PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK EYE REVENGE IN LONE VISIT TO SYRACUSE
Feb 25, 2023
SYRACUSE, NY – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue their five-game road trip tonight as they make their lone trip of the season to Syracuse to battle the Crunch.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the second and final meeting between the Wolf Pack and Crunch this season. Following tonight’s tilt, the Wolf Pack will have just three games remaining against the North Division this season. They’ll visit the Rochester Americans on March 10th, and then play two games against the Toronto Marlies.
The Crunch scored a dominant 7-3 victory in the season’s first meeting on January 28th. Ryan Carpenter scored the game’s first goal, giving the Wolf Pack a 1-0 lead 4:27 into the tilt, but it would be short-lived. Former Wolf Pack defenseman Darren Raddysh tied the affair 2:59 later at 7:26, then Jack Finley and Gabriel Fortier struck at 10:25 and 15:05 to give the Crunch the lead for good.
The Crunch would pump home four goals in the middle stanza, cruising to victory. All seven goals were scored at five-on-five, and seven different Crunch lit the lamp. In addition to Raddysh, Finley, and Fortier, the Crunch got goals from Phil Myers, Alex Barre-Boulet, Gabriel Dumont, and Lucas Edmonds.
In addition to Carpenter, Sammy Blais and Jonny Brodzinski scored for Hartford.
The Crunch swept the two-game season set in 2021-22. That includes a 4-2 victory in the only meeting in Syracuse. After the game entered the third period tied 1-1, the Crunch rattled off three unanswered goals to claim victory. Raddysh had the game-winner against his former club.
The Crunch have won seven straight against the Wolf Pack and have points in nine straight meetings (8-0-0-1). Hartford’s last victory was a 4-3 shootout win in Syracuse on February 9th, 2018. Ryan Gropp scored the shootout winner. Hartford’s last regulation win over the Crunch was a 5-4 decision in Syracuse on December 21st, 2016.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack won their third straight game on Wednesday night, beating the Springfield Thunderbirds 5-1 at the MassMutual Center. Matthew Robertson opened the scoring, potting his fourth goal of the season 16:10 into the game to give the Pack a lead they never lost.
Lauri Pajuniemi fired home the game-winner 8:12 into the middle stanza, giving the club a 2-0 lead at the time. The goal was the first of three on the night for Pajuniemi. After Will Bitten struck on the powerplay at 11:10, Pajuniemi responded with a powerplay goal of his own at 13:41, putting the game out of reach.
Will Cuylle deflected his team-leading 16th goal of the season home just 70 seconds into the third period, while Pajuniemi polished off the hat trick at 17:12, hitting the empty net.
Pajuniemi’s hat trick was Hartford’s third this season, the most in a single season for the club since 2007-08 (four). It also marked the second straight game Hartford scored a hat trick after Gustav Rydahl did it on February 19th. It’s the first time since March 30th and 31st, 2007, that the Wolf Pack have scored hat tricks in consecutive games.
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. Cuylle, meanwhile, leads the club in goals with 16.
Crunch Outlook:
The Crunch opened their weekend schedule with a 3-2 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on home ice Friday night. Barre-Boulet opened the scoring 9:53 into the tilt with a powerplay goal, but Alex Nylander found the equalizer on the man advantage just under three minutes later, scoring his 23rd of the season at 12:46.
Rudolfs Balcers popped home his third goal of the season 4:37 into the middle stanza, putting the Crunch ahead for good this time. Edmonds found the insurance marker at 14:20, which would stand as the game-winner. Max Legace made 26 saves for the victory.
Barre-Boulet leads the Crunch in scoring with 62 points (17 g, 45 a) on the season. He ranks third in the AHL and first in the Eastern Conference in scoring, two points behind Tucson’s Michael Carcone for the league lead. His 45 assists are also third in the lead and tops in the East. Simon Ryfors leads the Crunch in goals with 19.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV
LISTEN: Mixlr
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 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 Friday night, March 3rd, when they return to Springfield for another edition of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’.
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.