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Crawford's Pack Report: The Teeth of the Schedule
Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 4:50 PM
The Wolf Pack really got into the teeth of their schedule this past week, facing their first three-games-in-three-days stretch of the season, and the first of three straight three-in-threes.
And though it started out just fine, the last two-thirds of the weekend ended up disappointing.
Friday's home contest against Worcester, the second consecutive game between the two teams, separated by a break of five days, was a good show from an entertainment standpoint. I had thought the previous Wolf Pack-Sharks battle, a 2-1 Pack win in Worcester the previous Saturday, was more of a grinding, trench-warfare type of game, but there was some good offensive flow to Friday's tilt.
The Pack dominated the opening period, outshooting the Sharks by a margin of 14-6, but German-born Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss, who shone in six games of action against the Wolf Pack last year, was on top of his game again. It took until 16:06 for the Wolf Pack to break through, and that came on Tom Pyatt's first goal as a pro. A premier offensive player in the Ontario Hockey League, Pyatt showed some good instincts on the play, being the first to pick up the puck after Andrew Hutchinson had rung a hard shot flush off the goalpost.
With his first one out of the way, Pyatt struck again at 8:15 of the second, snapping home a puck that deflected to him on a Pack power play. The Pack appeared to be strongly in control at that point, but the Sharks awoke shortly thereafter. Mike Iggulden buried a rebound only 1:47 after Pyatt's goal, and Patrick Traverse connected on a power play at 16:08, and suddenly the game was tied.
The deadlock didn't last long though. Pyatt's line, which teamed him with Lauri Korpikoski and Dane Byers, answered Traverse's goal only 2:01 later. Pyatt, whose feet had been looking quicker with every game even before he found his offensive touch, chased down a dump-in, and Korpikoski worked it in front to Byers. Positioned as he almost always is right on the lip of the opponent's goal crease, Byers had his first shot stopped beautifully by Greiss, but stayed with it and lifted the rebound underneath the crossbar for a 3-2 Pack lead.
Byers had experienced an interesting day even before that goal, having received his first NHL recall that morning from the Rangers. He practiced with New York and then, with the big club satisfied that some of their banged-up players were not going to have to miss any time, returned to the Wolf Pack for the game that night.
That type of yo-yo whirlwind, especially on a game day, would knock many young players far off their stride, but Byers didn't miss a beat. In addition to scoring a goal, he played his usual hardscrabble style, banging plenty of bodies and pressuring the front of the net at every opportunity. Impressive, especially for a 21-year-old only in his second year in the pro ranks.
The third period Friday was an excellent 20 minutes of hockey, and the Sharks made things tough on the Pack again, forging a 3-3 tie with a power-play goal by Tom Cavanagh at 7:11. After seeing a couple of leads slip away the Wolf Pack had to be frustrated, but they refused to get down. The game-deciding play came at 13:43, as Alex Bourret, who I think had been sat out for a few shifts earlier in the game, hooked up with Ivan Baranka on a real nifty play. From the left point, Baranka wound up as if to shoot, but instead flung an aerial pass toward Bourret, who was cutting through the slot. Bourret deflected it perfectly behind Greiss, and the Pack had a lead they would never relinquish.
The final result would not be secure, however, until a couple of excellent Chris Holt saves denied late Worcester chances.
The 4-3 triumph over the Sharks made it three wins in a row for the Wolf Pack, and they had another home game Saturday to try to make it four straight. The opponent, though, was the 7-0-0-2 Toronto Marlies, who were looking for some revenge for one of the only blemishes on their record, a 4-3 shootout loss to the Wolf Pack October 21st in Toronto.
Again the Pack came out with a strong first period, grabbing the game's first lead on a power-play goal by Pierre Parenteau and controlling the territorial play. This time, however, when their opposition started to assert themselves, the Wolf Pack did not have enough answers.
It was tied 1-1 going into the second frame, and Toronto would take its first lead 3:48 into the session, as the Pack defense allowed the Marlies to get to a couple of rebounds that Al Montoya left and Colin Murphy put in the second one. Parenteau bagged his second of the game to tie it again on a five-on-three power play at 8:53, but it took Toronto only two minutes to answer back, on Michel Leveille's second marker of the game.
The Pack trailed by only that one goal going into the third, but the Marlies dominated that third frame, outshooting the Wolf Pack 13-7 and allowing very little pressure on goaltender Scott Clemmensen. Kris Newbury wired a powerful shot past Montoya in a delayed penalty situation at 4:16 to make it a two-goal margin, and the Marlies would get an empty-netter as well. The 5-2 final represented the Wolf Pack's first loss of the year by a margin of more than one goal.
The final game of the busy weekend was up in Manchester on Sunday. The previous time the Wolf Pack had traveled there, October 12th for their second game of the season, they and the Monarchs had played a pretty wide-open affair that saw Manchester post a shootout win by a score of 5-4. Neither team was nearly that yielding this time, however, although the Wolf Pack did manage to register 35 shots on the Monarch net.
All the offense for much of the game came in a span of 2:23 late in the first period. Manchester rookie Teddy Purcell lit the lamp on a power play at 14:28, marking just the second time in 11 games on the season that the Pack hadn't scored first (the other was that October 12th game, in which they fell behind 3-0 before rallying). Greg Moore quickly evened the score at 16:51, on the kind of fleet dash down right wing that we have seen several times out of him already this year. He got by Monarch defender Brian Boyle to the outside and stuck a pretty backhander up under the crossbar.
Unfortunately for the Wolf Pack, that was the only puck that found its way behind Manchester goalie Erik Ersberg. I was surprised that Ersberg, a Swedish import, started ahead of former Wolf Pack Dan Cloutier, who is on a one-way NHL contract and is making a rather healthy salary to play in the AHL, but Ersberg made Head Coach Mark Morris' decision look like a good one. After Boyle deflected a Purcell shot past Holt on a Monarch power play at 14:06 of the third, Ersberg closed the door on some pretty good Pack pressure and the Monarchs upped their record to 2-0 in the season series with the Wolf Pack. A lot of credit for those two wins, also, has to go to Purcell, who is challenging for the league rookie scoring lead largely on the strength of his six points (three goals and three assists) in the two games against the Pack.
Now to some reader inquiries and contributions…
Jim from Peekskill, NY asks, “What's your take on how Tommy Pyatt is doing this early in the season and what, if anything, could he improve upon in his early AHL career? I have read that he keeps himself in excellent shape and always comes prepared to battle at training camp. I also have read that his size has hindered him in the past too. Not having seen him play, is he a good stick-handler, speedy skater, battler?”
Jim, as you have read above, this was a real good week for Tom. In addition to his breakout game on Friday night, he made a nice pass to Pierre Parenteau in Saturday's game, setting up Parenteau's first of two power-play goals in that one.
He's certainly not a big guy. He's listed at 5-11 and 182 pounds, and that might be a little generous. I haven't noticed him getting pushed around out there at all, though, and his foot speed is excellent. I thought that in his first few games he was still getting used to not having as much time to make plays at the AHL level as he did in the OHL, something you see quite a bit with first-year players in this league, but he clearly is making that adjustment. On both of his goals Friday, he jumped quickly into a hole and got his shot away lightning-fast.
His battle level seems fine, and one thing that is particularly impressive about him is the fact that Ken Gernander made it a point to mention that even before Tom was putting up points, he was conscientiously taking care of his defensive responsibilities. More often with young players who were big offensive producers in Junior or college it's the other way around-they're pretty good at generating offense, but you really have to lean on them to get them to learn to play properly away from the puck.
David Durlach of Cheshire, CT asks, “What ever happened to Peter Kalus of the P-Bruins?”
He was traded by Boston to Minnesota this summer for Manny Fernandez, David, and is playing for the Wild's AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros.
Rich from Croton, NY writes, “My question is in regards to Brodie Dupont. I know he had some good years in Junior, but how has he adjusted so far this season with the Wolf Pack? I thought too that he was a center before turning pro, but see him listed at the left-wing position, which seem to be a crowded one for the Wolf Pack. How are things going at your new home for Wolf Pack Confidential?”
Rich, Brodie has, for my money, made a pretty darned smooth adjustment from the WHL to the pro level. So far he has played pretty much a meat-and-potatoes game, going up and down his wing, banging hard and keeping it simple. He put together a three-game point-scoring streak the week before last, and he has definitely moved up in the forward rotation since the beginning of the year, when his ice time was that of a 10th or 11th forward. He doesn't do a lot of fancy stuff offensively, but seems to be a reliable guy who will give you an honest effort every time out. And really, when you look at it, with Nigel Dawes up with the Rangers and showing no signs of coming back, there is some opportunity on the Pack's port side. Brodie has recognized that and taken good advantage of that.
And as for the weekly talk show, Wolf Pack Confidential, having moved downtown to the M&M Restaurant at the Hilton Hartford, it's been a fine fit so far. It's a great central location and a beautiful space, having been recently remodeled. The food is terrific, and a lot of the folks who were with us regularly the past few years have followed us there, so it's been real good that way.
John McGuire from Kings Park, NY asks, “Do you think Hugh Jessiman will ever make the big club in the NHL? I thought he had speed, size and scoring ability coming out of college. Has the ankle injury set him back physically?”
I think the jury is still out on Hugh, John, and I didn't ever see him play before the injury that he suffered his Junior year at Dartmouth, but I get the sense that yes, he still is in the process of working his way back from that.
He still has a ways to go before he is ready to make the jump to the next level, but I certainly wouldn't bet against him. He is a first-class person, and he showed this past summer with the unconventional training methods he was willing to go out and find and stick with, that he is serious about leaving no stone unturned in improving his game.
And we'll give the last word to T.J. Cahill of Hartford, who sends this essay: “Is Dave Liffiton injured? In my opinion, his improvement over the last two years has been outstanding: better positioning, physical presence, improved mobility, moving the puck and playing with more maturity. How come he is not playing?
I think Hugh Jessiman needs to get every Cam Neely tape he can find and put some of what Cam had in his game. A lot more Cam Neely in his game - physical, edgy, driven and relentless would make his game better and more impactful. I know that is a high bar, but he has the size, he has decent hands, and Neely is a role model on how to work the game to your strengths. I would really like to see him get some consistency with physical play and become someone that is very difficult to play against. With that, I think he can do some damage.
Also, why don't the Pack use a pressure penalty kill? Why not force the opposition to make 3-4 tape-to-tape passes to score as opposed to sitting in a passive zone. Clearly the Pack struggle against an aggressive penalty kill - just look at the Toronto tape.
Lastly, I love hockey so I am biased, but I can not understand why the fan support is not better. Perhaps having had an NHL team makes it difficult to appreciate the AHL, but the product is excellent. This is not NHL hockey, but it sure is quality play, passionate, and entertaining. And how much fun is it to watch Girardi, Dawes, Callahan and Dubinsky have success with the parent club.”
Holy smoking keyboard, TJ!
Amen to your last thought…lots of good young energy on that Ranger club, and those young legs all started out playing mega-minutes at the Civic Center. Can't force people to come, but I agree with you, if you're a hockey fan, you're cheating yourself if you don't come down and check out these young guys. It's good skill and good intensity every night.
I don't know if Hugh Jessiman will ever be Cam Neely, but that's certainly a pretty solid role model to take, especially since Hugh has shown a decent aggressive streak throughout the time he has been with the Wolf Pack-hardly an effete Ivy Leaguer tiptoeing his way through an intramural waltz!
When you talk about special teams, are you sure the Toronto game is the one you want to cite? The special teams were one of the few highlights of that game for the Pack. The power play was 2/4 and the penalty kill was 3/3, against a Toronto team that came into the game leading the league in penalty-killing percentage and second overall in power-play efficiency.
And yes, Dave Liffiton has been injured. It's hard to keep a guy that hard-nosed off the ice, so I would bet he'll be back sooner rather than later.
Thanks for the questions and I’ll continue to poke my pen into this space whenever I can cobble together enough material.
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