PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK OPEN HOME-AND-HOME SET WITH CRUNCH
Nov 17, 2023
SYRACUSE, NY – The Hartford Wolf Pack return to action tonight with a rare home-and-home set with a North Division opponent. Tonight, the Wolf Pack pays a visit to the Syracuse Crunch with an eye toward their second straight victory.
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 first of just two meetings between the foes this season, and the lone visit to Syracuse for the Wolf Pack. The sides will both pack the bus and head for Hartford postgame, concluding their season series tomorrow night at the XL Center at 7:00 p.m.
The Wolf Pack and Crunch split a pair of games during the 2022-23 season, with the road team taking the two points on both occasions. The Crunch opened the season series with a 7-3 victory in Hartford on January 28th, but the Pack got their revenge a month later.
Ryan Carpenter got the Wolf Pack on the board just 1:16 into their last visit to Syracuse on February 25th. Just over a minute later, however, at 2:49, Gabriel Dumont would tie the affair 1-1. Jonny Brodzinski struck at 11:11 on the powerplay, firing home the eventual game-winning goal in a 4-1 triumph for Hartford.
Brodzinski would add a shorthanded goal 14:57 into the middle frame, while Will Cuylle finished the scoring at 18:34 of the third. Louis Domingue made 37 saves to collect the victory.
The win was Hartford’s first regulation decision over the Crunch since December 21st, 2016.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack snapped a two-game losing streak on Wednesday morning, knocking off the Springfield Thunderbirds by a final score of 5-1.
The Pack wasted no time getting the scoring going, as Brodzinski smacked home his eighth goal of the season 5:05 into the game on the powerplay. Just over five minutes later, at 10:59, Brodzinski sent a centering pass into the slot for Alex Belzile, who fired home his fourth goal of the season to make it a 2-0 game. The goal was Belzile’s third in as many games against the T-Birds and would stand as the game-winning goal.
Adam Sýkora was up next on the docket, as he fired a shot over the glove of Vadim Zherenko for his first AHL goal at 18:53. Nikolas Brouillard stuffed home a rebound 12:58 into the second period while Adam Edström tipped home his fourth goal of the season at 5:44 of the third period.
Mathias Laferriere had the lone tally for the Thunderbirds, while Domingue made 23 saves to pick up his fourth win of the season.
Brodzinski leads the club in both goals with eight and points with 14 (8 g, 6 a). His 14 points are tied for ninth in the AHL. Mac Hollowell, meanwhile, leads the club in assists with nine on the season.
On Thursday, the Wolf Pack inked defenseman Grant Gabriele to a professional tryout agreement (PTO).
Crunch Outlook:
The Crunch won their second straight game on Tuesday morning, spoiling the ‘School Day Game’ party in Bridgeport with a 5-4 victory over the Islanders.
Like the Wolf Pack, the Crunch jumped out to a 4-0 lead midway through the hockey game. Maxim Groshev struck at 11:20 and 16:58 of the opening frame, while Dumont added his third goal of the season at 19:55 to give the Crunch a 3-0 edge after one.
Joe Carroll made it a 4-0 game at 10:41 of the second period before Jeff Kubiak got the Islanders on the board with his first goal of the season at 15:19.
The Islanders made a push in the final frame, eventually making it a 4-3 game. Samuel Asselin scored his fourth goal of the season at 2:23 of the period, then Brian Pinho checked in with his second of the season at 15:27. The comeback would not be completed, however, as Groshev finished his hat-trick into an empty net at 18:14. Cole Bardreau struck late to make things intriguing, but it would not be enough.
Groshev leads the Crunch in goals with seven this season and is tied for second in the league in goals amongst rookies. Felix Robert leads the team in points with 13 (6 g, 7 a) through twelve games played.
On Wednesday, the parent Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) assigned defenseman Phil Myers to the Crunch. They had previously recalled defenseman Haydn Fleury from a conditioning stint with the Crunch on Tuesday evening.
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.
The Pack and the Crunch finish their home-and-home set at the XL Center tomorrow night. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Saturday night is also the first postgame skate with players this season and is the Wolf Pack’s annual ‘Military Appreciation Night’. For tickets and more information, visit 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.