THE HART BEAT - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 23
Apr 2, 2026HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack earned two points over the weekend, turning in a pair of strong defensive efforts against the Charlotte Checkers.
With just eight games left in the season, the Wolf Pack are currently six points out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Week That Was:
Saturday, Mar. 28, 2026 – Vs. Charlotte Checkers (1-2 OTL): The Wolf Pack picked up a point on Saturday night but fell short in the first of a back-to-back set.
Brian Pinho opened the scoring for the visitors 8:17 into the game, striking shorthanded. MacKenzie Entwistle forced a turnover, cut to the net, and fired a shot that Callum Tung denied. The rebound bounced off Pinho and in, however, making it 1-0.
Just over two minutes later, Bryce McConnell-Barker tied the game 1-1. The second-year forward took a pass from Brody Lamb, worked just inside the right-wing circle, and snapped a shot that beat Cooper Black on the power play at 10:58.
Both Tung and Black were perfect from there, pushing the game to overtime with a 1-1 score.
In the final minute of the three-on-three frame, the Checkers found the second point. Pinho took a pass in the right-wing circle and beat Tung at 4:52 for his 14th goal of the season to end the game.
Sunday, Mar. 29, 2026 – Vs. Charlotte Checkers (1-2 SOL): The Checkers again drew first blood on Sunday afternoon, this time scoring on the power play.
Early in the second period, the Checkers went to a five-on-three power play. On the advantage, Ludvig Jansson snapped a shot from the slot that Jack Devine deflected by Spencer Martin at 3:19. The five-on-three goal was Devine’s 17th of the season.
Just over four minutes later, at 7:34, the Wolf Pack evened the affair with the only five-on-five goal of the weekend. Brandon Scanlin sifted a shot into traffic that beat a screened Louis Domingue for his fourth goal of the season.
Lamb picked up the primary assist on the goal, giving him four in four games against the Checkers this season.
For the second day in a row, the sides went to overtime tied 1-1. This time, the three-on-three session did not produce a winner. Martin made two saves for the Wolf Pack in overtime, helping to force a shootout.
In the shootout, however, only the Checkers found twine. In the top half of the second round, Pinho beat Martin to make it 1-0. Domingue then promptly denied Trey Fix-Wolansky and Brendan Brisson to give the Checkers the second point.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Apr. 3, 2026 – at Bridgeport Islanders (7:00 p.m.): The ‘Battle of Connecticut’ resumes on Friday night in Bridgeport. This is the tenth of twelve meetings between the rivals this season. It is the fifth of six matchups at Total Mortgage Arena.
The Islanders have a slight edge in the head-to-head matchup, having won five of the first nine matchups. The Wolf Pack are 4-5-0-0 so far in the head-to-head series.
The Wolf Pack won the most recent meeting, 6-0, on Mar. 6 in Hartford. Fix-Wolansky and Brisson each scored twice in the victory, with Fix-Wolansky collecting four points (2 g, 2 a).
Martin made 22 saves in the victory, collecting his second shutout as a member of the Wolf Pack.
The sides combined for 212 penalty minutes, with Bridgeport being assessed 114 of those minutes.
In four prior meetings in Bridgeport, each team has posted a 2-2-0-0 record. The most recent meeting in Bridgeport was a 5-1 Islanders victory on Jan. 11. On that day, the Islanders scored five goals in the third period to erase a 1-0 deficit.
Saturday, Apr. 4, 2026 – Vs. Hershey Bears (6:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bears conclude their four-game season series on Saturday night in Hartford.
The Wolf Pack are 3-0-0-0 against the Bears this season and can sweep the series with a victory.
The Wolf Pack claimed a 3-2 overtime victory and a 5-4 overtime victory in Hershey on Jan. 14 and Jan. 20, respectively. Most recently, the Wolf Pack won 5-2 on home ice against the Bears on Mar. 7.
Fix-Wolansky and Carey Terrance scored twice in the victory on Mar. 7. Terrance’s two goals marked his first career multi-goal game in the AHL. His second goal, scored 1:28 into the second period, proved to be the game-winning goal.
Dylan Garand made 19 saves for the Wolf Pack to collect the victory on Mar. 7.
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.
Both games can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- F Adam Sýkora scored his first career NHL goal for the parent New York Rangers in their 6-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Mar. 27. He recorded his second career goal two days later in the club’s 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.
- G Dylan Garand recorded his first career NHL victory against the Blackhawks. He made 27 saves in his second career start.
- Former Wolf Pack D Matthew Robertson scored the game-winning goal for the Rangers that night, while former Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski lit the lamp twice.
- The Wolf Pack surrendered zero five-on-five goals in their two games against the Checkers over the weekend.
- F Brody Lamb currently holds the longest active point streak among Wolf Pack players. He has recorded six points (2 g, 4 a) over the last six games. The streak is tied for the longest by a Wolf Pack player this season.
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.