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Canucks Birthday art. #art #digitalart #illustration #canucks #jaysonmegna #happybirthday

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK WIN LAST PRESEASON GAME

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack and Bridgeport Islanders faced off for the second straight night, this time at the Koeppel Community Center on the campus of Trinity College for the annual Ryan Gordon Foundation game. The Wolf Pack saw five different skaters tally goals in a convincing 5-1 win. Bobby Trivigno scored a strong goal and made a superb backchecking with 2:30 left on a Kyle McLean breakaway for the Islanders among his several stand-out plays for the Wolf Pack. “He really showed his high-end skill set on his goal, and great hustle throughout. He also set up his linemates all night creating chances for them,” remarked Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch. Midway through the first period, the Pack scored on a picture-perfect power play. Newcomer Tuner Elson was on the right wing and converted with a tap-in goal from a strong cross-ice feed from Lauri Pajuniemi, who in turn was set up by a perfect initial pass from Tanner Fritz on the game’s first goal. The Islanders tied the score in the last minute of the period as Ryan MacKinnon netted a goal from just inside the blue line. He dropped a right-handed rocket of a shot off a pass from former UCONN standout Ruslan Iskharov with 53.2 seconds left on the clock. Bridgeport controlled and commanded the puck during the first five minutes of the second period. They put four quality shots toward Louie Domingue but fired them over the top of the net while pinning the Wolf Pack in their end of the ice. The Wolf Pack regained the lead when Tim Gettinger smartly redirected of pass/shot from Brandon Scanlin at 6:08 on the team's first shot of the period and converted for a 2-1 lead. Gustav Rydahl picked up the second assist on the play while displaying some heady work down the middle. Trivigno displayed his collegiate Hobey Baker prowess, instantly burying the rebound of Austin Rueschoff's shot at 14:07 to make it 3-1, and the Pack was off to the races. Early in the third period, Tim Theocharis, with the Wolf Pack on a Professional Try-Out (PTO), continued to make a strong case to remain in Hart City, as did second-year pro Cristiano DiGiacinto, last year’s walk-on, and teammate Karl Henrikson, who tallied his first goal at 5:06 of the third. “Henriksson had a strong night. Tim played well, and showed a lot of movement with puck, and all three players showed a real physicality,” said Knoblauch. Domingue cemented his #1 status in Hartford by stopping a penalty shot with 8:33 remaining. He turned aside a penalty shot bid by Michigan's Jimmy Lambert. Playing Domingue the entire game was the game plan. “He is our #1 goalie to start the season. The backup is one right now we still have to make a choice. He made some big saves early in the second and he handles the puck very well for us. He handles it like Igor (Shesterkin) did.” Fritz, a former Bridgeport Sound Tiger, snapped a shot from off the left wing giving Elson his second point of the evening at 14:27 to give the Pack their 5-1 lead. Even with the big lead, Trivigno's backcheck on McLean late in the contest got his coach's attention. “It was great hustle by Bobby. We didn’t put a specific unit out, just some players (to) see what we could get. His efforts clearly stopped a wide open breakaway,” said Knoblauch. NOTES: Fan jerseys of the night - 22 Thomas Poeck and 23 Jed Ortmeyer, now the Rangers Director of Player Development and a fan with an Israeli national jersey - actually was designed years ago by the mother of former Wolf Pack Oren Eisenmann of Canadian/Israeli heritage. Goalie coach, special assignment scout, and now a father, Jeff Malcolm remembered one of his Pack relief stints getting called up from Greenville on the road, stepping off a plane in Windsor Locks, and heading right to Springfield to play a game. “ My pre-game meal was in an Atlanta airport. It was a Chick Fil-A meal." That’s not part of the training regimen these days. Rangers will likely make their final roster moves mid-week, and then there will be corresponding moves made by the Wolf Pack and subsequently with Jacksonville as the ECHL training camps start next week. It will be a tough rest of the weekend for Knoblauch. “We have some big decisions to make, mostly at forward we have a lot  work ahead of us,” he said. The Pack got Swedish center Gustav Rydahl yesterday. He played last year for Färjestad BK (Sweden-SHL), where he recorded 30 points in 44 games and earned one assist in four pre-season games with New York. The 27 -year-old acquitted himself well in his first North American action in New York and in Hart City. “He’s not your average rookie at 27 years old he played a strong game,” said Knoblauch. Late yesterday, pending clearing waivers, captain Jonny Brodzinski was assigned to the Wolf Pack. Four other ex-Pack pending waiver clearance are also heading to the AHL. Two in Providence, Vinni Lettieri and Keith Kinkaid, Jayson Megna is sent from the Colorado Avalanche to the Colorado Eagles, and the other is Lias Andersson heads to Ontario from LA. Brodzinski is not available for this game. A fifth is designated for assignment to Grand Rapids in ex-Pack and US Olympian Steven Kampfer. The Bridgeport Islanders have been active this week so far. The parent New York Islanders sent five players, Andy Andreoff, Cole Bardreau, Dennis Cholowski,  Arnaud Durandeau, and Parker Wotherspoon (brother Tyler was sent down by New Jersey to Utica) cleared waivers and were assigned to Bridgeport. The team signed two more to one-year contracts in defenseman Mike Cornell and ex-Pack and Springfield, MA area resident Paul Thompson who played last night, got robbed by Domingue as he pounced on a turnover and fired one from 20 feet out and earned 14 minutes in penalties. Islanders forward Jimmy Lambert saw his brother Brad, a Winnipeg first-round pick (30th overall) in the summer, assigned to Manitoba on an ATO (amateur tryout) agreement from Lahti (Finland-FEL). The younger Lambert is 18 years old and still WJC-eligible for the Finnish team. Ex-Islander Thomas Hickey was released from the New Jersey Devils camp. Ex-Pack Malte Strömwall was assigned to the Chicago Wolves from the Carolina camp. Former captain Steven Fogarty is assigned to Iowa (AHL) as the last cut, and Chase Priskie (QU)  is heading to Rochester. Ex-Sound Tigre Calder Brooks goes from Calgary Wranglers' camp to Rapid City (ECHL). As reported last week, the last Wolf Pack from last season, Jake Elmer, has signed with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL). After just one season with Cardiff (Wales-EIHL), Ex-Pack Matt Register signs with Idaho (ECHL) on the eve of the ECHL training camp that opens next week. Goalie Trevin Kozlowski (Glastonbury/Loomis Chaffe) goes from Iowa (ECHL/AHL) to Cincinnati (ECHL). Ex-Pack/Sound Tiger Jack Combs signs with Allen (ECHL), as has ex-CT Whale Mike Pelech with Atlanta (ECHL) and former UCONN player Karl El-Mir signs with Orlando (ECHL). Ex-Pack defenseman Patrick Sieloff, from two years ago, signed a try-out with the new San Jose Barracuda and their brand-new arena, the Tech CU Center. The team is in Germany, where he played last year (Cologne). For a two-game series with defending DEL champion Eisbaren Berlin. After just three weeks and six games, Ex-Pack Danny Kristo is released by HC Michalovce (Slovakia-SLEL) and signs a deal with the Sheffield Steelers (England-EIHL).  Ex-Sound Tiger Josh Winquist has been released, too, and signs with Ft. Wayne (ECHL). Arizona Coyotes have some East Coast CT ties starting with former New Haven Senator John Ferguson Jr. is the assistant GM and GM of Tucson (AHL). Former New England Whaler great player and Hartford Whaler coach/GM Larry Pleau is a special advisor to the GM. West Haven's Eric Boguniecki, who played at Westminster Prep and the Gunn School, formerly known as the Gunnery School, was an ex-assistant coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for ten years plus played for the Sound Tigers, is an Arizona Pro Scout after taking a year off. Luke Curadi, of Cheshire, who played public school hockey at Notre Dame-WH and junior hockey with the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack (ATJHL) and was a training camp invitee for the Wolf Pack, is for the second year a Coyotes amateur scout. Ex-Pack goalie Magnus Hellberg has gotten himself back into the NHL. He was picked up off waivers from Seattle by Ottawa as help as the Senator lost ex-CT Whale/Wolf Pack Cam Talbot for five to seven weeks to a broken rib, according to the Ottawa Sun, in a freak pre-game injury. Hellberg has had some hockey journeys in the last year. He was in the KHL in the former Russian Olympic city of Sochi with KHL HC Sochi in his fifth year (one in China, four in Russia) in the KHL. With the outbreak of the Ukrainian war, he left after representing Sweden in last year’s Olympics and again at the World Championships. Hellberg, signed with Detroit, played a late season game and likely was ticketed for Grands Rapids. Then this year, he wound up with the Seattle Kraken in mid-July, with Coachella Valley (Palm Springs) Firebirds likely being his new residence, and here he winds up in Ottawa, the Canadian capital city. Ex-Pack Tysen Helgesen and brother Kenton are in camp with the Calgary Wranglers. Ranger draftee Alexander Tärnström, son of ex-Sound Tiger Dick, after five games with Rögle BK (Sweden-SHL), is loaned to Tingsryds AIF (Sweden-HockeyEttan). Goalie Strauss Mann (Greenwich/Brunswick School) heads to San Jose (AHL). Former UCONN Husky Dallas Drake was sent to Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL). Last week, UCONN traveled to Burlington, Vermont, and swept their first Hockey East series of the season with a 3-1 win over the Vermont Catamounts. They’re across town with their “home opener” at the XL Center in a non-conference matchup with Union College (ECACHL) with a 4-1 win and overtime win over Union on Saturday, have a 4-0 record to start the best opening season since 1975-76 when they were in Division II. Matt Wood, a 17-year-old freshman,  posted another goal and two points plus one assist Saturday, and Vermont post-grad transfer Andrew Lucas posted another two points. Goalie Arsenii Sergeev got his first win, and Chase Bradley got his first goal. “We were certainly pleased by the two wins last weekend. By no means was it perfect, it was a good start, and I was happy with our compete level on both nights.  We got two good wins and two good league wins.   We worked on the powerplay in practice. Matty is certainly a shooter, and Andrew Lucas has told him to make sure your shot is there, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior; good things will happen when you shoot the puck. "Matty has enough confidence as a player to make the right play, and a couple of times, he didn’t shoot and made a great play through the seam to (pass) to  Hudson (Schandor). It’s positive to see, he’s not a one-trick pony, and it’s nice to see those efforts in practice carry over to games,”  said head coach Mike Cavanaugh. Wood had no points and four shots, Chase Bradley picked up a goal and assist in the win. Former Husky Jonny Evans is in camp with the Hershey Bears. Fellow former teammates were assigned to their AHL teams. Jáchym Kondelík and goalie Tomáš Vomáčka, both from Czechia (Czech Republic), were sent to the Milwaukee Admirals. Luke Evangelista, the second cousin of former Whaler, now Maple Leafs President, Brendan Shanahan. Former New Haven Nighthawks and Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) trainer Sal Lombardi works in nearby Springfield, MA school American International College (AHA). HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: HARTFORD WOLF PACK DEFEAT BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS

HARTFORD WOLF PACK DEFEAT BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings BRIDGEPORT, CT - After a rough start, where they showed resiliency, the Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Bridgeport Islanders in a 5-4 come-from-behind win in a closed-to-the-public opening pre-season game for both teams. The Islanders built a 3-0 lead in the game's first 15 minutes as Jimmy Lambert, the nephew of one-time Bridgeport Sound Tiger and New Haven Nighthawks player Lane Lambert - now the Head Coach of the parent New York Islanders - garnered a goal and two assists. Next, former UCONN star Ruslan Iskhakov popped in a goal and added an assist. Then, top-end prospect William Dufour scored from fellow Memorial Cup-winning teammate Vincent Sevigny, born in Hartford and the son of ex-Wolf Pack Pierre Sevigny. Wolf Pack goalie Olof Lindbom surrendered four goals on 12 shots before being relieved by Dylan Garand as planned halfway through the period. HARTFORD WOLF PACK COMEBACK BEGINS Patrick Khordorenko started the comeback with their first goal on the power play, tallying a rebound of Lauri Pajuniemi's shot that Ken Appleby initially stopped. Then, Tim Theocharidis, skating on a training camp Professional Try-Out (PTO) contract, made it 3-2 off a crazy bounce that came off the backboards. The Pack's Alex Whelan scored an opportunistic goal into an open cage on the side of the net front pass from rookie Ryder Korczak to even then score. The Islanders regained the lead on a game-rare five-on-five tally when Lambert scored off a Hartford miscue. Pajuniemi registered his second contest point on the power play early in the third period. He converted on a pass from another rookie, Louka Henault. Then defenseman Blake Hillman, on a PTO for the second straight year, was the hero scoring with 5:10 left in regulation. He whistled his shot past Henrik Tikkanen to give the Pack the 5-4 lead that would be the final score. The two teams battle Friday night at Trinity College in Hartford at 6 PM. NOTES: The New York Rangers will likely make their final roster moves mid-week, and in turn, the Wolf Pack will send several down to their ECHL affiliates, the Jacksonville Icemen, for their training camp, which starts next week. The Pack received Swedish center Gustav Rydahl yesterday. He played last year for Färjestad BK (Sweden-SHL), where he registered 30 points in 44 games and earned one assist in four pre-season games with New York. Late yesterday, last season's captain, Jonny Brodzinski, was sent to the Wolf Pack, but he must first clear waivers. Other ex-Pack who were late NHL cuts on the waiver wire before heading to their AHL destinations include two to the Providence Bruins, Vinni Lettieri, and Keith Kinkaid. In addition, Jayson Megna was sent from the Colorado Avalanche to the Colorado Eagles, and Lias Andersson headed to the Ontario Reign from the Los Angeles Kings. BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS SIGN FIVE The Bridgeport Islanders have been active this week as the parent club sent them five players - Andy Andreoff, Cole Bardreau, Dennis Cholowski,  Arnaud Durandeau, and Parker Wotherspoon. His brother Tyler was sent down by the New Jersey Devils to the Utica Comets. All cleared waivers and were assigned to Bridgeport. They also signed two more players to one-year contracts, defenseman Mike Cornell and ex-Pack and Springfield, MA, area resident Paul Thompson. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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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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CANTLON'S CORNER: WOLF PACK TRAVEL TO PA TO BREAK STREAK

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Kris Knoblauch, the Hartford Wolf Pack's (11-4-0-5) first-year head coach, is taking the Wolf Pack’s first losing streak, currently three games, as calmly as he took their nine-game winning streak to open the season, calm, cool and collected. “Not changing too much. Guys are still happy to come to the rink, and that’s good. We're balancing things right now. The hard work continues.” Knoblauch didn’t highlight any one area that needed cleaning up. “We weren’t as sharp as we had been (defensively), and we had scoring chances and couldn’t finish. Our passing was spotty. We encourage our team to get faster, keep the feet moving, and how well you defend plays a big part in how other parts of your game are doing,“ Knoblauch commented. On Wednesday, Knoblauch ran a hard hour-long game that simulated one-on-one battle drills perhaps stressing that level of intensity that might have ebbed a bit over the last three games. It didn’t faze veteran Matt Beleskey. “Of course your gonna have moments like these (losing streaks). It's all about taking forward steps, not backward ones. We still have good energy in the room, if we keep playing hard, good things will come to us. Coach said it best this morning. 'Things that don’t take talent helps you win.' The tape-to-tape pass, winning that one-on-one battle and when you do the little things as a group, good things will happen.” As a veteran, Beleskey was able to understand what it was and draw parallels with tough practices in the past. “That was a tough practice hour-long battle drills, but he made it fun. That keeps guys competitive. It can be seen as a punishment, but it wasn’t. You could view it as a punishment, but there isn’t one guy in that room who doesn’t want to win and do better. It is, in its own way, a team-building (moment) and learning to come together as a group." When queried about one very nasty bag skate the Wolf Pack suffered under former head coach, Keith McCambridge, last year upon their return from an unsuccessful Canadian road trip on a Monday - the traditional off day in hockey. “I missed that practice by a week getting reassigned by the Rangers, but no question it left a really bad taste with players for two or three weeks afterward. It took the wind out of our sails. You feel you're being punished, and you're trying to win. It wasn’t a good atmosphere. Today doesn’t resemble that at all. It was a tough practice, yes. It was competitive. It was an hour-long battle to get better-together. I think it’s a good way to work toward breaking a losing streak.” The goaltending duo of Igor Shesterkin and Adam Huska did their usual split of playing time, but Shesterkin played his first back-to-back games in North America, and the formula will remain this week when they visit Lehigh Valley (Allentown, PA ) on Saturday, and Hershey on Sunday. “Both will play, but we really haven’t decided what our rotation will be for this weekend yet." Line changes may see some minor changes with Boo Nieves recalled, and Tim Gettinger returning after two games in New York. The biggest change is the addition of Shawn McBride, who was recalled from Norfolk (ECHL) where he was reassigned from Maine to get playing time for the injured Lewis Zerter-Gossage (upper body, out for the weekend), but are hoping he’ll be back next week. “I’m very happy we were able to recall a natural center and not convert one of our wingers.” He will likely be anchoring the fourth line. NOTES Knoblauch’s bench will be shortened-on the coaching-end this weekend. In an out-of-left-field move, Assistant Coach, David Cunniff, officially resigned this morning and took the Head Coaching/GM job with the Worcester Railers (ECHL), the Islanders Double AA affiliate. The team relieved their first-ever head coach, Jamie Russell, and assistant coach, Derek Army (Kent Prep), of their duties. “We knew for about two days. On Monday, they sought permission from the Rangers' Jeff (Gorton) or Chris (Drury) not sure who, to speak to David about the job. It was really a job he couldn’t pass up. He has been an assistant coach for many years, so he gets his first head coaching job and couldn’t be happier for him, but we're gonna miss him.” Beleskey echoed his sentiments “That’s close to home for him to be a head coach good for him. We're really gonna miss him because he was one positive guy on the bench. He was always talking and encouraging everybody. We all wish him the best.” He was an assistant coach for eight years with the Worcester Sharks under Roy Sommer, the all-time winningest AHL head coach. He was an interim head coach in Iowa for a period of time. His debut at the DCU Center in Worcester Wednesday night wasn’t a good one, a 4-1 loss to the Newfoundland (St. John’s) Growlers. When asked if he had a replacement in mind for Cunniff, Knoblauch responded, “Too fresh and too early for that. Gord Murphy is more than capable of handling more responsibility. We'll be able to handle things this weekend.” There's a troika of possibilities to take over for Cunniff. It could be Jed Ortmeyer, Tanner Glass, or perhaps assistant GM Pat Boller, who was on ice assistant under Ken Gernander, could dust off the skates and be in the mix. Defenseman Yegor Rykov was skating with the group in his non-contact jersey, #57. He is very close to returning as he was going to the doctor’s in the afternoon seeking medical clearance. “If he is cleared as we hope, he won’t this weekend, but hopefully next weekend,” said Knoblauch. Rykov hasn’t played since the Traverse City tournament in September where he suffered a nasty high ankle sprain. With his left arm in a sling, Gabriel Fontaine was actually feeling pretty good five days after his surgery on his left shoulder. "It was actually a lot less pain than I expected. It's not great, getting better every day, but its a tough break for sure." Sleeping has got to be a gymnastic feat. "I've been able to stay on my back, but when I try to go my left side, oh you feel it," Fontaine said with a smile as he rolled his eyes. Tough to have a season cut short at 13 games for one of the nicer players. The hottest team currently in the AHL is the Milwaukee Admirals. They have won ten in a row. The Admirals second-leading scorer is ex-Pack captain Cole Schneider with 19 points in 21 games. The Pack is now the sixth-best in the AHL behind Toronto, Milwaukee, Tucson, Rochester, and Providence. Ex-Pack, John Gilmour, was sent to Rochester. He has played only four games in Buffalo in the first two months of the season and last week just 7:53 in his last game. Ex-CT Whale, Jayson Megna, was sent to the Colorado Eagles by the parent Colorado Avalanche. Former CT Whale, Alex Krushelnyski, was loaned to Rockford after starting the year with Indy (ECHL). Ex-Pack goalie, Brandon Halverson, was returned to Norfolk (ECHL) by Providence. Former QU Bobcat, Craig Martin, gets a weather upgrade from Adirondack (ECHL) to Jacksonville (ECHL). -Jaxon Stauber, son of former Wolf Pack and New Haven Nighthawk goalie Robb Stauber after one NCAA game with the University Minnesota-Mankato a victory 4-1 win over University of Alabama-Huntsville (WCHA) returns to Sioux City Stampede (USHL) for the rest of the year. It preserves his NCAA eligibility and he returns to the defending USHL Clark Cup champions where Stauber had an 11-1 post-season mark win playoff MVP honors. Former Wolf Pack captain, Mat Bodie, is not having a good time in Sweden. He lost his assistant captain status, his ice time, and was then traded from Vaxjo HC (Sweden-SHL) to IK Oskarshamn (Sweden-SHL) Former Sound Tiger, Casey Bailey, leaves South Carolina (ECHL) for Vaxjo gaining the team’s import player license as it's known in Europe. Ex-Pack, Zdenek Bahensky, has gone from Mulhouse (France-FREL) to Cracow (Poland-PZIHL). Read the full article

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CANTLON: WOLF PACK RETURN HOME

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Their Hartford Wolf Pack's recent four-game road trip didn’t yield the desired points result, but regardless, there was still progress made on the young season as the team sits atop the entire AHL, two feats the team has not accomplished in over six years. A three-in-three this weekend begins with two home games starting Friday night at 7:15 pm with the Hershey Bears, who last season, owned the Wolf Pack Pack as they won five-of-their-six games and taking all three in Hartford. As part of a hockey doubleheader Saturday night, one of last weekend’s opponents, the Belleville Senators, take the ice at 7:30 pm following a UConn hockey game. On Sunday afternoon, the team gets on the team hits the bus to travel to Providence for their first meeting with the Bruins at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center at 3:00 pm. “We got only two out of a possible six points, which isn’t good. We lost two in the shootout and didn’t score in either of the shootouts. The positive was that we did score late to force overtime and we have several of these (games) where we haven’t given up. We have persevered and shown desperation. We just need to play an entire game like that,” remarked head coach, Kris Knoblauch. While the shootout is a gimmicky way to decide a hockey game, it does factor in a team earning points and the Pack have had an early season struggle with it. The Wolf Pack worked on it at the end of Wednesday's practice. “Usually you have three or four guys in this. We have one player, we think has a really good move, but let's face it, the advantage is to the goalies. They know what to expect and right now the coaching staff is looking to see who is comfortable, and today we practiced it and think we have a better understanding,” commented Knoblauch. Pack captain, Steven Fogarty, has seen the low times in Hartford. He takes a philosophical approach to the early season success and the lessons that still need to be learned. “This a very good league, and your not going to win every game, but we have had a pretty good run here. Its great to see how we battled back to force overtime. Those were two good teams (Laval and Belleville) and we picked up two points. This weekend's its three different teams and the opportunity is there.” Goalie Igor Shesterkin is off to a great start. One reason is that he is just as competitive in practice as he is in a game as he just gave up a single tally while his counterpart, Adam Huska, registered just two. As a player, it has to be tough to practice something you're struggling with when you are going up against two players who are playing as well as Shesterkin and Huska are. “He (Igor) give us a lot of confidence back there in net, as does Adam, who has played well. Igor’s numbers speak for themselves. When you're playing against some of the best, you hope you learn a few things that will make it easier against the other (goalies) when you get the chance,” Fogarty said with a laugh. The Wolf Pack power play is clearly in a funk. They have registered just 4 tallies in 50 chances and sit at the bottom of the AHL at a hideous 8.0%. “Two things come to mind regarding our power play, our entries and our passing. Those two areas have failed us. We're not getting into the zone cleanly, or often enough. In the offense zone, you just to have to make simple passes and you want to move fast. To move fast you have to pass the puck. "When you have both of those going, you're gonna be in position to take some good shots. The first two steps, we haven’t gotten a passing grade yet,” Knoblauch, who has been known as having strong power play credentials, stated. One player on top of his game with his shot is Vinni Lettieri. Despite leading the team with 10 points in 12 games, he's off to a slow start. His usual lights-out positioning, and powerful shot on the power play has not been in evidence. He's registered three goals total and just a 9.1% shooting percentage. “When you’re a goalscorer like him, you want him to take shots, but not low percentage shots that can lead to puck turnovers. You have possession and you take a shot that is not likely to go in you're then expending energy going back down to defend or retrieve the puck back. "Against Belleville, he had six shots, five, which were outstanding (chances), one hit the goalie in the shoulder, and another chance just went over the crossbar. That Vinni that I saw shooting in Belleville is the Vinni that I want.” Knoblauch has no complaints about his goaltending tandem, nor should he. What’s not broken doesn't need fixing. Shesterkin will start Friday with Huska in the net on Saturday night. NOTES: The Pack’s first injury belongs goes to veteran Matt Beleskey (upper body) who will be out for the weekend. His injury led to the recall of Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/Gunnery Prep) from the team's ECHL affiliates, the Maine Mariners, where he had five points in six games. The Pack PK is doing very well. They are ranked sixth best in the league at 88.6%. The Hershey lineup is complete with Joe Snively (Yale University), who has been overhauled from last season. The back-end of a home-and-home between UConn and Boston College will be at 3:30 pm on Saturday with the possibility of seeing Darien CT-native, Darien-native, Spencer Knight (Avon Old Farms), As a former NHL first-round draft pick for the Florida Panthers when the Eagles takes on the Huskies. UConn is in of the year. Belleville got ex-BC Eagle Colin White from Ottawa yesterday while Cole Cassels, son of the ex-Whaler Andrew Cassels,  He had a goal and an assist against Hartford last week. Another Ex-BC Eagle, and the youngest son of Hartford Whalers' great Ulf Samuelsson, Adam Samuelsson, has signed with a Canadian major junior team, the Sudbury Wolves (OHL). They drafted him in 2016 in the fifth round (95th overall) in the OHL Priority Draft. He was playing with USHL Sioux City Musketeers after leaving BC last year. He can no longer play US collegiate hockey. Former Wolf Pack, Dylan McIlrath, was recalled from Grand Rapids by the Detroit Red Wings and played against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. The Blueshirts took the game 5-1. Riley Stillman, the grandson of ex-New Haven Nighthawk, Bud Stefanski, was returned to the Springfield  Thunderbirds by the Florida Panthers. Ex-CT Whale, Jayson Megna, was sent down to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) from the parent Colorado Avalanche. Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Justin Taylor, heads up from Kalamazoo (ECHL) to the Utica Comets. Ex-Yale Bulldog, Ryan Hitchcock, who played 52 games with Worcester (ECHL) and 36 AHL games with Bridgeport, has announced his retirement from pro hockey according to CT Post’s Mike Fornabaio. Another ex-Yale Bulldog, Ted Hart, is loaned from Peoria (SPHL) to Maine (ECHL). Ex-Pack, Josh Wesley, was reassigned to Tulsa (ECHL) from San Antonio. Ex-Danbury Trashers Drew Omicioli (Loomis Chaffe Prep) is the new junior head coach for the South Shore Kings (USPHL). Tyler Boucher, the son of former NHL goalie, Brian Boucher, and a former Avon Old Farms Winged Beaver, is now playing for the US National Development Team-USNDTP (USHL) and the US National U-17 Team. Boucher has committed to Boston University (HE) for 2021-22. Read the full article

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CANTLON'S CORNER: THE POST FREE AGENT FRENZY

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - If Steve Miller wanted to rewrite his masterpiece, "Take the Money and Run" and put a Hartford Wolf Pack spin on it, it might sound something like this. "This a story about Bigras and Gilly, two young hockey players with plenty of skill to show, here’s what they did when they decided to cut loose - Go on take the money and run!" AHL CONTRACTS ON THE RISE Take the Money and Run also defined how the last few days of NHL/AHL moving day or free agents. Jaws were sure to drop upon review of some of the salaries AHL players were handed out this week. It left everyone in the know, in some cases, more than just a little bit astonished. Cantlon's Corner has been reporting on the AHL since the late 1980s. At that time, the average salary was approximately on average, around $40K. A scant few top echelon players made $50K. Since that time, the 100-plus time percent increase is mind-numbing and must leave former AHL vets, shaking their collective heads. In 2019, in professional hockey, everything is about the cap. As of Wednesday, of the 124 total contracts offered, the teams collectively have spent over $707M. Stunning… poverty is certainly not a word one would hear among those in hockey circles. All salary numbers come from capfriendly.com A longtime hockey insider who requested anonymity put it in stark terms. What has driven this hockey salary "arms race?" ”The salary cap is precious gold. Teams protect that at all costs. The one-way money; that’s a real number and affects the cap either negatively or positively. Two-way contracts, which most AHL contracts, are, you see that while the increases are real, it really doesn’t affect the cap because the AAV is based on the overall one-way contract and that’s what matters.” Some players don’t need to head to Europe if they are raking in these type of salaries. Several teams have more lateral ability than others and some current and ex-Wolfpack players are benefiting greatly. Greg McKegg, who split last season between Charlotte and Carolina, inked a one-year, one-way deal for $750K  with the Rangers. That money counts on the cap. It's also a nice hefty increase from his AHL gig last season that paid $70K. Danny O’Regan, Jeff LoVerde, Harry Zolniercycyzk, and Thomas McCollum, are all new Pack signees. Their salaries have yet to be posted. Philadelphia helped out Lehigh Valley with ex-Pack, Chris Bigras, who signed for a $250K-AHL & $700k-NHL deal up from his $70K AHL contract last year. Andy Andreoff from Syracuse got himself a $750K one-way up from his previous $680K deal. Nate Prosser, from Iowa, earned a slight increase at $421.5K-AHL/$700K-NHL for two years up from his $400K/$700K contract. Rochester will get John Gilmour if he doesn’t make the Sabres roster and it will cost them $700K. Arizona helps out Tucson with two players returning from Europe. Andy Miele from Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL) gets a two-year deal paying $275K in the AHL and $725K in the NHL. Beau Bennett from Dynamo Riga (Latvia-KHL) nails down a $200K-AHL and $725K-NHL pact while Aaron Ness, the ex-Sound Tiger, gets a two-year deal at $300K-AHL & $725K-NHL. In Binghamton (New Jersey), Dakota Mermis goes from $100K in Tucson to $200. A few took a pay cut. Ben Street was making $750K in San Diego and slips to $425K while Matt Tennyson from Rochester goes from $659K to $350K. Neither is expected to start clipping coupons. Charlotte (Carolina) sign enigmatic ex-Pack, Brian Gibbons (Salisbury Prep), for $100K-AHL and $725K-NHL after playing for a $1million last year between Anaheim/Ottawa. The Colorado Eagles (Avalanche) handed ex-CT Whale, Jayson Megna, a $350K-AHL and $700K-NHL one-year deal. Dan Renouf, from Charlotte, gets a two-year deal paying $275K in the first year and $350K for the AHL in his second year. He'll earn at the NHL level, $700K for two years. T.J. Tynan gets one-year deal paying him $425K in the AHL and $700K in the NHL. Chicago (Las Vegas) was among the busiest teams. Pat Brown from the Calder Cup champion Charlotte Checkers goes from $100K to $450K in his first year and $700K in his second year. Tyrell Goulbourne, after a nine-goal campaign with Lehigh Valley, goes from $70K to $225K-AHL/$700K-NHL in the first year and $700K second. Jaycob Megna (Jayson’s brother) goes from $260K in San Diego to $400K with the Wolves. Montreal beefed up Laval with Riley Barber ($300K-AHL.$700K-NHL) and Phil Varone ($450K-AHL/$700K-NHL) from Hershey and Lehigh Valley respectively. San Diego, via Anaheim, signs AHL Butterfield trophy winner, Andrew Poturlarksi, from Charlotte to a $350K-AHL/$750-NHL on a one-year deal. In Springfield, Tommy Cross (Simsbury/Westminster Prep) goes from $300K to $325K. Ethan Prow from Wilkes Barre/Scranton is joining him and going from $90K to $700K per for the next two years. Kevin Roy, after just 14 games last year with Anaheim and San Diego, gets a $300K-AHL/$850K-NHL seal for one year. Tampa Bay aids Syracuse with two new goalies veteran Scott Wedgewood and Spencer Martin at $750K one-way each. Ex-Pack, Chris Mueller, migrates to the Syracuse Crunch from the Toronto Marlies where he'll make $700K on a one-way, one-year up from his $650K last season. Danick Martel, despite an injury-shortened season (15 games) is rewarded with a $700K one-way deal after a $65K-AHL deal last year. Daniel Walcott, the ex-Pack, who, after just five games because of shoulder surgery, is given a one-year $125K deal for the AHL and a $700K NHL contract. Stockton gets Bryon Froese next season for $450K-AHL/$700K-NHL after splitting last season with Laval and Lehigh Valley. The Texas Stars got help from parent Dallas when they signed Tanner Kero from Utica. He gets two years at $300K in the AHL in the first year and $350K in the second with $700K & $775K respectively in the NHL. That's for two years and both are “down” from his one-way $800K deal last year. Utica (Vancouver) inked Justin Bailey to a $700K one way for two years. PLAYER AND COACHING MOVEMENT Last season’s Wolf Pack captain Cole Schneider re-signs with Nashville and will play for Milwaukee. No contracts details have been released yet. Six more AHL’ers head overseas for next year with two of them heading to Kunlun (China-KHL). Tyler Wong, from the Chicago Wolves, and ex-Pack, Adam Cracknell, who split last season between San Diego and Toronto. Also heading East is Adam Helewka of Milwaukee/Tucson who signs with Barys Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan Russia-KHL) and the latest Trevor Cheek of the Tucson Roadrunners goes to Esbjerg (Denmark-DHL). Mark McNeil goes from Providence to EHC Linz (Austria-EBEL) and Zack Mitchell leaves the Ontario Reign for Neftekhimik (Russia-KHL). In Mitchell’s case, you think his agent explained to him he was leaving a sunny, warm LA suburb to go to Siberia? Now 52 AHL’ers have signed for Europe next season. Ex-Pack, and one funny guy, Francois Bouchard, makes it back home after playing with Dundee (Scotland-EIHL) to play for St. Jerome (LNAH) next season. Ex-Pack, Tomas Kundratek, leaves HC Davos (Switzerland-LNA) and heads home to HC Ocelari Trinec (Czech Republic-CEL). Brett Magnus of Sacred Heart University (AHA), signs overseas with HUS Hokii (Netherlands BEL-NED HL). That makes 44 collegians to sign for Europe and 221 overall college players signed pro deals. Read the full article

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CRAWFORD: LETTIERI HAT TRICK NOT ENOUGH AS PACK MELT AGAINST HERSHEY, LOSE 5-3

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack Hartford, CT, March 10, 2019 – Vinni Lettieri had his first pro hat trick for the Hartford Wolf Pack Sunday at the XL Center, but Devante Smith-Pelly also scored three times for the Hershey Bears, who prevailed over the Wolf Pack by a score of 5-3. The Wolf Pack, who had won three straight coming into the game, had leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but Hershey scored three times in the third period and outshot Hartford 17-8 in the third. "It was tough we didn't get that win today," Lettieri said.  "I think whether you're up or down, playing the full 60 (minutes) is the most important thing." John Gilmour had three assists for the Wolf Pack, as had Hershey’s Nathan Walker.  Former Wolf Pack Jayson Megna had a goal and an assist for the Bears. Adam Huska, fresh off of the end of a three-year career at UConn, made his pro debut in the Wolf Pack net, making 25 saves. "I liked Adam's game,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said of Huska.  “I thought he played well. He's a big goalie and he moves well. There's lots of positive things there." The Wolf Pack controlled much of the first period, outshooting Hershey 15-7, but came out of the frame tied at one. Hartford opened the scoring on the game’s first power play at 12:59, with Mike Sgarbossa off for high-sticking.  Lettieri started his big day with a low snap shot from the top of the right circle.  Gabriel Fontaine screened Hershey netminder Vitek Vanecek (25 saves), and the puck got by Vanecek on the stick side. "Vinni's an offensive player that we can lean on for those offensive opportunities,” McCambridge said. “He's been a real big contributor for us." The Bears equalized with 2:31 left in the period, on the first goal in six AHL games on the year for Smith-Pelly, the long-time NHL winger.  Hershey won a defensive zone draw and Tyler Lewington passed the puck from the right point to Aaron Ness on the left point, and his shot was deflected by Smith-Pelly off of the right shoulder of Huska and into the net. Lettieri struck for his second of the game, and 20th of the season, only 30 seconds in the second period, to put the Wolf Pack up 2-1.  After a Ryan Gropp pass attempt was broken up, Gilmour put the puck on net from the left-wing boards, and the rebound went off Vanecek’s pads to Lettieri at the right side of the goal mouth, and he easily buried it. "Our line’s been doing great,” said Lettieri.  “When I get the puck I always try to get it to Gropp or (Steven) Fogarty and then try and get ahead of the play, and they always seem to find me." Hershey tied the score again, though, at 5:53, on their first power play of the contest.  With only eight seconds left on a cross-checking penalty to Gropp, Garrett Pilon fired home a one-timer, off of a pass from the right-wing corner by Juuso Ikonen. The Bears then took the lead only 1:54 into the third frame, on Smith-Pelly’s second of the game.  The Wolf Pack turned the puck over in the neutral zone, allowing Hershey to break 3-on-1.  Megna passed across the slot from the left side to Smith-Pelly, and he shot back against the grain, putting the puck past Huska to his right. Hershey’s second power-play goal of the game made it a 4-2 Bear lead at 8:53.  With Ryan Lindgren off for cross-checking, a cross-ice feed by Riley Barber found Sgarbossa on the left wing, and he let go a shot that Megna tipped past Huska. The Bears gave the Wolf Pack a chance to get back in the game with penalties 44 seconds apart, to Megna for tripping at 14:39 and Liam O’Brien for a hook at 15:23.  Six seconds after Megna got out of the box, Lettieri completed his hat trick with his 21st of the season at 16:45.  Gilmour set up Fogarty in the left circle, he fed across to Lettieri below the right faceoff dot, and Lettieri’s quick shot found its way in behind Vanecek. Not to be outdone, Smith-Pelly would get his hat trick goal only 44 seconds later, at 17:29, to restore the two-goal margin.  A Smith-Pelly pass sent Walker in on a partial breakaway, and Huska stopped his bid, but Smith-Pelly jumped on the rebound and knocked it in. The next action for the Wolf Pack is a home game this Wednesday night, March 13 vs. the Binghamton Devils.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and that is another chance to take advantage of the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Family Value Pack”, which includes two tickets, two hot dogs and two sodas, all for just $40. Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, online at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found online at hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info. Hershey Bears 5 at Hartford Wolf Pack 3 Sunday, March 10, 2019 - XL Center Hershey  1 1 3 - 5 Hartford 1 1 1 - 3 1st Period-1, Hartford, Lettieri 19 (Gilmour), 12:59 (PP). 2, Hershey, Smith-Pelly 1 (Ness, Lewington), 17:29. Penalties-Sgarbossa Her (high-sticking), 11:26; O'Brien Her (cross-checking), 13:35. 2nd Period-3, Hartford, Lettieri 20 (Gilmour, Gropp), 0:30. 4, Hershey, Pilon 7 (Ikonen, Walker), 5:53 (PP). Penalties-Gropp Hfd (cross-checking), 4:01; Lindgren Hfd (hooking), 9:36; O'Donnell Hfd (slashing), 15:33. 3rd Period-5, Hershey, Smith-Pelly 2 (Megna, Walker), 1:54. 6, Hershey, Megna 15 (Sgarbossa, Barber), 8:53 (PP). 7, Hartford, Lettieri 21 (Fogarty, Gilmour), 16:45 (PP). 8, Hershey, Smith-Pelly 3 (Walker), 17:29. Penalties-Crawley Hfd (tripping), 4:04; Lindgren Hfd (cross-checking), 7:53; Megna Her (tripping), 14:39; O'Brien Her (hooking), 15:23. Shots on Goal-Hershey 7-6-17-30. Hartford 15-5-8-28. Power Play Opportunities-Hershey 2 / 5; Hartford 2 / 4. Goalies-Hershey, Vanecek 16-9-4 (28 shots-25 saves). Hartford, Huska 0-1-0 (30 shots-25 saves). A-4,686 Referees-Michael Sheehan (74), Beau Halkidis (48). Linesmen-Kyle Richetelle (47), Nick Briganti (58). Read the full article

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CRAWFORD: SO LOSS GIVES PACK A POINT IN HERSHEY

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack Hershey, PA, November 4, 2018 – The Hartford Wolf Pack finished a three-game weekend with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Hershey Bears Sunday at Giant Center. Matt Beleskey had the only Wolf Pack goal, and Marek Mazanec made 28 saves in the Hartford net.  Juuso Ikonen scored for Hershey, and Aaron Ness had the only goal of a seven-round shootout.  Parker Milner made 32 saves for Hershey, in his first AHL action of the season, and went 7-for-7 in the shootout. The result gave the Wolf Pack three out of a possible six points on the weekend, after a 5-3 loss Friday night at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and a 3-2 win over the Penguins in a rematch Saturday night. “I liked that game a lot,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said of Sunday’s contest.  “As a team, we like where our game’s at right now.  We feel we had a strong weekend, a split on the road.  You look at the way that game went, we wanted to score the first goal on the road.  One-one game goes to a shootout, I thought both goaltenders played excellent. There’s nothing about that game, or this weekend, that we can’t build off, lots of positives.” After a scoreless first period, Beleskey scored his first goal in five games since joining the Wolf Pack 2:01 into the second. Vince Pedrie prevented Liam O’Brien from getting the puck out of the Bear end at the right point and passed to Michael Lindqvist along the boards.  He fed to Beleskey in the slot, while Pedrie headed to the front of the net.  With Pedrie skating in front of Milner, Beleskey’s shot hit Milner’s catching glove and went into the net. That lead lasted until the 1:49 mark of the third period when Ikonen ended Mazanec’s shutout bid with his first North American pro goal.  Former Wolf Pack Jayson Megna worked the puck to Connor Hobbs at the right point, and Ikonen deflected his shot past Mazanec. The Wolf Pack had 1:29 of a two-man advantage later in the third but were unable to convert, and the game went to overtime despite at 12-4 shots advantage for Hartford in the third frame. Mazanec preserved the tie with a sparkling save early in overtime, sliding to his left to rob Mike Sgarbossa, and none of the shooters could solve either goaltender through the first six rounds of the shootout.  In the seventh round, Ness was finally able to connect for Hershey, beating Mazanec with a move to the backhand, and Milner denied Bobby Butler to end it. The Wolf Pack are now off until Friday night when they will wrap up a stretch of five straight road games with a visit to Utica, NY to take on the Comets.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM and all of the action can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and online at newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio.  Video streaming is available at theahl.com/AHLTV. The Wolf Pack are back home this Saturday night, November 10, when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:00.  That is “Country Night” at the XL Center, and tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, online at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found online at hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info. Hartford Wolf Pack 1 at Hershey Bears 2 (SO) Sunday, November 4, 2018 - Giant Center Hartford 0 1 0 0 - 1 Hershey  0 0 1 0 - 2 1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Gilmour Hfd (high-sticking), 1:32; Lindqvist Hfd (slashing), 13:09; Williams Her (holding), 14:45. 2nd Period-1, Hartford, Beleskey 1 (Lindqvist, Pedrie), 2:01. Penalties-Fontaine Hfd (tripping), 10:25; Gettinger Hfd (holding), 19:40. 3rd Period-2, Hershey, Ikonen 1 (Hobbs, Megna), 1:49. Penalties-Megna Her (hooking), 12:23; Siegenthaler Her (tripping), 12:54. OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-No Penalties Shootout - Hartford 0 (Gropp NG, Holland NG, Fogarty NG, Meskanen NG, Andersson NG, Lindqvist NG, Butler NG), Hershey 1 (Gersich NG, Barber NG, Sgarbossa NG, Pilon NG, O'Brien NG, Jonsson-Fjallby NG, Ness G). Shots on Goal-Hartford 8-9-12-4-0-33. Hershey 9-11-4-5-1-30. Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 3; Hershey 0 / 4. Goalies-Hartford, Mazanec 3-4-1 (29 shots-28 saves). Hershey, Milner 1-0-0 (33 shots-32 saves). A-7,348 Referees-Mitch Dunning (43), Michael Markovic (47).                                                                    Linesmen-James Tobias (61), Richard Jondo (55). Read the full article