Wolf Pack Weekend Recap: December 30th, 2024
December 30, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hartford Wolf Pack News Release
HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack dropped a pair of regulation contests exiting the holiday break over the weekend, falling to 13-13-2-1 on the season.
The club opens a four-game road trip on Tuesday afternoon against the Springfield Thunderbirds. They'll also visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Bridgeport Islanders, and Lehigh Valley Phantoms during their travels.
Friday, December 27 th, 2024, at Springfield Thunderbirds (5-2 L): Despite a strong start, the Wolf Pack were never able to gain a lead in the latest installment of the 'I-91 Rivalry'.
Sam Bitten opened the scoring 2:10 into the hockey game, burying a rebound for his first goal of the season. Bo Groulx tied the game at 19:52, blasting a one-timer from the left-wing circle off a feed from Alex Belzile, but that was as close as the Wolf Pack got it.
Matthew Kessel potted his second goal of the season from the right-wing circle 2:28 into the second period, giving the Thunderbirds a lead they never lost.
Matthew Peca extended the lead 8:36 into the third period while the sides battled four-on-four. He entered the offensive zone on the left-wing side and perfectly placed a shot top-shelf over Dylan Garand's shoulder.
Belzile made it 3-2 at 10:51, tapping in a Nathan Sucese feed at the backdoor. Just 2:04 later, however, Marcus Sylvegard restored the two-goal lead with a shot from the right-wing circle.
Dylan Peterson hit the empty net at 19:25, putting the game away.
The Thunderbirds have won four straight in the head-to-head matchup and hold a 4-1 edge in the season series.
Saturday, December 28 th, 2024, Vs. Providence Bruins (4-1 L): John Farinacci opened the scoring 1:40 into the hockey game, beating Louis Domingue on the first shot of the night with a backhand bid.
Two goals in 1:16 to kick off the second period put the Bruins out of reach, giving them a 3-0 lead. Georgii Merkulov buried a feed from the right-wing circle 55 seconds into the period, with the goal standing as the eventual game-winning tally.
Max Jones then fired a long-range shot into traffic at 2:11 that snuck by Domingue to make it 3-0.
Jake Leschyshyn got Hartford on the board 13:12 into the third period, tipping home a Victor Mancini shot, but Matthew Poitras put the Bruins out of reach at 16:00 with an empty net tally.
Quick Hits:
The Wolf Pack's penalty kill was a perfect five-for-five over the weekend. They were three-for-three against the Thunderbirds and two-for-two against the Bruins.
Groulx led the Wolf Pack with three points (1 g, 2 a) in the weekend's two games.
Forward Brennan Othmann made his first appearance since Oct. 19 on Friday night in Springfield. He recorded a five-on-five assist in the loss.
The Week Ahead:
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, at Springfield Thunderbirds (3:05 p.m., MassMutual Center)
Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (6:05 p.m., Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza)
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Bridgeport Islanders (3:00 p.m., Total Mortgage Arena)
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