Wolf Pack win preseason opener
Published on October 1, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release
HARTFORD, October 1, 2008: Matt Zaba stopped 24 out of 26 shots Wednesday night, to backstop the Hartford Wolf Pack to a 3-2 American Hockey League preseason victory at the Koeppel Community Sports Center at Hartford's Trinity College. It was the preseason opener for both teams.
Hartford got goals from Sergei Demagin, Tom Pyatt and Jordan Owens, while Rory Rawlyk and Ashton Rome tallied for Worcester.
After a scoreless first period, in which Hartford outshot Worcester 8-7, the Wolf Pack scored the game's first two goals only 1:23 apart in the second period.
Demagin, a Belarussian import, gave the Wolf Pack a 1-0 lead 8:07, deflecting a shot by Chris Murray past Shark starting goaltender Derek MacIntyre. Second-year pro Tom Pyatt then stole the puck deep in Worcester's end and beat MacIntyre with a short-range shot for a 2-0 Hartford advantage at 9:30.
Rawlyk, a former Wolf Pack defenseman, got Worcester on the scoreboard at 14:39 of the second frame, before Owens scored what turned out to be the game-winner at 12:07 of the third period, poking a loose puck behind Ryan Daniels, who had replaced MacIntyre after Pyatt's second-period goal.
Rome cut Hartford's lead back to one goal with a shot from the left-wing circle with 3:30 remaining in the third, but Zaba held the Sharks at bay thereafter.
Neither team managed a power-play goal in the game, despite a total of 16 power-plays being awarded by referee Jamie Koharski. Worcester was 0/9 and Hartford went 0/7.
In the Worcester net, MacIntyre allowed two goals on 15 shots in 29:30 of play and Daniels stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced in 30:20 of work.
The game was a fund-raiser for the Ryan Gordon Hartford Wolf Pack Community Scholarship Fund, and fans attending the game donated a total of $2,245.
American Hockey League Stories from October 1, 2008
- Rockford Slips By Peoria In Shootout - Rockford IceHogs
- Wolf Pack win preseason opener - Connecticut Whale
- River Rats Open Preseason With 5-3 Win - Albany River Rats
- Falcons Fall To Bruins 4-1 - Springfield Falcons
- Kings Decrease Roster By Two - Manchester Monarchs
- P-Bruins Defeat Falcons 4-1 - Providence Bruins
- Columbus Assigns Two Players to Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- Canucks Send Trio To Manitoba - Manitoba Moose
- Edmonton Oilers Assign Six Players To The Falcons - Springfield Falcons
- Flames Add Exhibition Contest To 2008-09 Broadcast Schedule - Abbotsford Heat
- Phantoms Announce 08-09 Promotional Schedule - Adirondack Phantoms
- Minnesota Wild assigns forwards Hamilton, Kalus to Houston Aeros - Houston Aeros
- Wolf Pack Make Roster Moves - Connecticut Whale
- Marlies Trim Roster Before Preseason Begins - Toronto Marlies
- Admirals Re-Launch norfolkadmirals.com - Norfolk Admirals
- IceHogs head to Peoria for preseason opener - Rockford IceHogs
- Brophey, Kontiola And Pelletier Sent To Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
- Penguins Trade Rights To Defenseman Michal Sersen - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Moose reduce roster by 12 players - Manitoba Moose
- MacIntyre Reassigned to Milwaukee - Milwaukee Admirals
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