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Sound Tigers Win over Wolf Pack

November 26, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Let the record show that the 13-plus-year, 1,177-game Wolf Pack era in Hartford's professional hockey history ended at 9:44 p.m. Friday at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

Unfortunately for the Wolf Pack and coach Ken Gernander, present since the team began play on Oct. 3, 1997, it ended in shocking fashion.

The Wolf Pack surrendered a three-goal lead with less than seven minutes left and then lost their third shootout of the season in a 4-3 loss to the injury-riddled Bridgeport Sound Tigers before 5,338 at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

Goals by snipers Mats Zuccarello, Chad Kolarik and Jeremy Williams seemingly put the Wolf Pack (6-11-2-3) on their way to an easy victory in their finale before being rebranded as the Connecticut Whale for a rematch with the Sound Tigers on Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford.

But stay-at-home defenseman Wes O'Neill converted a penalty shot after being impeded on a partial breakaway by Pavel Valentenko with 6:21 left in regulation, then Rhett Rakhshani converted Josh Bailey's pass only 21 seconds later. O'Neill sent it to overtime when he scored a sixth-attacker goal off a cross-crease pass from Bailey with 1:05 left.

The Wolf Pack had the better of the play in the five-minute overtime but failed to beat Mikko Koskinen and then failed on seven shootout attempts, missing the net four times, before Jeremy Colliton got the winner when his shot hit Chad Johnson's stick and trickled between his legs to give the Sound Tigers (9-11-1-0) the improbable victory.

"I was trying to be patient and thought I was down far enough, but it somehow found a hole," Johnson said. "But losing a 3-0 lead with 61/2 minutes left is just unacceptable. It can't happen. You just have to play simple hockey. It's that kind of game where you don't need any more goals. Just get the puck deep and play as strong defensively as you can. You have to give it to them that they didn't quit.

"They kept playing and forechecking and finding that soft spot in the high slot, but everybody is just shocked, disappointed, angry, frustrated. It's kind of hard to explain having a three-goal lead with less than seven minutes left and then losing in a shootout. It's pro hockey and just unacceptable."

The Wolf Pack, who ended a season-high, five-game road trip with a 2-2-0-1 record, began to unravel when Williams circled in the offensive end and lost the puck to Rakhshani, who poked it ahead to O'Neill. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound defenseman got a step on Valentenko, who was called for hooking even though he lifted the stick of O'Neill, who got off a shot.

Gernander was most upset with the play in the offensive zone that led to O'Neill's opportunity.

"(O'Neill) was in the clear, but in my mind, it never should have got to that," said Gernander. "We've got a 3-0 lead and control puck possession. All we had to do is turn and get the puck deep, and the play is dead. It's something that has been addressed again and again.

"It's a pretty simple play, and it can't happen. They were given some emotion, some life, a goal, an opportunity. I'm quite frustrated, disappointed, upset or whatever that it happened. You've got to get the puck deep or get it to the defenseman so he can get it deep. Somebody has to make a big play, but they didn't."

The Wolf Pack finished 571(W)-346(L)-66(T)-49(OTL)-30(SOL) in the regular season and 57-58 in 22 playoff series, winning their only Calder Cup title in 2000. They started with a 5-3 loss at Providence on Oct. 3, 1997 but instead of moving out one point ahead of the Sound Tigers and out of the Atlantic Division basement, they climbed on the bus for a ride back to Hartford wondering what had just happened.

"It's hard to explain," Redden said. "We were in total control of the game, let our foot off the gas a bit and gave them a penalty shot that changed the whole feel of the game and gave them some life. It's fine to give up one (goal), but we have to be able to shore things up, be smart, be sound and be calm in those situations. We were still up two goals, but I think we had some panic and they scored another quick one and we were on our heels.

"We had to find a way and had some great opportunities, but we just have to make plays in those situations. We've got them again (Saturday night), and I know we can feel down and disappointed, which is natural. But we've got to rebound and come back hungry right off the start."

The Sound Tigers (9-11-1-0) are 3-2-1-0 under new coach Pat Bingham, who replaced Jack Capuano on Nov. 15 after Capuano was promoted to coach of the parent New York Islanders after Scott Gordon was let go and became an assistant to general manager Garth Snow. The Sound Tigers were without seven injured players and veteran left wing Jon Sim was recalled by the Islanders earlier in the day.

With their forces depleted, the Sound Tigers played a 1-2-2 trap, often set up in the neutral zone, to try to slow the Wolf Pack and force turnovers. The Wolf Pack had two early power plays but generated only two harmless shots on Koskinen (28 saves). The Sound Tigers then got the game's first scoring chance when Colliton raced down right wing around Redden, but Johnson (24 saves) came out to deny the center's backhander at 10:01.

The Sound Tigers then got their first power play, and Johnson was alert to deny Jon Landry off right wing and Michael Haley's deflection. Moments after the power play ended, Johnson stopped Trent Campbell's turnaround bid from 30 feet in the slot with 6:32 left in the period.

The teams continued to joust early in the second period before Johnson made a good glove save at 3:57 on a 30-foot turnaround wrist shot in the slot by Josh Bailey, the Islanders' first-round pick (ninth overall) in 2008 who was demoted Wednesday after getting only three goals and assists in 18 games, running his three-year NHL total to 159 games.

The Wolf Pack then took a 1-0 lead as Tim Kennedy poked the puck into the right corner to Dale Weise, who passed into the slot for a one-timer by Mats Zuccarello that beat Koskinen cleanly at 10:22.

Johnson stopped Olivier Labelle breaking in alone off a scramble with 7:29 left in the period, then the Wolf Pack killed a 4-on-3 power play and ensuing 5-and-4. As the power play ended, Ryan McDonagh cleared the puck to Ryan Garlock, who poked it ahead to Kolarik. The new right wing burst down left wing, got around defenseman Mark Wotton and beat Koskinen to the short side with 1:50 left for his fourth goal in six games since acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Springfield Falcons on Nov. 11.

The Sound Tigers had the Wolf Pack hemmed in early in the third period, but the Wolf Pack then got the puck deep and Kris Newbury centered from behind the net to a wide-open Williams, who easily beat Koskinen from 15 feet in the slot.

But just when it appeared the Wolf Pack might cruise to victory in their finale, the Sound Tigers scored twice in 21 seconds. O'Neill got the Sound Tigers to 3-1 with 6:42 left on the penalty shot and then off the ensuing faceoff, Rakhshani took a pass from Bailey off a 3-on-2 and beat Johnson low to the stick side.

Then with Koskinen pulled for a sixth attacker, Bailey's cross-slot from the left circle found a wide-open O'Neill in the low right circle for a quick finish into an open net with 1:05 left for his second goal of the night and the season.

When the Wolf Pack fell to 1-2-3 in overtime, the final day of their existence proved to be quite the Black Friday.

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