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Wolf Pack Top P-Bruins in OT 4-3

March 21, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Hartford, CT, March 21, 2010 - Desperate times demand desperate measures.

With the Wolf Pack's playoff chances needing a boost and leading scorers Corey Locke and P.A. Parenteau admittedly struggling in the first two periods against the Providence Bruins Sunday afternoon, coach Ken Gernander split his top offensive threats onto different lines.

Parenteau responded with a goal-scorer's goal, batting Paul Crowder's rebound out of mid-air to give the Wolf Pack their second lead of the game.

After John Lammers converted Jordan Knackstedt's rebound 50 seconds later to send the game into overtime, Gernander and assistant J.J. Daigneault reunited Parenteau and Locke for the 4-on-4 in extra time.

And as the game appeared headed to a shootout, Locke deftly batted down Zach Hamill's chest-high, cross-ice pass near the Bruins' blueline, setting in motion a 3-on-1 with Parenteau and defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti.

Locke and Parenteau worked a late give-and-go on Bruins goalie Kevin Regan, which ended with Parenteau jamming a loose puck past Regan for his 20th goal of the season with 54.1 seconds left, giving the Wolf Pack a desperately needed 4-3 victory before 4,896 at the XL Center.

"Corey and I had a pretty rough game the first and second periods," said Parenteau, who shifted to right wing with Crowder and Justin Soryal while Locke moved between Brodie Dupont and Derek Couture. "Corey and I actually hadn't played that good the last few games, so some changes never hurts a team, and it worked out (Sunday). It was a good call by Kenny and J.J.

"It was a grinding game and a typical Sunday game where you have to find a way, and fortunately we did. It was a big game for us, and in the third period, we were a little more hungry and there was a little more desperation for the puck and it showed. It kind of keeps us in the (playoff) mix."

The Wolf Pack (29-30-6-5), who had the only seven shots in overtime, ended a two-game losing streak, improved to 3-26-1-2 when trailing after two periods and moved within nine points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They're in 12th place in the 15-team conference, and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers moved into the final playoff spot with a 2-1 shootout victory over Springfield Sunday, extending their points streak to eight games (7-0-1-0).

Much of the Wolf Pack's third-period success could be traced to the line changes and several players speaking up during the second intermission.

"We knew we were kind of playing for our season," Parenteau said. "If we lost, it wouldn't be looking good at all. We just want to be in the mix until the end because you never know with the team we have. That was a big 20 (minutes) for us, and it worked out well."

The Wolf Pack scored the only goal of the first period on the only power play of the period. Kris Newbury set the scoring play in motion with a pass to Ilkka Heikkinen, who passed from the left circle to a wide-open Dale Weise at the right post for a quick finish into an open net for his 23rd goal at 9:42.

The Bruins (33-34-4-1) had the first seven shots of the second period until Donald Brashear's jam attempt at 6:20. By then, Chad Johnson (27 saves) had kept the Wolf Pack ahead thanks to stellar stops on Trent Whitfield and Ned Lukacevic in the slot, a split save on Kirk MacDonald and a sprawling stop on Jeff LoVecchio's partial breakaway during a 4-on-4.

But the Bruins finally got even when MacDonald raced around Sanguinetti down left wing and passed in front, where Yannick Riendeau outmaneuvered Newbury and scored his first goal of the season on a rebound at 7:44.

The Bruins then took advantage of their first power play to take their only lead, as Jeff Penner intercepted Sanguinetti's clearing attempt in the slot and fired a laser from 35 feet that beat Johnson at 10:27.

The Bruins nearly doubled their lead, but Andy Wozniewski's shot from the left circle hit the post with 5:28 left in the period.

The Wolf Pack got even 1:16 into the third period when Dane Byers redirected Newbury's centering pass past Regan (30 saves).

After MacDonald hit the post at 3:46 and Regan denied Ryan Garlock on a partial breakaway at 7:55, the Wolf Pack regained the lead on Parenteau's first goal with 6:55 left in regulation. Heikkinen, who was plus-3, got his second assist for his fourth two-point game in his first season in North America.

"I played a little baseball as a kid and got the puck pretty high (in the air)," Parenteau said, smiling. "I got lucky. It was just floating in there, and the goalie didn't see it."

But on the ensuing shift, Lammers converted Knackstedt's rebound after Hamill won a faceoff from Dupont. But Parenteau's second goal enabled the Wolf Pack to keep their playoff hopes alive with ten games left in the regular season.

"It was a pretty quiet second period, but we were good in the third," Gernander said. "I didn't stress much in the second intermission. This is the time of the season when there's not much to be said. You've got to go out and perform. Actions speak louder than words is all the message."

Everyone associated with the Wolf Pack realizes they nearly have to run the table down the stretch to improve their perfect playoff record to 13-for-13.

"Obviously we're struggling to get wins, so we have to play desperate from here on in," said Byers, the Wolf Pack captain. "Whether you make the playoffs or not, you still have to play for pride. You have to play for the front of the jersey.

"A few guys spoke up between the (second and third) periods, but it's no secret that for whatever reason, every point has been a battle to get all season. We knew what we had to do in the third period, and I was proud of the guys the way they handled themselves.

"You have to take it one game at a time. You can't look ahead. You can't look at the other teams. You have to worry about your game, and hopefully if we get on a roll, it'll all work out in the end for us."

Said Gernander: "We've looked at our situation and said we just have to concentrate on the now. So we're going to focus more on Friday's game than on the next (ten)."

The Wolf Pack's season-high, six-game homestand continues Friday at 7 p.m. against the Adirondack Phantoms. Adirondack will make its first appearance in Hartford since the then-Adirondack Red Wings lost 5-2 on April 2, 1999 in the Wolf Pack's second season in the AHL. The Wolf Pack was 4-0 against the Red Wings before that franchise folded following the 1998-99 season.



American Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2010


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