PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK SET TO BATTLE BEARS AT XL CENTER
Jan 19, 2024
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack kick off a back-to-back weekend tonight at the XL Center in downtown Hartford as the Hershey Bears come marching into town.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the second of four meetings between the Wolf Pack and Bears this season. It is the first of just two meetings at the XL Center. The sides will not meet again until March 17th in Hershey. The season series then wraps up at the XL Center on March 30th.
The Wolf Pack took the first meeting of this season series back on January 6th, winning 5-3 at the Giant Center. Jimmy Huntington and Henrik Rybinski lit the lamp 39 seconds apart early in the second period, giving the Bears a 3-1 lead by the 2:16 mark. The Wolf Pack stormed back, however, tying the game with two goals late in the middle frame. Matthew Robertson made it a 3-2 affair at 12:33, snapping a shot from the left-wing circle. Connor Mackey then tied the game 16:57 in, firing home a shot from the right-wing side.
Just 23 seconds into the third period, Brett Berard’s shot from the right-wing circle gave the Wolf Pack a lead they never lost. Jake Leschyshyn cemented the victory at 18:17, hitting an empty net for his second goal of the night.
The victory was Hartford’s third in a row at the time and snapped a six-game head-to-head losing streak against the Bears including the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Tonight is the Bears’ first visit to the XL Center since they swept the Wolf Pack in the Atlantic Division Final on May 17th.
The Bears took two of three visits to the XL Center a season ago, claiming five of a possible six points (2-0-1-0) in the regular season before winning their lone playoff visit.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack collected their second victory this season when trailing after two periods of play on Saturday night, defeating the Providence Bruins 3-2 in overtime at the XL Center.
Jayson Megna opened the scoring 15:43 in, notching a powerplay goal that gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes of play. Karl Henriksson tied the game with a powerplay goal of his own at 10:44, firing a shot from the left-wing circle for his sixth goal of the season. Just 28 seconds later, however, Alec Regula walked into the slot and snapped his third goal of the season by Dylan Garand.
For the second time this season, and the first time since November 22nd, the Wolf Pack took a deficit at the second intermission and flipped it into a victory. Mac Hollowell fired a blistering shot home at 10:42, tying the contest with his second goal of the season and first since November 4th. The goal forced overtime, where the Pack completed their comeback.
Brandon Scanlin located a loose puck at the side of the net and jammed home his first career game-winning goal at the 1:44 mark. The goal gives Scanlin the first three-game goal-scoring streak of his professional career.
Alex Belzile and Jonny Brodzinski, on recall with the parent New York Rangers (NHL), are tied for the team lead with eleven goals each. Belzile (11 g, 17 a) and Hollowell (2 g, 26 a) are tied for the team lead in points with 28. Hollowell leads the club in assists with 26.
Bears Outlook:
The Bears suffered a 2-1 shootout defeat on Monday afternoon at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport against the Bridgeport Islanders. After 40 scoreless minutes, it was the Islanders who opened the scoring when Ruslan Iskhakov netted his 13th goal of the season 7:11 into the final stanza.
Late in regulation time, the Bears finally broke through when Chase Priskie fired his third goal of the season by Henrik Tikkanen at 16:24. After overtime solved nothing, the sides headed to a shootout. Each of the first four shooters scored, sending the sides to the third round tied 2-2. After the next four shooters were shut down, Matthew Maggio put the Islanders ahead in the fifth round.
Ethen Frank was denied by Tikkanen in that same fifth round to give the Isles the victory. The loss dropped the Bears to 4-0-0-1 against the Isles this season.
Pierrick Dubé leads the Bears in goals with a career-high 19 in his first season with the club. Mike Sgarbossa, meanwhile, leads the club in both assists with 28 and points with 35 (7 g, 28 a).
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 Wolf Pack hit the road for four games starting tomorrow night when the ‘Battle of Connecticut’ takes the stage in Bridgeport. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Pack is next back at the XL Center on Wednesday, January 31st when they welcome the Charlotte Checkers to town for the first time this season. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and 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.