TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: JANUARY 11TH, 2024
Jan 11, 2024
The first true test of 2024 came quickly for the Hartford Wolf Pack. The club hit the road last Thursday, trekking to Bridgeport for the latest installment of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’. After that, it was a weekend trip to Pennsylvania for matchups with the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Although the trip ended with a 2-1 loss to the Penguins, it’s hard to argue that the weekend was anything but a success. The Wolf Pack navigated a tough travel schedule and came away with four of a possible six points. Oh, and their win against Hershey on Saturday night might just be their signature win of the season.
Onto the blog!
1.) Saturday night’s win at Hershey had the potential to go off the rails early in the second period. After a good opening period on the road, the Wolf Pack gave up two goals in 39 seconds to find themselves down 3-1.
This against a Bears team with the best record in the AHL. This against a Bears team that had won six straight games at home and nine straight games overall.
The resiliency shown by the Wolf Pack from that point on makes Saturday night’s win a signature win. The club tied the game with two goals late in the second period, then scored just 23 seconds into the third period to take the lead for good.
It’s that kind of win, against an elite team in a very tough building, that shows what this team is capable of this season. It shows not just the talent this team has but also the leadership and resolve to compete and beat the league’s best team. The Wolf Pack faced some serious adversity and handled it quite well.
2.) Bobby Trivigno didn’t score against the Bears, but his hard work was all over that victory. His most noticeable shift of the game, and maybe of this young season, came late in the second period. His hard work in the offensive zone kept the Wolf Pack on the attack, as he forced multiple turnovers on the shift.
His pass to Connor Mackey put the defenseman in the perfect position to shoot, leading directly to the tying goal. The Wolf Pack never looked back from there.
That’s the kind of impact Trivigno has had this season. Few players in the AHL work as hard and cause as much havoc on the forecheck as he does.
3.) Brett Berard gets the credit for the goal 23 seconds into the third period that stood as the game-winner but don’t forget Alex Belzile. It was his play inside the blueline seconds earlier that forced a turnover and kept the puck in the zone.
It’s those kinds of smart, subtle plays that make Belzile such a good player. His two assists on Saturday have him at 28 points on the season (11 g, 17 a), which is good for the team lead.
4.) Speaking of assists, Mac Hollowell now has a helper in four straight games. He’s played in 26 games as a member of the Wolf Pack and is already enjoying a career year. Hollowell’s 25 assists this season are a career-high, while his 26 points (1 g, 25 a) are tied for his career-high.
Hollowell had 26 points back during the 2021-22 season in 45 games.
5.) Hollowell’s 25 assists lead the Wolf Pack and have him among the league leaders. Hollowell ranks second among defensemen in the AHL in that category, trailing only Matt Donovan of the Chicago Wolves.
Overall, Hollowell’s 25 assists rank tied for fourth in the league.
6.) Speaking of Hollowell, congratulations to both he and Brennan Othmann on their All-Star nods! The duo was named to the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU on Wednesday afternoon.
The event will take place in San Jose, CA, with the skills competition kicking off the weekend on Sunday, February 4th. The All-Star Classic will take place on Monday, February 5th.
Last year, forward Will Cuylle was named to the All-Star Classic but did not participate as he was with the parent New York Rangers. Defenseman Zac Jones, currently with the Rangers, represented the Wolf
Pack instead.
Congratulations to both Brennan and Mac on this well-deserved honor!
7.) For those asking, there is no update to the Wolf Pack’s injury report heading into this weekend’s games.
Forwards Riley Nash (week-to-week, lower-body) and Adam Edström (week-to-week, upper-body) remain out. Defensively, it’s status quo for both Ben Harpur (indefinitely, upper-body) and Zach Berzolla (week-to-week, lower-body).
8.) Anton Blidh’s value to the Wolf Pack goes way beyond his strong on-ice play. The veteran forward, acquired by the Rangers from the Colorado Avalanche at last season’s deadline, has been a key leader for the Wolf Pack.
Blidh has done an excellent job of taking center Karl Henriksson and fellow winger Adam Sýkora under his wing this season. The trio has formed an effective line, and Blidh has been the veteran mentor of the group.
He took it upon himself, with the Wolf Pack on the road last weekend, to ensure that the trio got their chemistry back both on and off the ice after Sýkora’s absence with Team Slovakia at the World Juniors.
It’s that kind of presence that makes all the difference at the AHL level. Blidh has been a perfect fit in Hartford.
9.) Matt Rempe and Matej Pekar have been wrecking balls on the wings of Ryder Korczak during this recent stretch of play. The trio has formed a hard-working line that turns the puck over and swings momentum back in Hartford’s favor.
You can see how the two wingers, Rempe and Pekar, feed off of each other on the forecheck. I wouldn’t want to be an opposing defender trying to play the puck with those two bearing down on me.
10.) Great to see Jake Leschyshyn rewarded with a recall on Tuesday. The forward has been a great presence in Hartford since arriving from the Rangers just about a year ago, playing all kinds of different roles for Kris Knoblauch and now Steve Smith.
Leschyshyn missed just over six weeks with an upper-body injury, returning on December 27th in Springfield. Since his return, he’s been a key cog for the Wolf Pack and notched two goals in the victory at Hershey.
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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 the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.