PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK LOOK TO GET BACK ON TRACK AS RIVAL THUNDERBIRDS COME TO TOWN
Nov 9, 2022
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack return home to the XL Center to open their first three game in four night stretch of the season. Tonight, the I-91 Rivalry continues as the Springfield Thunderbirds come to town for the first Wednesday night game of the season.
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 of twelve meetings between the Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds this season, and the first of six at the XL Center between the I-91 rivals. The Thunderbirds will return to Hartford for the next installment of this rivalry on Thursday, December 22nd. Six days later, on December 28th, the Wolf Pack and T-Birds will meet for the fourth time this season at the MassMutual Center. The final eight meetings will take place in 2023.
Springfield took a 5-1 decision in the first meeting this season last Friday night at the MassMutual Center. Matthew Kessel opened the scoring with his first regular-season professional goal 11:34 into the contest, giving the T-Birds a lead they would not lose. Will Bitten and Josh Leivo would tack on goals at 15:58 and 16:35 of the first period to give the Thunderbirds a commanding 3-0 lead. Leivo would make it 4-0 just 44 seconds into the middle stanza, before Turner Elson scored the Wolf Pack’s lone goal at 8:34 of the third period. Leivo would complete the hat-trick at 17:59 of the third, finishing the scoring on the night.
The Wolf Pack have a record of 5-7-1-0 against the Thunderbirds in their last 13 meetings, dating back to the start of last season.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack suffered their second straight loss on Saturday night, falling 5-3 to the Bridgeport Islanders at Total Mortgage Arena. Samuel Bolduc opened the scoring for the Isles with the game’s only first period goal, but C.J. Smith would tie the affair 1:00 into the second.
Arnaud Durandeau broke the tie at 2:46 of the middle frame, however, giving the Isles a lead they would not lose. Durandeau and Andy Andreoff extended the lead with goals 3:06 apart, coming at the 10:00 and 13:06 marks of the third period. The Wolf Pack wouldn’t relent, cutting the deficit to one late in the game. Both Tim Gettinger and Gustav Rydahl would score 33 seconds apart to make it a 4-3 contest, but it wouldn’t be enough. William Dufour hit the empty net at 19:41 to cement the victory for the home side.
Elson leads the Wolf Pack with seven points (2 g, 5 a) through eight games. Jonny Brodzinski (2 g, 4 a) and Andy Welinski (1 g, 5 a) are tied for second in scoring with six points each. Smith and Lauri Pajuniemi both have three goals on the season, tied for the team lead.
Thunderbirds Outlook:
The Thunderbirds saw their six-game point streak come to an end on Saturday night at the hands of the Providence Bruins, falling by a score of 3-2 at the MassMutual Center. Fabian Lysell opened the scoring 1:44 into the contest, but Mathias Laferriere and Matthew Highmore scored 59 seconds apart at 18:00 and 18:59 to give the T-Birds a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. Luke Toporowski would tie the game 3:00 into the second, while Joey Abate scored his first professional goal at 16:00 to give the Bruins the lead for good. Brandon Bussi made nine third period saves to cement the victory for Providence.
Highmore leads the T-Birds in scoring with 12 points (3 g, 9 a), while Nathan Todd is second in scoring with ten points (7 g, 3 a). Todd’s seven goals lead the team, while Bitten leads the AHL in shorthanded goals with three on the season. The Thunderbirds as a team lead the AHL in shorthanded goals with four on the season.
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. tonight on both AHLTV and Mixlr. Be sure to tune in all season long for Hartford Wolf Pack hockey!
The Wolf Pack will travel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday night to take on the Penguins before returning home to Hartford on Saturday night. Be sure to join us this Saturday, November 12th, as the Wolf Pack host the Charlotte Checkers on ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ night at the XL Center. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m., with tickets 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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play 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.