Wolf Pack defeats Falcons

March 21, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Springfield, MA: Dale Weise scored a personal-best four points, with two goals and two assists, Saturday night at the MassMutual Center, to lead the Hartford Wolf Pack to their most lopsided win of the season, a 7-2 victory over the Springfield Falcons.

The seven goals-scored were a season high for the Wolf Pack, and the win was Hartford's 40th of the campaign. That gives the Wolf Pack (40-25-3-3, 86 points) six straight 40-win years, tying an AHL record. The triumph also increased the Wolf Pack's lead over second-place Providence to three points in the Atlantic Division.

Vladimir Denisov also had a goal and two assists in the victory and Brodie Dupont, Corey Potter and Artem Anisimov had a goal and an assist each.

A line of Dupont, Weise and Anisimov created a pair of goals for the Wolf Pack in the first period. At the 2:00 mark Dupont scored his 10th of the year, after Weise passed the puck up the slot. Dupont made a move to the backhand and slipped the puck behind Springfield goaltender Dany Sabourin. Dupont returned the favor at 9:21, as his backhanded pass in the neutral zone sent Weise down right wing on a two-on-one with Anisimov. Using Anisimov as a decoy, Weise drove a shot through Sabourin's legs for a 2-0 lead.

The Wolf Pack got three goals from defensemen in the second period to widen their lead to 5-1.

Denisov crashed the net to deflect in a pass from off the right-wing boards by Weise at 7:46, before Charles Linglet got Springfield on the board just 10 seconds later.

Jared Nightingale and Corey Potter then broke the game open with goals 27 seconds apart starting at 14:29. Nightingale fired a right-point shot through a screen, off Sabourin and in, and then at 14:56 Potter was set up in the left circle by a pass from below the goal line by Jordan Owens.

The Wolf Pack upped the lead to 7-1 with a pair of power-play goals early in the third period, after Springfield's Colin McDonald had been assessed a major penalty for kneeing as a result of a collision with Wolf Pack goaltender Miika Wiikman with 41 seconds left in the second.

Weise got his second of the game at 1:21, again beating Sabourin through the five-hole off of right wing. Anisimov then took the team leadership in goals with his 29th of the year at 4:09, as he put in the rebound of a shot by Potter.

Ryan Potulny's 30th goal of the season for Springfield at 13:41 closed the final margin to 7-2.

Wiikman got the win, his 21st of the season, with one goal-against on 11 shots. Maxime Daigneault took over for the third period and also stopped 10 of 11 shots. The Wolf Pack scored their seven goals on Sabourin on 31 total shots.

The victory gave the Wolf Pack a sweep of their five visits to Springfield this year, the first time the Pack have ever won each of their road games in a season series against the Falcons.



American Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2009


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