DYLAN GARAND MAKES 34 SAVES TO BLANK CHECKERS IN 3-0 WOLF PACK WIN
Jan 19, 2025CHARLOTTE, NC – The Hartford Wolf Pack completed a back-to-back weekend sweep of the Charlotte Checkers with a 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon. Dylan Garand made 34 saves to pick up his third blank slate of the season.
Alex Belzile opened the scoring 11:38 into the game, converting on a breakaway. Belzile got lost in the neutral zone while the puck was in the Wolf Pack’s end. Blake Hillman saw Belzile and launched a perfect stretch pass to the veteran forward.
Belzile snapped home his 12th goal of the season by the glove of Ken Appleby on the ensuing breakaway, making it 1-0.
As the final seconds ticked off the Wolf Pack’s second power play of the game, Mikulas Hovorka flipped the puck out of play for a delay of game minor at 14:18. On their third power play of the game, the Wolf Pack struck to make it 2-0.
Brett Berard fed Belzile the puck in the bumper position. The veteran forward slid a quick pass into the right-wing circle for Bo Groulx, who blasted home a one-timer at 14:59. Groulx’s goal was his team-leading 13th of the season.
Both Groulx and Belzile recorded two points (1 g, 1 a) in the opening stanza. Berard’s assist on the goal was his second in as many days.
John Leonard had an opportunity to put the Checkers on the board with 14:25 remaining in the middle frame. With the Wolf Pack on the power play, Leonard gained puck possession in the neutral zone and broke in on a breakaway. Leonard was hooked, giving the veteran forward a penalty shot.
Leonard, going right-to-left, tried to beat Garand through the five-hole but was denied by the All-Star goaltender.
Late in the frame, Hillman picked up his second point (1 g, 1 a) of the tilt when he blasted home his third goal of the season. Belzile picked up the puck in the left-wing corner and sent a pass up the wall for Hillman.
The defenseman stepped into a blast that beat Appleby to make it 3-0 at 15:29. Belzile’s assist was his third point (1 g, 2 a) of the game. It marked his second three-point game of the season against the Checkers. He scored a hat-trick on Nov. 19 in the club’s 5-4 shootout win at the XL Center.
Garand made 14 saves in the third period, preserving the Wolf Pack’s fifth victory in Charlotte in regular season franchise history.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Jan. 24, when the Laval Rocket make their second and final visit to the XL Center this season. Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission!
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
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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.