PRE-GAME REPORT: ROAD TRIP CONTINUES AS WOLF PACK VISIT CHECKERS
Jan 10, 2023
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Hartford Wolf Pack’s four-game road trip continues tonight at the Bojangles’ Coliseum as the club pays a visit to the Charlotte Checkers.
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 sixth of eight meetings between the Wolf Pack and Checkers this season, and the third of four in the Tar Heel State. The sides will meet again in Charlotte tomorrow night, then wrap the season series up on March 5th at the XL Center.
The Checkers took a 3-2 shootout decision in the most recent meeting, November 16th at the XL Center. Alex Whelan put the Pack ahead 13:50 into the contest, scoring his second goal of the season. Riley Nash, however, would respond less than a minute later at 14:38 to even the affair.
Matt Rempe poked home his first career AHL goal 17:17 into the middle stanza, giving the Wolf Pack a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame. The Checkers again drew even, however, as Lucas Carlsson blasted home his first goal of the campaign 2:34 in.
After an overtime that failed to produce a winner, the sides went to the shootout. Anton Levtchi and Tim Gettinger traded goals in the bottom half of the second round and the top half of the third round, setting up Chris Tierney for a chance to end the game. Tierney did just that, potting the shootout winner for the Checkers.
Charlotte holds a record of 4-0-1-0 in the first five meetings this season, while the Wolf Pack are 1-1-1-2. Four of the first five meetings this season have required overtime or a shootout. The lone regulation decision was a 3-1 Charlotte victory on October 15th.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack dropped their fourth straight game on Saturday night, 4-3 in overtime to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Wolf Pack built a 3-0 lead in the contest, getting goals from Brandon Scanlin and Will Cuylle in the opening frame, then Zac Jones in the second period. Jonathan Gruden would bring the Penguins within two late in the season period, then draw them within one early in the third.
Corey Andonovski jumped on a rebound and tied the contest 8:40 into the third period, forcing an unlikely overtime. In that overtime, Alex Nylander scored a highlight reel goal just 84 seconds in to complete the comeback.
The loss was Hartford’s third consecutive overtime or shootout loss (0-0-1-2). The club also dropped a 2-1 decision in the shootout to the Springfield Thunderbirds on New Year’s Eve, and a 3-2 shootout verdict to the Utica Comets on January 6th.
The Wolf Pack are looking for their first-ever regulation victory in Charlotte. The club is 1-16-1-1 all-time in North Carolina. Their lone victory was a 4-3 overtime win on April 10th, 2022. Maxim Letunov scored the overtime winner in that game.
Turner Elson leads the Wolf Pack in points with 19 (6 g, 13 a) in his first season with the club. Cuylle and Ryan Carpenter, meanwhile, are tied for the team’s lead in goals with nine each.
Checkers Outlook:
The Checkers won their second straight game on Saturday night, knocking off the Hershey Bears by a final score of 3-1. Aleksi Heponiemi scored three points (1 g, 2 a) on the night, including the game’s first goal 12:57 into the contest. Hendrix Lapierre tied the contest 17:30 in, but Alex Lyon would shut the door from there.
After a scoreless second period, Cameron Morrison would put the Checkers ahead for good 14:16 into the third period. Nash would then cement the two points with an empty-net goal at 18:05.
The Checkers will be without forwards Givani Smith and Tierney tonight. Both were recalled to the NHL’s Florida Panthers within the last week.
The Checkers hold a record of 20-3-2-0 against the Wolf Pack in the last five seasons. They also hold a point streak of 13 games against the Wolf Pack, dating back to January 10th, 2020.
Nash leads the Checkers in scoring with 27 points (12 g, 15 a) in 29 games this season. His 12 goals are also tops on the club. Zac Dalpe, currently on recall with the Panthers, is the only other Checker to hit double-digits in goals this season. He has ten.
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 listen to Alex’s call, click the ‘away audio’ button when selecting tonight’s contest.
The Wolf Pack’s road trip concludes tomorrow night when they finish this back-to-back set in Charlotte against the Checkers. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. The Pack is back at the XL Center on Saturday, January 14th, when they host the Providence Bruins at 7:00 p.m. 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.