THE HART BEAT - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 8
Dec 4, 2025HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack have returned from a holiday weekend in Ohio and are set for a pair of key rivalry matchups to kick off the December slate.
Winners of four of their last six games (4-2-0-0), the Pack welcome the Springfield Thunderbirds to town on Friday night before heading off to Bridgeport for the ‘Battle of Connecticut’ on Saturday.
The Week That Was:
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 – vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (3-6 L): The Thunderbirds jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the 1:36 mark of the second period, never looking back in an eventual 6-3 win at PeoplesBank Arena.
The Pack stormed back to make it 3-2 on goals by Brennan Othmann and Dylan Roobroeck, but that’s as close as they were able to draw it.
Matt Luff potted the eventual game-winning goal 6:01 into the third period, the first of three goals in the final frame for the visitors. Samuel Johannesson and Calle Rosén also struck in the period, while Brendan Brisson lit the lamp for Hartford.
The loss dropped the Wolf Pack to 3-1-0-0 against the Thunderbirds this season.
Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 – at Cleveland Monsters (6-4 W): The Wolf Pack tied their season-high with six goals in a wild win in Cleveland on Friday. Adam Sýkora and Brisson scored in the opening frame, giving the club a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes.
Bryce McConnell-Barker extended the lead to 3-1 at 2:42 of the second period, tipping home a Sýkora shot from the slot. After Jordan Dumais made it 3-2 at 14:15, Trey Fix-Wolansky converted on a two-on-one with Gabe Perreault at 16:01 to make it 4-2.
Two power play goals from Luca Del Bel Belluz at 45 seconds and 2:13 of the third period quickly erased the lead, however. The Wolf Pack buckled down from there, controlling the final period at five-on-five and finally breaking through at 11:16 when McConnell-Barker jammed home his second of the game.
Fix-Wolansky cemented the victory at 19:30 with an empty net goal, his eighth of the season.
Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 – at Cleveland Monsters (3-2 W): The Wolf Pack won back-to-back games on the road for the first time this season, storming back for a 3-2 victory on Saturday at Rocket Arena.
Corson Ceulemans and Hunter McKown each scored in the second period, giving the Monsters a 2-0 lead after two.
Midway through the third period, the Wolf Pack erupted for two goals in nine seconds while the sides battled four-on-four. Perreault got Hartford on the board with a shot from just inside the right-wing circle at 11:56, then Fix-Wolansky lifted a rebound over the right pad of Zach Sawchenko at 12:05.
At 18:59, Perreault completed the comeback with a power play strike. His second goal of the game came off a pass from Brisson, again inside the right-wing circle.
Spencer Martin made 35 saves to collect his first victory as a member of the club in his debut.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 – vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (7:00 p.m.): This is the fifth of ten meetings in the ‘I-91 Rivalry, presented by Braman Pest’ this season. It is the fourth of five meetings between the foes at PeoplesBank Arena.
The Wolf Pack are 3-1-0-0 in the head-to-head matchup, while the Thunderbirds are 1-2-1-0. Hartford has claimed two of three matchups on home ice, winning 3-0 on Oct. 22 and 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 18.
The Thunderbirds won the last meeting, 6-3, on Thanksgiving Eve in Hartford.
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 – at Bridgeport Islanders (7:00 p.m.): The ‘Battle of Connecticut’ resumes this weekend in Bridgeport. This is the second of 12 head-to-head matchups this season, and the first of six at Total Mortgage Arena.
The rivals will meet three times in December. In addition to Saturday night, the Wolf Pack will visit the Islanders on Dec. 27, while Isles come to town on New Year’s Eve for a 3:30 p.m. puck drop.
The Islanders claimed the first meeting, 3-0, in Hartford on Oct. 24. Joey Larson’s goal 3:38 into the game proved to be the game-winning strike, while Matthew Highmore and Gleb Veremyev also lit the lamp.
Marcus Högberg recorded 33 saves to collect the shutout.
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 – vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Penguins meet for the fourth time this season on Wednesday night. This will be the third and final visit to Hartford for the Pens.
The Wolf Pack are 1-2-0-0 in the season series, having claimed a 5-2 victory in the most recent meeting on Nov. 21.
The win snapped an eight-game losing streak (0-7-1-0) in the head-to-head series for the Wolf Pack.
Anton Blidh scored the game-winning goal in the victory, tipping in a Cooper Moore shot at 13:21 of the second period to make it 3-2 at the time. Derrick Pouliot recorded three points (1 g, 2 a) in the victory.
The Penguins won 2-1 on Oct. 11 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and 5-2 on Oct. 17 in Hartford.
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 this weekend, starting Friday night at PeoplesBank Arena! ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts at 6:45 p.m. both nights, with the call of the action shortly after 7:00 p.m.
Sean Dufrense will have the call for Wednesday night’s game against the Penguins, with coverage starting at 6:45 p.m.
All three Wolf Pack games this week can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- Perreault’s two goals on Saturday night marked his first career multi-goal game. His game-winning goal was the first of his professional career.
- The Wolf Pack will carry a three-game point streak (2-0-1-0) on the road into Bridgeport on Saturday night.
- On Monday, the parent New York Rangers recalled forward Brennan Othmann from Hartford.
- Last Thursday, the Wolf Pack inked forward Daniel Walcott to a professional tryout agreement (PTO). Walcott joined the Wolf Pack in Hartford on Tuesday.
- Forward Juuso Pärssinen is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
- Defenseman Blake Hillman is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
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.