The Hartford Wolf Pack returned home for the first time this season in a busy weekend where they finished 2-1-0. The Wolf Pack started things off with back-to-back high-scoring wins at home before the offense was held scoreless in the weekend, finally in Bridgeport.
The weekend kicked off with a barn burner in Hartford as the Springfield Thunderbirds headed south for the first installment of the Battle of I-91 this season.
Springfield got the scoring going early, just over two minutes into the first period, with forward Nikita Alexandrov taking the puck into the Hartford zone on two on one and snapping it past the outstretched glove of goaltender Louis Domingue. A hush fell over the crowd after Hartford had all the momentum early on before Springfield took the lead. The lively Wolf Pack crowd would return just minutes later as forward Brennan Othmann tallied his first goal of the season to even the score at one apiece. Othmann had plenty to say about the fans reaction to the first goal at home for the Pack after the game.
“I mean, the building just gets so loud every time we score, and every time we touch the ice, it’s amazing”, said Othmann.
Othman and the team gave their fans plenty more to cheer for as the game went on as they’d finish the first period ahead 4-2 with another goal from Othmann and two more from forward Jaroslav Chmelar, playing in just his first full pro season after joining late last season from college.
“I think the last year helped me a lot to see like, where I can get better at (and) what the level is in the AHL”, said Chmelar.
The Wolf Pack would continue the scoring early on in the second as defenseman Brandon Scanlin found himself in front of a shot that he was able to deflect past Springfield goaltender Vadim Zerenko. Springfield would make things close in the second with forward Dylan Petersen’s first and second goals of the season to cut the lead back to 5-4. Hartford would hold off Springfield as each side tacked on another goal to make it a 6-5 final.
From one rivalry to the next, the Wolf Pack hosted the Bridgeport Islanders for game two of the weekend in yet another high-scoring contest. This time, Hartford struck first deep into the first period, with Benoit-Olivier Groulx potting his first goal of the season. Bridgeport would respond however, in less than a minute as forward Fredrik Karlström beat Dylan Garand to pot his first goal of the season.
Bridgeport scored again midway through the second to take a 2-1 lead before Groulx tallied his second goal of the game, and forward Brett Berard scored his first at home to give the lead back to the Wolf Pack.
Hartford held a narrow 4-3 lead late in the third period and was looking to close things out before a quick 3 on 2 rush for the Islanders gave Fredrik Karlström a wide-open shot from the slot, which he buried under the glove of Dylan Garand to force overtime.
Overtime would not last long as a late third period boarding penalty by Bridgeport forward Marc Gatcomb gave Hartford a powerplay to start the overtime. As the Wolf Pack set up on the powerplay just over a minute into overtime, defenseman Casey Fitzgerald slid the puck across to Berard at the point, who hammered it into the back of the net to help Hartford win back-to-back games at home.
“I think it says a lot about the core of the team and what’s kinda inside them”, said first-year Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny when discussing his team’s ability to fight and stay in close games.
After two thrilling home wins where Hartford scored 11 goals, the offense fell flat at the weekend finale in Bridgeport. The Islanders got their revenge on the Wolf Pack, stunning them with three goals in under six minutes in the second period. After a weekend where the special teams thrived for Hartford, they went 0/4 on the powerplay and were held to six shots in the third period, while Bridgeport had 12 shots and another goal to pour on top of a wide lead.
The Wolf Pack could not muster any late-game magic as they did the night prior and dropped the game by a final score of 4-0. Hartford now sits at 2-2 on the season, undefeated at home, and still chasing that first win on the road. Fortunately for the Wolf Pack, they will play three straight games at home and will not go back on the road until next month. It will be an interesting test for Hartford to see whether or not they can stay hot at home, and if they can carry that momentum with them into the next month.
