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Wolf Pack defeat Lowell Devils

April 2, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Hartford, CT- The Hartford Wolf Pack kept their playoff prospects alive Friday night by defeating the Lowell Devils, 5-2, in front of 2,914 at the XL Center.

Hartford received goals from five different players, and both Corey Potter and Brodie Dupont earned two assists to lead the Wolf Pack offense. Goaltender Chad Johnson made 36 saves, including 19 in a wild third period, to record the victory in net.

The Wolf Pack's win enabled them to close to within seven points of both the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Devils, who are tied for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, in the Atlantic Division standings.

"We rose to the occasion for some big games this year, and this was another one," said Hartford forward Dale Weise.

Ilkka Heikkinen scored the first goal of the contest, capitalizing on the Wolf Pack's first power-play opportunity of the game with the Devils' Louis Robitaille in the penalty box for hooking.

Heikkinen set the play in motion with a cross-ice pass to his defensive partner Potter, who in turn fed Kris Newbury. Heikkinen then deposited Newbury's pass behind Lowell goaltender Jeff Frazee (24 saves) for the 1-0 lead at 7:02.

Newbury's assist gave him a helper in six straight games, a team season high for the Wolf Pack, with nine assists total over that span.

The Wolf Pack completely carried the play in the first period, not allowing a shot to the Devils until the 16:38 mark. Hartford ended the frame outshooting Lowell 12-5.

"The more compact you can be, the better," said Hartford head coach Ken Gernander. "We had puck possession and that was the key to our transition. We won one-on-one battles, and if possible you want to outnumber your opponent."

Ryan Garlock extended the Wolf Pack's lead just 1:36 into the second period, as Donald Brashear passed up to him on the left wing. Garlock then wrapped the puck around the Lowell net and threw a shot toward the goal, which deflected off of Devils'defenseman Olivier Magnan's skate and past Frazee. Potter also assisted on the goal, his second assist of the night.

Hartford struck again just over a minute later at the 2:50 mark, as Weise skated down the right wing and had a pass blocked by Alexander Vasyunov. The puck came right back to Weise, who then ripped a shot into the net on his second attempt for his 27th goal of the season and the 3-0 advantage.

Johnson made several quality stops on Lowell in the period, including a pair during a Devils power-play chance, denying both Ben Walter and Matt Taormina with Newbury in the box at 9:30 of the second.

Johnson's shutout was snapped at 2:29 of the third period, when a flurry of chances by the Devils culminated with Magnan's third goal of the year. After a failure to clear the zone by the Wolf Pack, Magnan sent a slap shot past Johnson to make it a 3-1 game.

Lowell closed the gap further 49 seconds later, as a scrum in front of the Hartford net led to another series of Devils opportunities. Nathan Perkovich worked a loose puck to David McIntyre before falling on top of Hartford defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti. McIntyre then banked a shot off of Sanguinetti's shoulder pads and into the Wolf Pack net to cut the deficit to one.

Paul Crowder's twelfth goal of the campaign, however, again gave Hartford a two goal lead at 11:35, as Crowder shoved in a Evgeny Grachev bid that had deflected straight up in the air off of Frazee and then landed in the crease behind the Lowell netminder. Dupont received the secondary assist on the play.

Grachev's assist was his first point since gathering an assist in a March 6 contest versus the Hamilton Bulldogs, a span of eleven games.

The Wolf Pack dealt one final blow at 16:49, as Sanguinetti launched a one-timer past Frazee for his ninth goal of the season and a 5-2 lead. Dupont earned his second assist of the night, as he worked the puck free behind the net and passed to Sanguinetti, who let fly from the right circle.

Despite allowing a season-high 21 shots on goal in the period, the Wolf Pack were able to match the Devils' offensive production in the final stanza to earn the victory.

"We get up tomorrow and start all over again," said Gernander.

The triumph moved the Wolf Pack's record back to the .500-mark, 32(w)-32(l)-6(otl)-5(sol), good for 75 points and sixth place in the Atlantic Division.

The Wolf Pack will continue their playoff push Saturday night, as they head north to face their I-91 rivals, the Springfield Falcons, at the MassMutual Center (7:00).

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