Wolf Pack wins over Sharks

Published on April 9, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Worcester, MA - The Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Worcester Sharks 3-2 Friday night at the DCU Center, but still found themselves eliminated from playoff contention.

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers' 6-3 win in Lowell assured that the Sound Tigers would finish ahead of the Wolf Pack, and thus knocked the Pack from the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Julien Brouillette scored the game-winning goal, his first AHL tally, early in the third period for the Wolf Pack, who also got goals from Chris McKelvie and Derek Couture. Corey Locke had two assists for the Wolf Pack, and Chad Johnson got the win in goal with 23 saves.

Worcester goals were scored by Mike Moore and Danny Groulx, a pair of defensemen, and Frank Doyle stopped 16 shots in the Shark cage.

A scoreless, tightly-played first period produced a total of only nine shots, six of them by the Sharks. The Wolf Pack had the best scoring chance, though, a play on which Dane Byers worked a give-and-go with Kris Newbury, with Newbury deflecting Byers' cross-slot feed wide of the net from the left-wing side of the crease.

Hartford finally opened the scoring at 9:25 of the second period, with McKelvie scoring his first pro point in his fourth game since joining the Wolf Pack out of Bemidji State University.

The Wolf Pack's Ryan Garlock impeded Doyle's attempt to clear the puck from behind his net, and Doyle missed on the puck. That allowed McKelvie to sneak in from behind Doyle, grab the puck and stuff it into the net from the left-wing side.

The Wolf Pack upped their lead to 2-0 at 14:52, on Couture's 11th goal of the season. Couture drove the middle and deflected a Brodie Dupont pass over Doyle and into the top of the net.

Worcester got on the scoreboard, though, with 2:53 remaining in the period, as Moore worked his way deep in the zone and put a backhand shot past Johnson on the glove side.

The Wolf answered that late-second period goal with Brouillette's eventual game-winner 2:52 into the third.

Locke won a faceoff to Doyle's left and drew the puck back to the point to Brouillette, whose low shot eluded Doyle on the stick side.

Locke's two assists in the game raised his season point total to a pro career-high 82 (29 goals and 53 assists).

Groulx closed the gap back to one goal with a shorthanded score at 6:10 of the third, but nothing else would get by Johnson after that.

The Wolf Pack finish off their home schedule Saturday night at 7:00, taking on the Springfield Falcons on "Fan Appreciation Night" at the XL Center.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 9, 2010


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