Sports stats



AHL Hartford Wolf Pack

Wolf Pack Ride Strong Finish to 5-2 Victory

October 18, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hartford Wolf Pack News Release


Hartford, CT, October 18, 2015 - Ryan Bourque scored the winning goal on a third-period power play Sunday, in a 5-2 Hartford Wolf Pack victory over the Syracuse Crunch at the XL Center.

The Wolf Pack improved to 3-1-0-0, winning their third in a row, and Syracuse suffered its first loss in three games on the season.

Magnus Hellberg stopped 33 shots in the Wolf Pack victory, and five separate Wolf Pack players were able to score in the high-scoring game.

The game started with strong opportunities for both teams, but the Crunch stuck first with a goal at 12:19 from Matthew Peca, assisted by Joel Vermin and Jake Dotchin.

The first period featured two penalties, one for both the Crunch and the Wolf Pack. The Tambellini brothers accounted for the penalties, with Syracuse's Jeff Tambellini was charged with a tripping minor at 4:43 and the Wolf Pack's Adam Tambellini called for holding at 14:51.

Adam Tambellini had this to say about moving up into the AHL, "Definitely stronger guys in this league, with them being older. The speed is different, the guys are all really skilled here and there is not much of a mismatch on the ice."

The second period was quiet until two goals were scored in quick succession to put the Wolf Pack into the lead. The first was scored by Marek Hrivik at 12:33, as Hrivik converted on a two-on-one with Luke Adam.

Just 1:24 later, at 13:57, Jayson Megna scored his first Wolf Pack goal, after Adam Tambellini set him up in front of the goal with a pass out of the right-wing corner.

The third period was full of penalties, all but one of which were successfully killed. The Wolf Pack had the only conversion out of five combined opportunities, with Ryan Bourque deflecting in a Raphael Diaz shot at 3:05.

Marek Hrivik said of the successful Wolf Pack penalty kills, "We just have great coaching, we get really good information, our meetings are really good, and the same thing for the power play. We have the tools, we just have to go out there and perform."

With 4:55 left the third, Brian Gibbons scored an unassisted goal on a breakaway to put the Wolf Pack up 4-1. Syracuse's Philippe Paradis struck back just over a minute later, at 16:57, on a rebound, making the score 4-2 Wolf Pack. However, the Wolf Pack's Tommy Hughes scored a shorthanded open net goal at 18:14 to bring the lead back to three and seal the game.

The Wolf Pack's next action is their first road game, this Friday night, October 23, a rematch with the Crunch in Syracuse. Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and all of the action of that contest can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and on-line at www.newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.

The Wolf Pack's next home game is Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, a 7:30 game vs. the Providence Bruins. Tickets for all 2015-16 Wolf Pack home games are on sale at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.

To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack's many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451.

Check out the Hartford Wolf Pack Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from October 18, 2015


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