Byers Lifts Wolf Pack in Overtime

Dane Byers scored 1:22 into overtime Friday night at the XL Center, to give the Wolf Pack a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over the Portland Pirates.

Byers received a pass from Mathieu Dandenault and then beat Portland goaltender J.P. Lamoureux to his right side to give the Wolf Pack the win, snapping the Pirates’ three-game winning streak.

Hartford’s Andres Ambühl had forced overtime for the Wolf Pack, placing a perfect slap-shot high into the net from the right circle to tie the score at three with just 13 seconds remaining in the third period. That was after Portland had scored three goals in the period to take the lead.

“We battled back and regrouped,” said Byers, who recorded his fifth goal of the season with the game-winner.

The Wolf Pack had taken an early lead at 3:37 of the first period, when Corey Potter took a loose puck and carried it to the right circle before sending a shot past Lamoureux (23 saves) for the 1-0 advantage.

Portland then received a four minute power-play at 7:10, as Hartford’s Justin Soryal was tagged with two minors on roughing and high-sticking calls. Dale Weise, however, scored his third goal in his last two games, and his eighth of the season, by beating Lamoureux with the Wolf Pack’s league-lead-tying seventh shorthanded tally.

Weise intercepted a pass in the Wolf Pack zone from the Pirates’ Nathan Gerbe, and then skated down the left wing and snapped a shot above Lamoureux’s left shoulder, extending Hartford’s lead to 2-0.

The Pirates had several chances in the first, with two of their best opportunities ended up ringing off the post, including a shot by TJ Brennan at 5:25.

Portland carried the play in the second period, holding the Wolf Pack to one shot in the frame, which tied a Pack franchise low. Despite being outshot 10-1, though, the Wolf Pack managed to keep the Pirates off the scoreboard in the second, with goaltender Chad Johnson (26 saves) making several quality saves to maintain the 2-0 edge.

Johnson made a stop on an in-close opportunity from Paul Byron at 12:43, and later made an excellent glove save on Mark Mancari at 18:25 during a Pirates power-play.

The Pirates finally solved Johnson at 1:54 of the third period, as Felix Schutz scored on a feed from Jeff Cowan to cut the Hartford lead in half.

Just over two minutes later, Tyler Ennis tied the game at two for the Pirates when he beat Johnson to his left after taking a pass from Mike Kostka at 3:58.

Portland completed their third period rally at 8:39, as Mancari skated in back of the Wolf Pack net and passed to Gerbe, who one-timed a shot from the slot for a 3-2 Pirate lead.

After being frustrated several times on sprawling saves by Lamoureux in a wild third, the Wolf Pack finally hit the back of the net when Ilkka Heikkinen managed to find an open Ambühl, who enabled Byers’ overtime heroics with his second goal of the season.

“To pull out a win in overtime tonight, hopefully it carries over into tomorrow’s game,” said Byers.

The Wolf Pack will be back in action Saturday night, as they host their arch-rivals, the Providence Bruins, at the XL Center (7:00), before finishing the weekend on the road Sunday versus the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (3:00).

Friday’s win moved the Wolf Pack (13-8-0-1) into a tie for second place in the AHL’S Atlantic Division with the Lowell Devils, with both teams ending play Friday with 27 standings points.

Portland Pirates 3 At Hartford Wolf Pack 4 (OT)
Nov 27, 2009 - XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Portland 0 0 3 0 - 3
Hartford 2 0 1 1 - 4

1st Period-1, Hartford, Potter 2 3:37. 2, Hartford, Weise 8 7:51 (sh). Penalties-Soryal Hfd (roughing, high-sticking), 7:10; Generous Por (holding), 13:28.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Soryal Hfd (boarding), 3:16; Sauer Hfd (roughing), 17:53.

3rd Period-3, Portland, Schutz 2 (Cowan, Generous), 1:54. 4, Portland, Ennis 8 (Kostka), 3:58. 5, Portland, Gerbe 5 (Mancari), 8:39. 6, Hartford, Ambuhl 2 (Williams, Heikkinen), 19:47. Penalties-Brennan Por (interference), 12:03.

OT Period-7, Hartford, Byers 5 (Dandenault), 1:22. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Portland 8-10-9-2-29. Hartford 8-1-16-2-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 0 of 4; Hartford 0 of 2.
Goalies-Portland, Lamoureux 5-5-0 (27 shots-23 saves). Hartford, Johnson 10-5-1 (29 shots-26 saves).
A-3,589
Referees-Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Luke Galvin (2).