THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 2, ISSUE 5
Nov 5, 2026
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack are into the second half of their season-long, eight-game road trip. The Pack will visit a pair of North Division opponents this weekend before concluding the trip on Tuesday in Springfield.
Currently, the Wolf Pack are 2-2-1-0 through the first five games of their trip.
The Week That Was:
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at Hamilton Hammers (4-5 OTL): The Wolf Pack surrendered four power play goals in a heartbreaking 5-4 loss at the hands of the Hammers on Thursday night.
The Pack built up a 3-1 lead in the opening period as Jaroslav Chmelař scored shorthanded and both Matthew Robertson and Brody Lamb struck five-on-five.
Three straight goals for the Hammers turned a 3-1 Wolf Pack lead into a 4-3 edge for the home side through 40 minutes. Cam Thiesing and Matthew Highmore struck in the middle period, giving the Hammers the edge.
Marc Del Gaizo got the Wolf Pack even with a five-on-three strike 3:56 into the third period, but the Wolf Pack would be forced to settle for just a single point.
Highmore’s second goal of the game came just 58 seconds into overtime when he potted the Hammers’ fourth power play goal of the night to earn the second point.
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, at Belleville Senators (4-1 W): Two power play goals in the first period for the Wolf Pack were the difference on this night.
Anton Blidh broke the ice 6:17 into the game on the man advantage, then Justin Dowling potted the game-winning goal off a feed from Del Gaizo at 17:29. Dowling’s goal broke a 1-1 tie and was his second strike of the season.
Carey Terrance made it 3-1 with an empty net goal at 19:18 of the third period, then Blidh potted his second of the night at 19:58 to allow the Wolf Pack to pull away.
Callum Tung made 19 saves to collect the victory.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at Springfield Thunderbirds (4-2 W): Another strong effort for the Wolf Pack, specifically at five-on-five, led to two more points in the first installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ for the 2026-27 season.
Glenn Gawdin and Chris Wagner traded goals in the opening frame, then Liam Greentree put the Wolf Pack ahead 12:01 into the second period with a power play strike.
Nathan Walker drew the Thunderbirds even at 8:31 of the third period, potting a backdoor feed on the power play from T.J. Tynan. 1:24 later, at 9:55, Gawdin’s second goal of the game restored the lead for good.
He backhanded home his fourth goal of the season from the slot, making it 3-2.
Juuso Pärssinen hit the empty net at 18:43, cementing the two points for the Wolf Pack.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, at Hershey Bears (1-4 L): The Wolf Pack were held to a season-low 15 shots on goal in a 4-1 loss to the Bears on Wednesday night.
Greentree had Hartford’s only goal of the night, a six-on-five strike at 17:22 of the third period.
Josh Dunne’s goal 5:35 into the hockey game gave the Bears a lead they never lost. Louie Belpedio’s power play strike 3:22 into the second period would prove to be the game-winning goal.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at Rochester Americans (7:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Americans meet for the first of two times this season on Friday night at Blue Cross Arena.
The Americans won both meetings a season ago, while the Wolf Pack collected just one of a possible four points (0-1-1-0) in the season series.
The Amerks took a 4-3 overtime decision from the Wolf Pack at PeoplesBank Arena on Nov. 14, 2025, then rolled to a 6-3 victory on home ice on Mar. 22, 2026.
The Wolf Pack have lost seven straight games against the Amerks (0-5-2-0). Their last victory against Rochester came on Jan. 21, 2023, in Hartford by a score of 4-1.
The Wolf Pack have dropped seven straight in Rochester (0-7-0-0) dating back to the 2018-19 season. Hartford’s last win at Blue Cross Arena came on Dec. 22, 2018, by a score of 5-1. The victory completed a back-to-back sweep for the Wolf Pack of two games in Rochester. They also won 4-2 on Dec. 21, 2018.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at Syracuse Crunch (5:00 p.m.) – The Wolf Pack make their lone trip to Syracuse of the season on Saturday.
The Crunch swept a pair of games from the Wolf Pack a season ago, winning both in regulation time. The Crunch rolled to a 7-2 victory on home ice on Dec. 13, 2025, then won 5-3 in Hartford on Dec. 19, 2025.
The Wolf Pack’s last win over the Crunch was a 2-1 overtime decision on Nov. 6, 2024. Alex Belzile was the overtime hero.
Hartford’s last win in Syracuse was a 4-1 triumph on Feb. 25, 2023. Jonny Brodzinski scored twice, including the game-winning goal on the power play at 11:11 of the first period.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at Springfield Thunderbirds (10:35 a.m.) – Round two of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ presented by Braman Pest goes on Tuesday morning at 10:35 a.m.
This is the second of six matchups between the foes at the MassMutual Center. The Thunderbirds make their first visit of the season to Hartford on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Where to Watch and Listen:
All three Wolf Pack games over the next week will be available on AHLTV on FloHockey.
Alex Thomas will have the call of the action on Friday and Saturday night from Rochester and Syracuse. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ begins at 6:50 p.m., with the call of the action starting at 7:05 p.m. on Friday night. Coverage begins on Saturday at 4:45 p.m., with puck drop set for 5:00 p.m.
Fans can also tune in on Mixlr on both Friday and Saturday.
Ryan Smith of the Thunderbirds will have the call of the action on AHLTV on FloHockey on Tuesday morning.
Quick Hits:
- Marc Del Gaizo collected the 100th assist of his AHL career in the Wolf Pack’s 4-2 victory over the Thunderbirds on Nov. 1.
- Justin Dowlnig collected his 300th career AHL assist in the club’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Hammers on Oct. 29.
- Anton Blidh became the first Wolf Pack player this season to score multiple goals in a game when he notched two on Oct. 30 against the Senators.
- Gawdin then collected his first multi-goal game with the club on Nov. 1 in Springfield.
- Liam Greentree picked up his first career multi-point game (1 g, 1 a) on Nov. 1 in Springfield.
- Following his six-on-five goal on Wednesday night, Greentree leads the Wolf Pack in goals with six.
- The rookie forward is tied for the league lead in goals by a rookie this season.
- Tickets for the Wolf Pack’s annual ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ game on Nov. 14 (7:15 p.m.) are on sale now! Get your tickets today here.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2026-27 season by becoming a member today! For more information, 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 numerous current New York Rangers including Igor Shesterkin, Will Cuylle, and Gabe Perreault. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.