PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK CONCLUDE HOMESTAND WITH VISIT FROM THUNDERBIRDS
Oct 27, 2023
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack complete their first homestand of the 2023-24 season tonight, while also opening the first three-in-three weekend of the campaign. Tonight, the Wolf Pack hosts the Springfield Thunderbirds in the second edition of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ at the XL Center.
The 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 ten meetings between the Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds this season and the first of five at the XL Center. The sides met on October 14th in Springfield, with the Wolf Pack taking a 3-1 victory in the first installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ for the 2023-24 season.
Alex Belzile opened the scoring at 19:26 of the first period, notching his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack and the team’s first five-on-five goal of the season. Nathan Walker tied the game just 1:34 into the second period, but Dylan Garand was perfect from there to propel the Wolf Pack to victory.
Jonny Brodzinski blasted his first goal of the season by Malcolm Subban at 4:02 of the second period, converting on a five-on-three advantage. Brodzinski would then hit an empty net at 18:43 of the third period to cement the victory.
The Wolf Pack’s penalty kill went six-for-six in the win.
This is the final meeting of October between the rivals, who will meet twice more in November. The Thunderbirds return to Hartford for an 11:00 a.m. puck drop on November 15th, while the Wolf Pack head to the MassMutual Center on November 24th for a post-Thanksgiving matchup.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack improved to 4-0-0-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season last Saturday night thanks to their 5-1 triumph over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Brett Berard opened the scoring 5:59 into the contest, snapping home his second career goal. Belzile would then bury a rebound at 16:45 on the powerplay to give the Wolf Pack a 2-0 lead. The goal would stand as the game-winning tally, Belzile’s first with the club.
Olle Lycksell drew the Phantoms within one at 18:58 of the second period with a powerplay goal, but Garand made 17 saves in the third period to preserve the win. Nikolas Brouillard, Bobby Trivigno, and Brodzinski all tacked on goals in the final stanza, with Brouillard’s being his first with the club.
The win was Hartford’s 1,000th victory in the AHL, making them the ninth franchise in league history to hit that mark.
Brodzinski leads the club in both goals with four and points with six (4 g, 2 a). Mac Hollowell, meanwhile, leads the team in assists with four. He has one assist in each of the team’s first four games of the season.
Thunderbirds Outlook:
The Thunderbirds dropped their third straight game on Sunday afternoon, falling 3-2 to the Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Lycksell’s goal at 9:41 of the third period, on the powerplay, gave the Phantoms a 3-1 lead at the time and stood as the game-winning goal. It was his fourth goal of the weekend against Springfield, and his fifth overall. He notched a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over the Thunderbirds on Friday night at the MassMutual Center. He also scored the aforementioned goal against Hartford on Saturday night.
Elliot Desnoyers and Ronnie Attard also lit the lamp for the home side, while Dylan Coghlan and Adam Gaudette scored for the T-Birds. Subban made 28 saves in the loss.
Gaudette leads the club in both goals with five and points with seven (5 g, 2 a). His seven points are tied for third-most in the AHL, while his five goals are tied for the most with three other skaters.
Defenseman Dylan Coghlan, who was assigned to the T-Birds by the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes on October 13th, was recalled by Carolina on Tuesday afternoon.
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.
Be sure to dress up tonight for Howl-O-Ween! There will be a costume parade on the ice during the first intermission, and the best costume will win a prize! In addition, tonight is the first ‘College Night’ of the 2023-24 season! Are you a college student looking to score some deals this season? Click here to sign up!
It’s Friday, which means $2 beers and $2 hot dogs are BACK until the end of the first intermission!
For more details and for tickets, 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 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.