season with brother Dawson for six games tallying six points with the Utah Outliers (USPHL-Premier). The team did go to the league national finals losing in the quarterfinal round to the Chicago Cougars in Virginia Beach, VA, the home of the USPHL's Hampton Roads Whalers. The team did win the Mountain Division title beating the Pueblo (NM) Bulls 5-3 back on March 14th. Dawson Armstrong finished the season with 15 goals and 31 points in 45 games, second on the team while sporting the very familiar number 17 jersey that his father Derek wore with the Wolf Pack. That very same 17 is one of three numbers that should be retired by the organization. GAME CENTER HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 4 years

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BANTLON: (FRI) PACK LOSE IN OT TO BRIDGEPORT

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings BRIDGEPORT, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack funk continues as they dropped their eighth straight game, 4-3, in overtime on Thursday afternoon to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Wolf Pack are now 3-5-1-0 (7 pts) and got the point for a regulation tie. They're just one point ahead of Bridgeport 3-7-0-0 (6 points) as they head into a nine-day layoff. The game-winning goal came 29 seconds into OT on the only shot of the extra session. Rookie referee Jordan Samuels-Thomas did not call a fairly obvious crosscheck from Otto Koivula to Anthony Bitetto, who played in his first game with the Wolf Pack. After the hit on Bitetto, Koivula moved around the fallen defenseman and got the puck to Mitchell Vande Sompel behind the Wolf Pack net. He backhanded a pass in front of the net to Koivula, who put it in past Pack netminder Tyler Wall for his first goal of the season. Koivula, who had a sheepish grin, knew he had gotten away with one. “It felt good to get my first goal. We won the faceoff. I cross-checked (Bitetto). We didn’t get a call there. We got lucky. Vande Sompel found me back door. We worked hard at coming back, and we needed a win.”

THOMPSON REACTION

“I’m happy for Otto in scoring the goal and the work he has put in, and the compete, but I was very happy with his play away from the puck. The details, even in the game we lost (on Monday), he was moving, more intense, and I liked his response, and the goal tonight was cherry on top,” commented Sound Tigers Head Coach Brent Thompson. Koivula had a chat with Thompson and the coaching staff last week. It paid off as he was rewarded with his first goal in nearly a calendar year of play. “I had a good talk with Thommer about a week ago when I was scratched for a game. I’ve been pushing myself more, and I got the reward tonight, and that felt good," Koivula said.

THIRD PERIOD

At 1:05 of the third period, the Sound Tigers took the lead as defenseman Daniel Bolduc struck for his third goal of the year, all coming against the Wolf Pack. The Sound Tigers Dmytro Timashov was along the right-wing boards and caught Bolduc moving off the right point. The 6’3 rearguard moved to the middle and cranked a shot that got by Wall and gave the Sound Tigers a 3-2 lead. At 4:50, the Wolf Pack tied the game at three on Ty Ronning's second goal of the contest. Ronning is making a strong case to remain in the lineup with his third goal of the season. Zach Giuttari's shot went wide. The puck hit off the boards behind the net and came out in front. Ronning was at the hash marks and tipped a shot by Darren Raddysh and put it past goalie, Ken Appleby, playing in his first game in over a year. Both teams had late chances to score the game-winner, but their goalies sent the game to extra time.

SECOND PERIOD

The Wolf Pack played well in the first half of the second period, but their play waned as the period progressed, as has become a pattern. Ronning scored the Wolf Pack’s first goal. He made a solid entry into the offensive zone and dished the puck to Patrick Khordorenko. He whistled his shot that Appleby stopped, but there was a rebound that Ronning collected and put in for his second goal of the season at 3:14. The Wolf Pack made it 2-0 as Anthony Greco, playing on the fourth line, used his speed down the left-wing and got the inside position on defenseman Carter Hutton. Greco threw the puck back out in front, and rookie Michael O’Leary jammed home his first pro goal and earned his first pro point at 6:31.

TIGERS RESPOND

Bridgeport answered back as Tanner Fritz came across the blue line and sent a sharp wrist shot that Wall blockered aside. The puck was down to Wall's right with the Pack's Tim Gettinger closest, Zach Giuttari on one side and Justin Richards on the other. Prized Sound Tigers rookie, Simon Holmstrom, managed to collect the puck past all three Pack defenders and put in his third goal of the season at 7:58. "I liked our response. We didn’t hang our heads on the bench. A lot of our older guys have been through this before and know how to turn the ship around in the right direction. They stayed the course, and we went hard to the net and got rewarded.” Thompson said of his team’s response to being down two goals. The Sound Tigers, who have failed to tally a goal at home on the power play in 15 attempts, finally did so. Bode Wilf was at the right point and sent a pass to the left-wing circle. Rookie Cole Coskey sent a rocket of a one-timer past Wall for his second goal of the year, both against the Wolf Pack, at 15:22, knotting the game at two. "I’ve been happy with our puck movement. We just haven’t taken enough shots. We’ve been working on situations, and I was happy to see Cosley get rewarded from at the top of the umbrella. He hit a cannon, and we had traffic in front," Thompson remarked.

FIRST PERIOD

The first period was evenly played as each team collected eight shots on goal. The Wolf Pack's best chance came while killing off their second penalty with 15 seconds to go in the period. Gettinger sent Greco on a clean breakaway, but instead of making a move, he opted to shoot from 15 feet out to be denied by Appleby.

LINES

Brodzinski-Newell-Barron Khordorenko-Ruesschoff-Dmowski Gettinger-Richards-Ronning Thompson-O’Leary-Greco Raddysh-Sieloff Anthony Bitetto-Reunan Giutarri-Taylor Wall Brassard SCRATCHES: Mason Geersten (two-game AHL suspension) Gabriel Fontaine (upper-body) Vincent LoVerde Will Cuylle Alex Whalen James Sanchez Michael Lackey COACHES: Pat Boller Jeff Malcolm Vincent LoVerde

NOTES

Since 2016-17 when he was an assistant to Ken Gernander, it was the first time for Boller that he was behind the bench in an AHL game. For Malcolm, the team’s goalie consultant, and a Yale grad, it was his first game as a coach. LoVerde became the first active Wolf Pack player to be an assistant in a game. It will likely be at least another week that Knoblauch and his associate coach, Gord Murphy, will remain in New York with the Rangers. They will need to be there while the COVID-19 protocols are adhered to as they wait for the coaching staff to have three negative tests as per NHL COVID re-entry policy. Until then, it will be a day-to-day situation. One of the game referees was West Hartford native Jordan Samuels-Thomas (#90), a former Quinnipiac University Bobcats player who skated his youth hockey with the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack for the Canterbury Prep Saints (New Milford). After being scratched for the last seven games, Ryan Dmowski (East Lyme/Hotchkiss) played on his 24th birthday.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

Brogan Rafferty (Quinnipiac University) is loaned by the Vancouver Canucks to the Manitoba Moose, while former college teammate, Matt Peca, was reassigned to the Belleville Senators by the Ottawa Senators. The Toronto Maple Leafs return Ken Agostino (Yale University) to the Toronto Marlies. The Providence Bruins have signed Eduards Tralmaks from the University of Maine (HE) to an ATO deal. The 24-year-old C/RW just completed his four college career with the Black Bears after elimination in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs by the University of New Hampshire. Tralmaks becomes the fourth member of the conference to sign a North American pro contract and the ninth player overall from Division I and III to have secured a North American or European deal. In the Hockey East playoffs, the UCONN Huskies are still practicing after being eliminated by Providence College on Sunday in the hopes of a remote chance for an NCAA at-large bid for the regionals in either Albany or Bridgeport. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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