PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK VISIT ISLANDERS FOR ROUND TWO OF THE ‘BATTLE OF CONNECTICUT’
Nov 5, 2022
BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack will look to shake off a loss last night and earn a split in their weekend back-to-back when they visit the Bridgeport Islanders this evening at Total Mortgage Arena.
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 Islanders this season, and the second of six in Southern Connecticut. The sides will meet again once more in November, with the Pack returning to Bridgeport on November 23rd. The Islanders will make their first trip to Hartford on December 23rd. Four of the first five meetings in the series will take place at Total Mortgage Arena, with the final meeting in 2022 coming on December 27th in Bridgeport.
The Islanders took round one of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’ back on October 23rd, securing a 5-2 victory. Kyle MacLean opened the scoring 61 seconds into the second period, scoring a shorthanded goal to break the ice for the Islanders. Will Cuylle would tie the game at 10:35 of the second with his second goal of the season, but Andy Andreoff’s powerplay goal at 14:18 would give the Islanders a 2-1 advantage heading into the final stanza.
Lauri Pajuniemi would tie the affair with his second goal of the season 13:41 into the third with a hard shot from the circle, but the Islanders would take over from there. Paul Thompson slapped home a one-timer at 14:29 to put the Islanders back ahead, while Hudson Fasching and Cole Bardreau would tack on insurance markers at the 16:16 and 17:33 marks.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack dropped a 5-1 decision to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night, snapping a brief two-game winning streak. The T-Birds exploded for three goals in a span of 5:01 early in the contest, building a lead the Wolf Pack could not cut into.
Matthew Kessel opened the scoring with his first career regular season goal 11:34 into the contest, while Will Bitten would extend the lead with the eventual winner at 15:58. Bitten’s goal was his league-leading third shorthanded tally of the season, and the second surrendered by the Wolf Pack in 2022-23. 37 seconds later, Josh Leivo would make it a 3-0 game in his Thunderbirds debut.
Leivo extended the Thunderbirds lead to 4-0 just 44 seconds into the middle stanza, snapping home a shot on a two-on-one. Turner Elson got the Wolf Pack on the board at 8:34 of the third period, but Leivo would complete the hat-trick at 17:59 with an empty net goal.
Elson and Jonny Brodzinski lead the Wolf Pack in scoring with six points each through seven games. Both have scored two goals and tacked on four assists. Pajuniemi, meanwhile, leads the club in goals with three.
Islanders Outlook:
The Islanders had last night off after scoring a 4-3 shootout victory on Tuesday morning over the Charlotte Checkers. Vincent Sevigny broke the ice with his first professional goal just 6:10 into the hockey game, but John Ludvig and Zac Dalpe would both light the lamp to give the Checkers a 2-1 lead at the intermission.
Aatu Raty would even the affair 2:11 into the middle period, but Ethan Keppen would retaliate at 6:51 to again push the Checkers ahead. Andreoff scored the final goal of regulation at 18:09 of the second period, again striking on the powerplay for his fifth goal of the season.
After overtime solved nothing, the sides were forced to go to the shootout. There, William Dufour would score the only goal while Cory Schneider denied all three Checkers shooters to cement the 4-3 victory.
Andreoff (5 g, 6 a) and rookie Ruslan Iskhakov (4 g, 7 a) lead the Islanders in scoring with eleven points each. Andreoff’s five goals also lead the club, while Iskhakov’s four are second. Fasching, Dufour, and Simon Holmstrom all have three goals on the season.
Schneider leads the way in goal with a perfect 5-0-0 record and a .913 save percentage.
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! To access Alex’s call on AHLTV, select the ‘away audio’ button after selecting tonight’s game.
The Wolf Pack will return to the XL Center on Wednesday, November 9th, for a rematch with the Thunderbirds. Don’t want to miss a second of the ‘I-91 rivalry’ or the ‘Battle of Connecticut’ this season? Check out the new ‘Rivalry Packs’, which features five of the six games between the foes at the XL Center this season! Single-game tickets for Wednesday night’s game are also 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.