DYLAN ROOBROECK SCORES LATE, BUT WOLF PACK FALL 3-2 TO BEARS
Apr 5, 2025HERSHEY, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack turned in a strong effort on the road Saturday night, but dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to the Hershey Bears in overtime at the Giant Center.
Pierrick Dubé forced a turnover deep inside the Wolf Pack’s zone, gaining puck possession and then feeding Alex Limoges. Limoges let a quick shot go that beat Dylan Garand 1:01 into the extra session to give the Bears the second point.
Casey Fitzgerald opened the scoring 10:39 into the hockey game, burying his fifth goal of the season. Blake McLaughlin won puck possession in the left-wing corner and swung a pass to Fitzgerald at the top of the right-wing circle. From there, the captain snapped home his first goal in 19 games to break the ice.
The Bears countered at 12:08, however, tying the game 1-1. Bogdan Trineyev rushed down the right-wing side and fired a shot that Garand denied. The rebound popped to the left-wing side, however, where Luke Philp picked up possession. There, the veteran tapped home his third goal in as many games.
Just over five minutes later, at 17:37, David Gucciardi lit the lamp in his professional debut. Matt Strome poked the puck to Gucciardi in the slot. The former Michigan State Spartan fired a shot into traffic that beat Garand to make it 2-1.
The goal was Gucciardi’s first career tally.
The Wolf Pack turned in a solid road period in the second, but were unable to solve Garin Bjorklund to tie the game. Jake Leschyshyn was denied on a backhand chance in front of the net, while Connor Mackey was stopped on a breakaway bid.
The sides combined for 15 penalties in the second period, resulting in four separate occasions in which they played four-on-four.
Late in the third period, the Wolf Pack elected to go with a six-on-five attack, pulling Garand in favor of the extra skater. Nathan Sucese found Mackey at the left-wing point, who stepped into a shot that Dylan Roobroeck deflected home. The goal, scored at 18:34, was Roobroeck’s 16th of the season and forced overtime.
In the extra session, however, the Bears outshot the Wolf Pack 3-0 and ended the proceedings at 1:01 with Limoges’ strike.
Despite the loss, the Wolf Pack have five of a possible six points (2-0-1-0) against the Bears this season and points in five of their six games overall (3-1-2-0).
The Wolf Pack continue their road trip tomorrow with the weekend finale against the Bears. The puck drop is set for 5:00 p.m. Coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Apr. 11, when the Bruins come to town! 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.