WOLF PACK LOSE 7-1 TO CHECKERS
Jan 28, 2026HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack faced an offensive barrage from the visiting Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday night, falling 7-1 at PeoplesBank Arena. The loss dropped the club to 1-1-0-0 against the Checkers this season.
Nate Smith opened the scoring 5:52 into the hockey game, snapping home his fifth goal of the season. Smith picked up the puck in the right-wing circle and ripped a shot by Dylan Garand to make it 1-0.
Ben Steeves then extended the lead to 2-0 at 16:48. Riese Gaber sent the puck to the front of the net, where Steeves was able to gain possession. He went to the backhand and beat Garand by the left pad for his 16th goal of the season.
The Wolf Pack pushed in the middle period, holding the Checkers without a shot for over half the frame. Their first shot came at 12:03 off the stick of Brett Chorske. That shot would result in Chorske’s seventh goal of the season and a 3-0 lead for the visitors.
Chorske’s goal came off a shot from the slot that Garand got a piece of. The puck, however, still bounced over the line. Gaber picked up his second assist of the night on the tally.
The Checkers put the game away with four goals in the third period, extending their lead to 7-0 before the Wolf Pack finally found twine.
Jack Studnicka struck shorthanded at 4:12 of the final stanza, making it 4-0. The goal was the ninth shorthanded goal allowed by the Wolf Pack this season.
Chorske tacked on his second goal at 7:50, making it 5-0. Wilmer Skoog’s 16th goal of the season came at 11:58, then less than two minutes later it was Gaber who potted his seventh goal of the season to make it 7-0 at 13:12.
Gaber finished the game with four points (1 g, 3 a).
Daniel Walcott got the Wolf Pack on the board at 18:29, potting his third goal of the season to break Cooper Black’s shutout bid. Black would still collect the win, however, making 28 saves on 29 shots.
Walcott’s goal was assisted by Blake Hillman and Bryce McConnell-Barker.
The six-goal loss was the largest margin of defeat this season for the Wolf Pack.
The Pack is back at the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena on Jan. 30 when the Bridgeport Islanders come to town. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to begin at 6:45 p.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr. Tickets are available 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, YouTube, Flickr, and TikTok.