Wolf Pack beat Providence Bruins in OT

Published on January 16, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Hartford, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack topped the Providence Bruins Saturday night in overtime, 3-2, in front of 7,839 at the XL Center.

Evgeny Grachev scored twice for Hartford, including the game-winner, and Matt Zaba made 36 saves to earn the win in goal.

Grachev's overtime goal came with 1:41 left in the extra session. Jordan Owens, playing his first game since Dec. 19, passed to David Urquhart, whose shot was deflected by Grachev past Providence goaltender Dany Sabourin (36 saves) for his second goal of the night.

"That was a good shift by Grachev with the open ice," said Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander. "I thought he did some really good things there."

The win improved the Wolf Pack to 5-1-1-0 against the Bruins this season.

Hartford had opened the scoring in the first period with Grachev's first goal of the night, scoring after he took a nifty pass from Ryan Garlock at 7:18.

Grachev took the feed from Garlock into the slot, where he then wristed a shot over the glove of Sabourin.

Sabourin was otherwise solid, making 12 saves in a period that saw the Wolf Pack outshoot the Bruins 13-10.

The Hartford lead was short-lived, as Providence's leading scorer, Mikko Lehtonen, knotted the game at one apiece just 3:37 into the second period.

A shot from the point taken by Andrew Bodnarchuk was initially saved by Zaba, but Lehtonen was able to gather the rebound and put it past Zaba as he fell to the ice for his twelfth goal.

P.A. Parenteau then provided the Wolf Pack with a 2-1 lead, scoring his thirteenth at 15:20 of the frame to break a personal six-game stretch without a goal. Parenteau took a pass from Dale Weise before stickhandling through the left circle and putting a wrist shot behind Sabourin.

Guillame Lefebvre delivered the equalizer for the Bruins, however, leveling the game at 2-2 with just 3:59 left to play in the third period. Lefebvre picked up a loose puck at the side of the Wolf Pack net and banked it in off of Zaba for the score, with Drew Fata and Kenny Roche earning the assists.

Zaba stood tall in goal for the remainder of the third, making ten saves and sending the two teams into overtime. Zaba saved the game for the Wolf Pack 1:32 into overtime, stopping a Zach Hamill bid as he dangled through multiple defenders to get an in-close opportunity.

The save allowed Grachev to score his second of the night and earn two points for the Wolf Pack less than two minutes later on the play set up by Owens and Urquhart.

"I wanted to make my strengths show tonight, get in on the forecheck and keep it simple since I haven't played in so long," said Owens. "I think I did that and helped the team win tonight."

The win was the second straight for Hartford, both triumphs coming in overtime against the Bruins, after a 2-1 win in Providence last Sunday. The victory raised the Wolf Pack's record to a season-high seven games over .500, 22-15-1-4 and 49 points, good for a tie for fourth place in the AHL's Atlantic Division with the Portland Pirates.

The Wolf Pack will be on the road Sunday, taking on the Manchester Monarchs (3:00), before hosting the Monarchs at the XL Center next Friday in the back-end of the home-and-home series (7:00).

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central