THE HART BEAT - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 18
Feb 26, 2026HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack played their second three-in-three set of the season this past weekend. The result was four of a possible six points, and a jolt into the playoff race.
Now, the Wolf Pack head to Allentown, PA, for a weekend back-to-back set with hopes of jumping further up the standings.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 – Vs. Utica Comets (1-2 L): The Wolf Pack had to settle for the split in their season series with the Comets, as Utica claimed a 2-1 victory at PeoplesBank Arena on Friday night.
Throughout 50 minutes, the game was a defensive battle. Neither side was able to create much traction in the offensive zone until the Comets created chaos in the Wolf Pack end. Ethan Edwards stepped into a drive from the right-wing side that beat a screened Dylan Garand at 10:05, giving the Comets the lead.
Marc McLaughlin then made it 2-0 at 12:30, striking four-on-four. The goal came when McLaughlin led a two-on-one into the offensive zone and elected to shoot from the left-wing circle. He beat Garand by the blocker.
Juuso Pärssinen got the Wolf Pack on the board at 17:26 of the third period, batting a rebound by Nico Daws, but that was as close as the Wolf Pack were able to draw it.
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 – Vs. Belleville Senators (4-0 W): For the first time in ten games, the Wolf Pack broke the ice on Saturday night. Brandon Scanlin made a strong defensive play in his own zone, rushed up the ice, and entered into the offensive zone on a three-on-one.
The defenseman elected to shoot from the right-wing side, beating Mads Søgaard at 6:08 to give the club a lead they never lost. Anton Blidh extended the lead to 2-0 at 13:46, taking a pass from Jaroslav Chmelař while driving the net and beating Søgaard with a quick forehand bid.
Adam Sýkora made it 3-0 8:20 into the third period, tipping a Justin Dowling shot home for his eighth goal of the season. Pärssinen then batted a rebound home for his second goal in as many nights at 10:35, ballooning the lead to 4-0.
Spencer Martin made 20 saves, collecting his first shutout as a member of the Wolf Pack.
This marked the first time since Jan. 20 at Hershey that the Wolf Pack scored four or more goals in a game.
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 – at Providence Bruins (5-2 W): The Wolf Pack earned back-to-back wins for the first time since Jan. 14 and Jan. 16 with a convincing 5-2 victory over the top team in the Eastern Conference on Sunday afternoon.
Trey Fix-Wolansky opened the scoring 4:03 in. He was sprung in on a partial break but was denied by Michael DiPietro. Fix-Wolansky followed the rebound and stuffed home his 17th goal of the season to give the Pack a lead they never lost.
Dylan Roobroeck made it 2-0 at 11:35, batting home a loose puck off a net-mouth scramble for his ninth goal of the season. 2:01 later, at 13:36, a Scanlin shot from the point snuck through traffic and gave the Pack a 3-0 lead.
Sýkora made it 4-0 1:37 into the second period, following up a rebound and beating DiPietro for his ninth goal of the season. Patrick Brown got the Bruins on the board at 3:32, taking a centering pass from Riley Duran and beating Garand for his 15th goal of the season.
Victor Söderström got the Bruins within two at 3:58 of the third period thanks to a shot from the right-wing point, but Garand would slam the door shut from there. Fix-Wolansky blasted home a power play strike at 15:10 for his second goal of the game to officially put the Wolf Pack out of reach.
The victory snapped a five-game losing skid (0-4-1-0) for the Wolf Pack in Providence.
The Week Ahead:
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 – at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7:05 p.m.)
Sunday, Mar. 1, 2026 – at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (3:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Phantoms will conclude their six-game season series this weekend in Allentown. These will be the second and third meetings at the PPL Center between the foes.
The Phantoms have claimed all four prior meetings this season. Only one of those games has concluded in regulation time, however. The Wolf Pack have collected three points despite dropping all four games, going 0-1-2-1.
The Phantoms won back-to-back 4-3 overtime games in Hartford on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, then claimed a come-from-behind 3-2 decision on Nov. 22.
In the most recent meeting, on Dec. 20 in Allentown, the Phantoms snuck away with a 2-1 shootout decision. Lane Pederson scored the only goal in the victory in regulation time for the Phantoms, while Daniel Walcott had Hartford’s strike.
Cooper Marody recorded the winning goal in the fourth round of the shootout.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch both Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of the action on both days. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop each day.
All three games can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- F Dylan Roobroeck recorded his first three-point game of the season on Sunday in Providence. He collected a goal and two assists.
- Sýkora, Roobroeck, and Fix-Wolansky were all +4 in the victory over the Bruins. That tied a single-game high for +/- for a Wolf Pack player this season. It is one off the franchise record of +5, which has been done eight times.
- Fix-Wolansky’s two goal outing on Sunday was his third multi-goal game of the season. He recorded a hat-trick on Jan. 20 at Hershey and scored twice on Nov. 28 at Cleveland.
- The Wolf Pack’s 4-0 victory over the Senators on Saturday night was tied for their largest margin of victory in a game this season.
- It also marked the club’s second shutout of the season. The Wolf Pack blanked the Springfield Thunderbirds 3-0 on Oct. 22 at PeoplesBank Arena.
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.