CALDER CUP PLAYOFF PREVIEW: WOLF PACK VS. BEARS
May 9, 2023The Hartford Wolf Pack is one of just eight AHL teams still left battling for the Calder Cup. The dance started with 23 teams and is now down to just four in the east and four in the west. A spectacular stretch has the Wolf Pack in a place they haven’t been since 2015 when the Pack marched all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The team they defeated to reach the final four that season? The Hershey Bears. Standing in their way of another trip to the Conference Finals? You guessed it, the Hershey Bears.
The Wolf Pack and Bears are set to kick off the 2023 Atlantic Division Finals this Thursday night at the Giant Center in Pennsylvania. This is another best-of-five series that will follow a 2-2-1 home ice format. The Bears, thanks to a 44-19-5-4 regular season record, will have the home-ice advantage.
The full Atlantic Division Finals series schedule is as follows:
Game 1: Thursday, May 11th, @ Hershey (Giant Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 2: Saturday, May 13th, @ Hershey (Giant Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 3: Wednesday, May 17th, @ Hartford (XL Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 4*: Friday, May 19th, @ Hartford (XL Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 5*: Tuesday, May 23rd, @ Hershey (Giant Center, 7:00 p.m.)
*If nec.
After meeting five times between October 28th and November 26th, the Wolf Pack and the Bears met only once in the final four and a half months of the 2022-23 regular season. Despite being division rivals, there will be a feeling-out process between these two rosters.
Let’s see how the final two Atlantic Division teams in the Calder Cup Playoffs matchup.
History: The Wolf Pack and Bears, despite their decorated histories, have only met once in the Calder Cup Playoffs since the Wolf Pack arrived in the Connecticut capital. The sides faced off in a best-of-seven series during the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs. Hartford got the best of Hershey in that Eastern Conference Semifinals series, eliminating them in six games.
That series featured two overtime victories for the Wolf Pack, who took Game One 2-1 in Hershey on May 6th, and Game Five 5-4 in Hershey on May 13th. In fact, Chris Mueller’s shorthanded goal 11:39 into overtime on May 13th was the last time the Wolf Pack went to overtime and won in the extra session in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Wolf Pack went 2-1 in Hershey, winning the two overtime affairs and dropping a 6-4 decision in Game Two. The series also famously featured two games in Worcester, Massachusetts, Games Three and Four. Hartford clinched the series with a 6-3 victory at the XL Center on May 15th.
The Road Here: Hartford has won five of six games during the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs and slayed two New England Rivals. In the First Round, the Wolf Pack swept the Springfield Thunderbirds 2-0, winning Game One 6-1 at the MassMutual Center and Game Two 7-1 on home ice.
In the Atlantic Division Semifinals, the Wolf Pack upset the Providence Bruins, winning the best-of-five series 3-1. The series was the only one in the Division Semifinals Round in which the Division winner was defeated. Hartford applied the knockout punch in Game Four on Friday night by a score of 4-0.
Dylan Garand led the way in the series victory, posting the first two shutouts of his Calder Cup Playoff career. Garand made 14 saves in Game One to help push a 1-0 victory over the finish line. In Game Four, Garand helped close out the series with a 32-save shutout.
The rookie goaltender is tied with Coachella Valley’s Joey Daccord in wins (5) and leads the Calder Cup Playoffs in save percentage (.954 sv%), goals against average (1.17 GAA), and shutouts (2).
When it comes to scoring, second-year winger Lauri Pajuniemi leads the way with three markers in six games. He scored in Game Three against the Bruins. Forward Jake Leschyshyn has been hot since returning from the parent New York Rangers. He has three points (2 g, 1 a) in just two games and potted a pair of goals in the Pack’s Game Four victory over the Bruins.
Tim Gettinger (2 g, 5 a) and Tanner Fritz (1 g, 6 a) are the team’s point leaders through two rounds of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Hershey, meanwhile, got a bye through the First Round. The Bears posted a record of 44-19-5-4 during the regular season, finishing with 97 points. That put them second in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Providence Bruins, and second in the Eastern Conference.
The Bears elected to start their best-of-five series with two games in Charlotte, where they beat the Checkers twice to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Bears took Game One 5-2, then won Game Two 5-1. After Charlotte edged out a 2-1 victory in Game Three, the Bears struck for six unanswered goals in Game Four to run away with a 6-2 decision.
Aliaksei Protas lit the lamp three times in the series and leads Hershey in goals through just four games. Sam Anas, a key part of the Springfield Thunderbirds’ run to the Calder Cup Final one year ago, leads the club in points with six (2 g, 4 a) through just four games.
In the net, Hunter Shepard has taken the keys. He’s 3-1 with a .924 sv% and 1.77 GAA.
Head-to-Head: The Bears won four of six meetings during the regular season, winning twice at home and twice at the XL Center. The Bears went 4-2-0-0 in the season series, while Hartford managed points in three of the six games, finishing 2-3-0-1.
Hartford struck first in the season series, winning 4-2 at the XL Center on October 28th. That was Hartford’s first victory of the season. On November 19th, however, the Bears got revenge in a big way with a 6-1 drubbing of the Wolf Pack at the Giant Center. Less than 24 hours later, however, Louis Domingue made 22 saves in a 4-2 Wolf Pack victory. The Wolf Pack scored at five-on-five, on the powerplay, shorthanded, and into an empty net in the November 20th victory.
Less than a week later, the sides met on back-to-back nights yet again. This time, however, the series shifted to Hartford. The Bears took an evenly played 2-1 game on November 25th, then came away with a 1-0 shootout decision on November 26th. The Bears outshot the Wolf Pack 38-16 in the shootout victory, but Garand was spectacular in goal. Despite the 1-0 loss, Garand was credited with his first career professional shutout.
The sides met again on February 11th, with the Bears winning a close 2-1 game. Shepard was the story in this game, as he made 33 saves on 34 shots. The Wolf Pack outshot the Bears 34-20 but couldn’t find the equalizer after falling behind 2-0 in the opening stanza.
Top Performers: Domingue played four of the six games in the season series for the Wolf Pack, posting a record of 2-2-0-0. Garand, meanwhile, played in three games and posted a record of 0-1-0-1. He appeared in relief in the 6-1 loss on November 19th. Garand posted a .938 sv% in his three appearances.
Outside of Hershey’s six-goal outburst on November 19th, goals were hard to come by in the season series. Gettinger and Will Cuylle led current Wolf Pack players with two goals each in the series. Gettinger’s four points (2 g, 2 a) led current Wolf Pack players in points. He appeared in five of the six meetings between the foes.
For the Bears, Shepard was a perfect 3-0-0-0 against the Wolf Pack. He also posted a sparkling .964 sv%. Zach Fucale also played three games against Hartford, going 1-2-0-0 with a .889 save percentage.
Henrik Borgstrom lit the lamp three times in six games against Hartford but was one of only two Bears to score multiple goals against the Pack. Mike Vecchione scored twice. Borgstrom’s five points (3 g, 2 a) led the Bears in the season series.
Former Wolf Pack defenseman Dylan McIlrath might not be known for his offensive prowess, but his three assists led the scoring for Hershey defensemen in the regular season meetings.
How to Watch: Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have you covered for all five games, if necessary, of this series. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts at 6:45 p.m., before puck drop goes at 7:00 p.m. for Games One and Two in Hershey on May 11th and May 13th.
‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ will start at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17th, and Friday, May 19th, ahead of 7:00 p.m. puck drops at the XL Center for Games Three and Four (if nec.).
You can watch each Wolf Pack playoff game live on AHLTV, and you can listen for free on Mixlr.
Single-game tickets for Games Three and Four of the Atlantic Division Finals are on sale now!
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets/playoff-information.
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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.