THE HART BEAT - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 12
Jan 15, 2026HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack are in the midst of a five-game road trip that has the team in Pennsylvania for nearly a week of action. The club arrived in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday morning and will skate this afternoon in preparation for a weekend back-to-back with the Penguins.
The Wolf Pack enter the weekend just one point back of the Springfield Thunderbirds for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 – at Springfield Thunderbirds (4-7 L): After falling behind 2-0 just 10:25 into the game, the Wolf Pack rattled off four unanswered goals and found themselves leading 4-2 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.
A Dillon Dube penalty shot tally 17:05 into the second period flipped the momentum, however. It was the first of five straight tallies for the home side in a 7-4 victory. Matthew Peca tied the game at 19:43, then Alek Kaskimäki gave the Thunderbirds the lead for good just 2:50 into the third.
Kaskimäki’s third period tally came on the power play and was his second of the night. Dylan Peterson and Chris Wagner tacked on insurance markers, putting the game out of reach.
Brennan Othmann paced the Wolf Pack attack in the loss, recording two points (1 g, 1 a). Bryce McConnell-Barker, Brandon Scanlin, and Kalle Väisänen also scored in defeat.
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 – Vs. Providence Bruins (5-1 W): The Wolf Pack responded with a 5-1 victory over the Bruins on home ice on Saturday night.
Adam Sýkora scored the ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ goal just 2:45 into the game, striking shorthanded to give the Wolf Pack a lead they never lost. Brett Berard blasted home a power play goal at 5:06, extending the lead to 2-0. Trey Fix-Wolansky made it 3-0 16:53 into the second, following up his own rebound for his eleventh goal of the season.
Justin Dowling recorded a highlight reel shorthanded marker 8:38 into the third, putting the result out of doubt.
Riley Tufte got the Bruins on the board late with a shorthanded goal, but Jackson Dorrington made it 5-1 at 15:05 when he backhanded home a rebound in close.
The victory snapped a six-game losing streak (0-5-1-0) for the Wolf Pack against the Bruins.
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 – at Bridgeport Islanders (1-5 L): The Wolf Pack carried a 1-0 lead into the third period in the finale of their first three-in-three of the season on Sunday against the Islanders.
Jaroslav Chmelař deflected his fifth goal of the season home 7:28 into the second period. Just 2:33 into the final frame, however, Isaiah George tied the game when he lifted a rebound over the right pad of Dylan Garand.
Less than two minutes later, at 4:16, Hunter Drew potted a power play goal that would stand as the game-winning tally. Eetu Liukas, Liam Foudy, and Sean Day all added insurance markers as the Islanders scored five goals in the final period to pull away.
The five goals allowed in the third period by the Wolf Pack were the most in a single period this season.
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 – at Hershey Bears (3-2 OT W): The Wolf Pack battled back from down 2-0 to grab two points on Wednesday night in Chocolatetown over the Bears.
Dylan Roobroeck made it a 2-1 game 11:54 into the second period, sniping home his eighth goal of the season. Less than three minutes later, at 14:16, Berard cut to the right-wing side and ripped home his fourth goal of the season to tie the game 2-2.
In overtime, Derrick Pouliot fed Fix-Wolansky, who entered into the offensive zone with possession. Fix-Wolansky then fed Berard on the left-wing side, where he took possession and worked his way into the right-wing circle. Berard flipped a backhander on goal that snuck through Stevenson at 3:00 to give the Wolf Pack the extra point.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 (7:05 p.m.)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 (6:05 p.m.) – at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins: The Wolf Pack and Penguins conclude their season series with two games this weekend at Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
The Penguins have won three of the first four meetings, posting a 3-1-0-0 record. The Wolf Pack are 1-3-0-0 in the head-to-head series.
The Wolf Pack’s lone victory in the head-to-head matchup came on Nov. 21 in Hartford by a score of 5-2. The Penguins took the most recent matchup on Dec. 10, also in Hartford, by a score of 3-0.
The only other prior meeting in Wilkes-Barre this season came on Oct. 11, a game won 2-1 by the Penguins.
The Wolf Pack have not won in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since Mar. 26, 2023. That night, the club claimed a 5-1 decision. Will Lockwood scored the game-winning goal 6:25 into the hockey game, making it 2-0 at the time.
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 – at Hershey Bears (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bears meet for the second of four times this season on Tuesday night back in Hershey.
The Wolf Pack claimed a 3-2 overtime victory in the first meeting between the foes on Wednesday night. This is the club’s second and final visit to Giant Center this season.
The Bears will visit Hartford on Mar. 7 and Apr. 4.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch all three Wolf Pack games this week on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of both games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting 15 minutes prior to puck drop each night.
Both Wolf Pack games this weekend against the Penguins can also be heard on Mixlr.
Tuesday night’s matchup with the Bears is available exclusively on AHLTV on FloHockey. Hershey Bears’ voice Zack Fisch will have the call.
Quick Hits:
- Former Wolf Pack F Gabe Perreault notched his first career multi-goal outing in the NHL on Wednesday night as a member of the parent New York Rangers.
- The Wolf Pack collected a franchise record 8,543 teddy bears and stuffed animals during the annual ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ game last Saturday night against the Bruins.
- On Tuesday, the Wolf Pack loaned forwards Sullivan Mack and Zakary Karpa to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison.
- On Monday, the club recalled defenseman Chris Ortiz from the Bison.
- With his assist on Berard’s overtime winner on Wednesday night, Fix-Wolansky now leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with 20 points (11 g, 9 a) on the season.
- Berard is now tied with McConnell-Barker and Casey Fitzgerald for the team lead in game-winning goals with two.
- Callum Tung, who has won each of his last two starts, is now 5-2-0 as a rookie.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2025-26 season! Single game tickets are on sale now! To buy, click here.
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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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at PeoplesBank Arena. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Will Cuylle, and Matt Rempe. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.