THE HART BEAT - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9
Dec 11, 2025HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack are back on the road this weekend for two tilts against North Division opponents. The club will make their lone visits of the season to Utica and Syracuse.
With the holiday break quickly approaching, the Wolf Pack are hopeful to unwrap four points on the road this weekend.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 – vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (5-2 W): The Wolf Pack kicked off their weekend with a convincing win in the ‘I-91 Rivalry, presented by Braman Pest’ on Friday night.
Gabe Perreault opened the scoring 10:12 into the game, giving the Wolf Pack a lead they never lost. Kalle Väisänen made it 2-0 just 3:29 into the middle frame, potting his first career AHL goal on a feed from Daniel Walcott. Casey Fitzgerald extended the lead to 3-0 at 12:14, burying a feed from Justin Dowling.
Theo Lindstein and Chris Wagner each tallied goals later in the second period for the T-Birds, making it 3-2 after 40 minutes, but that’s as close as the visitors drew it.
Perreault’s second goal of the night came 14:15 into the final stanza, putting the result out of doubt. Brendan Brisson then hit the empty net at 18:57 to make it 5-2.
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 – at Bridgeport Islanders (2-6 L): For the second straight installment of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’, the Wolf Pack found themselves trailing 3-0 after one to the Bridgeport Islanders. Like on Oct. 24, this deficit proved to be too much.
Dowling and Brennan Othmann each scored in the second period for the Wolf Pack, but Matthew Maggio and Marshall Warren both responded for the Isles.
Liam Foudy potted his second goal of the night 16:37 into the third period, hitting an empty net to make it 6-2.
Foudy’s goal at 19:48 of the first period proved to be the game-winning tally. Adam Beckman and Cam Thiesing also struck in the opening frame. Beckman’s ice breaker came just 2:58 in.
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 – vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (0-3 L): The Wolf Pack were blanked for the second time this season on Wednesday, 3-0 on home ice against the Penguins.
The Wolf Pack put forth a strong first period, outshooting the Penguins 20-6. Sergei Murashov stopped all 20 shots, however, allowing the visitors to get their feet underneath them.
Phil Tomasino opened the scoring 2:59 into the second period, then Avery Hayes made it 2-0 at 9:07. Aidan McDonough scored the lone goal of the final frame, allowing the Penguins to pull away.
The Wolf Pack are now 1-3-0-0 against the Penguins this season and 1-8-1-0 against the Penguins in their last ten meetings.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 – at Utica Comets (7:00 p.m.): This is the first of two meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Comets this season. The sides will meet in Hartford on Feb. 20.
The Comets swept the two-game series a season ago. The Wolf Pack collected one of four possible points in those matchups, posting a record of 0-1-0-1.
The Comets took a 7-3 decision in the lone matchup in Utica a season ago. Simon Nemec recorded five points (2 g, 3 a) in the victory, while Max Willman scored twice and Nolan Foote picked up two points (1 g, 1 a). Bo Groulx, Dylan Roobroeck, and Anton Blidh scored for the Wolf Pack in the loss.
On Mar. 1 in Hartford, the Comets tied the game at 12:07 of the third period on a Nathan Légaré goal, then won a shootout 2-1 for a 3-2 victory.
The Wolf Pack’s last win against the Comets came in Utica on Nov. 4, 2023. Adam Edström scored the game-winning goal at 3:40 of the third period in Hartford’s 3-2 victory.
The Comets have won each of the last three head-to-head meetings.
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 – at Syracuse Crunch (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Crunch meet for the first of two this season on Saturday night. The sides will meet again next Friday, Dec. 19, in Hartford.
The sides split their season series a year ago, with each team posting a 1-0-1-0 record.
The Crunch opened the two-game series with a 3-2 overtime victory on home ice on Nov. 1. Niko Huuhtanen tied the game at 1:31 of the third period, then Max Crozier won it just 41 seconds into overtime.
The Wolf Pack countered on Nov. 6 with a 2-1 victory on home ice. Bryce McConnell-Barker scored his first career goal 5:55 into the third period, giving the Wolf Pack a 1-0 lead. Joel Teasdale tied the game at 19:43, however, sending the sides to overtime. At 4:53 of the extra session, Alex Belzile potted his first of the season to give the Wolf Pack the extra point.
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 both games this weekend, starting Friday night in Utica. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts at 6:45 p.m. both nights, with the call of the action shortly after 7:00 p.m.
Both Wolf Pack games this week can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- Fitzgerald’s goal against the Thunderbirds on Friday night was his second game-winning goal of the season. Both have come on home ice against the Thunderbirds. He also scored in overtime on Nov. 18.
- Dowling recorded three assists in the victory over the Thunderbirds on Dec. 5. That marked the first time this season a Wolf Pack player recorded three assists in a game.
- On Monday, the parent New York Rangers reassigned G Callum Tung to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison from Hartford. This came after G Spencer Martin was assigned to Hartford on Saturday.
- On Tuesday, the Wolf Pack loaned D Case McCarthy to the ECHL’s Worcester Railers.
- On Wednesday night, D Brandon Scanlin made his season debut against the Penguins. D Blake Hillman returned to the lineup as well after missing time 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.