WOLF PACK SCORE SEASON-HIGH SEVEN GOALS IN WIN OVER ISLANDERS
Nov 5, 2021
HARTFORD, CT – The offensive explosion continued for the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday night. The club scored a season-high seven goals, defeating the rival Bridgeport Islanders by a final score of 7-4 at the XL Center. The win moved Hartford to 4-1-0-0 on home ice this season.
Tim Gettinger pushed his point streak to five games 7:47 into the third period, scoring the eventual winning goal. Gettinger powered his way into the offensive zone, pushed back Bridgeport defenseman Mitchell Vande Sompel, and perfectly placed a backhand shot over goalie Cory Schneider to make it a 5-3 game at the time.
For just the second time this season, Hartford struck first. Tarmo Reunanen fired a shot from the blueline that fooled Islanders’ starter Jakub Skarek. The goal was Reunanen’s first of the season, with P.C. Labrie collecting an assist. The assist gives Labrie a three-game point streak.
The lead lasted just under three minutes, however. On their first powerplay of the night, Andy Andreoff perfectly setup Anatolii Golyshev in the slot. Golyshev snapped his fifth of the season by Keith Kinkaid to tie the affair 1-1, just eight seconds into the powerplay.
The seesaw continued at the 11:18 mark, when Ty Ronning capitalized on an Islander turnover and fired home his second goal of the season. Just 1:07 later, however, Simon Holmstrom fed Blade Jenkins on a two-on-one, and Jenkins cleanly scored his second goal of the campaign.
Finally, Hartford was able to wrestle the lead away for good. Alex Whelan powered through the neutral zone, forced a defenseman back and one-handed the puck by Skarek for his first goal of the season. Just over five minutes later, at 19:08, Ronning capitalized on another turnover and scored his second of the evening to give Hartford a 4-2 lead at the intermission.
Bridgeport drew back within a goal 87 seconds into the middle frame. Vande Sompel’s shot clipped Kinkaid and bounced right to Richard Panik. The veteran found the loose puck and tapped it home for his second of the year. The goal pushed the Islanders to two-for-two on the powerplay, a mark they would finish with.
Hartford would regain its two-goal lead 7:47 into the third period when Gettinger powered home his third goal of the season. The marker keeps Gettinger red hot, as he now has a five-game point streak.
Jenkins found a loose puck for his second of the game at 10:24, beating Kinkaid after a scramble in front of the Hartford goal to cut the game to 5-4. Hartford would put it away late, however, with a pair of goals.
First, Tanner Fritz saw a puck bounce right to him in the slot and rifled his second in as many games by Schneider. Then, 52 seconds later, Gettinger hit the empty net to cement Hartford’s sixth victory over the season.
The Wolf Pack return to the XL Center tomorrow night when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm at the XL Center. For tickets, please visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com
# # #
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.