WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack broke the ice in their season opener on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza, but were unable to hold their lead. The result was a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to fall to 0-1-0-0 on the season.
Trey Fix-Wolansky broke the ice on a new season 10:43 into the hockey game, beating Sergei Murashov from in close. On a delayed penalty, Gabe Perreault took a pass in the left-wing circle and danced his way to the front of the net. There, he dished off the puck to Fix-Wolansky, who worked his way down low and ripped a shot off the back bar and out.
Initially, the play was not called a goal, but after a review, Fix-Wolansky was awarded Hartford’s first tally of the season. It marked his first goal and point as a member of the Wolf Pack, while Perreault picked up his first AHL point in his AHL debut with the primary assist.
Valtteri Puustinen drew the Penguins even 8:32 into the second period, beating Dylan Garand for the Pens' first goal of the new season. Sam Poulin entered the zone on the left-wing side, then found Joona Koppanen behind the net. Koppanen connected with Puustinen in the right-wing circle, where he quickly snapped a shot by Garand to make it 1-1.
The Penguins outshot the Wolf Pack 11-5 in the final frame, peppering Garand in search of the game-winning tally. Owen Pickering found the marker at 3:33, making it 2-1 and giving the home side all the offense t