PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK AND THUNDERBIRDS SET TO RENEW ‘I-91 RIVALRY’ IN SPRINGFIELD
Feb 22, 2023
SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue their five-game road trip tonight as they make the short trek north to Massachusetts for a mid-week battle against the rival Springfield Thunderbirds.
Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the sixth of twelve meetings this season between the Wolf Pack and the Thunderbirds. It is the third of six visits to the MassMutual Center for the Wolf Pack, and the first since December 28th. The sides will next meet on March 3rd back in Springfield. That will be the first of five meetings in March between the rivals. They’ll meet in Springfield on March 8th, then play at the XL Center in Hartford on March 17th, 24th, and 25th. The season series will come to a close on April 15th in Springfield.
The Thunderbirds claimed a 2-1 victory in the last meeting between the rivals on New Year’s Eve. Will Bitten broke the ice 11:19 into the hockey game, snapping his tenth goal of the season by Louis Domingue. Matthew Robertson responded with his third goal of the campaign just 8:07 into the middle stanza, evening the affair.
The Wolf Pack outshot the Thunderbirds 8-4 in the final twenty minutes, but Joel Hofer slammed the door shut to preserve a point for the visitors. After a thrilling three-on-three overtime, the sides headed to the shootout for the second time in the season series.
This time, the Thunderbirds would prevail as Jake Neighbours scored the lone goal of the skills competition. Hofer, meanwhile, denied all three Hartford shooters.
The Thunderbirds hold a record of 4-0-0-1 through the first five meetings this season. The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, are just 1-3-0-1. The Thunderbirds have won both meetings in Springfield, outscoring the Wolf Pack by a 12-5 margin.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack rattled off their second straight comeback victory on Sunday evening, stunning the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by a final score of 6-4. Trailing 3-1 after forty minutes, the Pack struck five times in the final frame to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Will Cuylle struck 7:16 into the period on the powerplay to make it a 3-2 game, but Garrett Wilson would complete the hat-trick for the Phantoms just 2:08 later, making it a 4-2 affair.
Gustav Rydahl scored a hat-trick of his own, making it a 4-3 game at 12:50 and then tying the affair via a one-timer from the top of the crease at 15:32. Libor Hájek broke the tie at 18:00, while Turner Elson hit the empty net at 19:25 to cement the comeback victory.
Hájek’s goal came after a scrum in front of the net, as Elson pushed the puck into the slot for the defenseman to fire home his first AHL goal since March 1st, 2020.
After not winning a game all season when trailing by two goals or more in the third period, Hartford did it twice in less than 24 hours over the weekend. The Pack also defeated the Providence Bruins by a score of 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night after trailing 2-0 in final frame.
Tanner Fritz leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with 30 points (4 g, 26 a) on the season. Fritz’s 26 assists also lead the club in that category. He registered three assists in the third period of Sunday’s win.
Cuylle, meanwhile, leads the club in goals with 16. Forward Bobby Trivigno has multiple points in back-to-back games. After scoring a goal and an assist on Saturday, Trivigno had two helpers in the third period on Sunday. The Wolf Pack are 6-0-0-0 when he scores two or more points in a game.
Thunderbirds Outlook:
The Thunderbirds also concluded their three-in-three weekend on a positive note with a victory on Sunday. The T-Birds edged the Bruins 3-2 in Rhode Island.
Georgii Merkulov gave the Bruins a lead 17:23 into the hockey game, but the T-Birds scored twice in the middle frame to take a lead of their own. Former Bruin Brady Lyle tied the affair 5:43 into the second with a powerplay goal, then Mitchell Hoelscher put the T-Birds ahead with his sixth goal of the season at the 8:43 mark. Justin Brazeau responded for the home side, however, striking at 18:36 to send the game to the third period deadlocked at two.
That’s where Hoelscher would strike for the second time, popping home the game-winning goal at 5:34. The win earned the Thunderbirds a 1-1-1-0 record on the weekend.
Matthew Highmore leads the Thunderbirds in points with 46 (12 g, 34 a) on the season. He is currently with the parent St. Louis Blues (NHL) after being recalled late last week. Martin Frk leads active skaters with 44 points (19 g, 25 a). Forward Adam Gaudette, acquired via trade on Friday from Toronto, leads the club in goals with 20.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV
LISTEN: Mixlr
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr. To hear Alex’s call of the game, click the ‘away audio’ button when selecting tonight’s game.
The Wolf Pack continue their road trip on Saturday night when they make their lone visit of the season to Syracuse to take on the Crunch. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Sunday, March 5th, when they welcome the Charlotte Checkers to town for a 3:00 p.m. puck drop. Join us on ‘Youth Jersey Giveaway Day’ and be sure to stick around postgame for autographs with Wolf Pack players. Tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.