EMBERSON SCORES SHORTHANDED GOAL, BUT WOLF PACK FALL 4-2 TO THUNDERBIRDS
Dec 22, 2022HARTFORD, CT – Ty Emberson scored the Wolf Pack’s first home shorthanded goal this season in the team’s Thursday night contest against the Springfield Thunderbirds. However, the Pack couldn’t take this installment of the I-91 rivalry, falling to the Thunderbirds by a final score of 4-2.
Martin Frk scored the eventual game-winner for Springfield late in the second period. Frk took a pass from Matthew Highmore and blasted a one-timer by Louis Domingue to push the score to 3-1. The patented one-timer from the veteran would stand as the eventual game-winner.
Emberson broke open the scoring with a shorthanded goal in the first period. After Bobby Trivigno was called for tripping, Emberson found his way into the Springfield zone and beat Joel Hofer with a backhand shot to break the ice at 11:42. It was Emberson’s fourth goal of the season and his first shorthanded. It was the club’s third shorthanded goal of the season, and their first at the XL Center.
Springfield answered back to the tune of three goals in the second period. Mitchell Hoelscher opened the scoring for the T-Birds, firing a shot by Domingue to tie the contest at 2:53. The tally was Hoelscher’s first AHL goal.
Jake Neighbours put the Thunderbirds in front for good about nine minutes later. Blake Hillman partially blocked a Will Bitten shot, but Neighbours pounced on the loose puck and buried it into the Hartford net, giving the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead. Neighbours’ goal was his fourth in Springfield’s last five games.
Frk capped off the scoring at 18:30, putting the game out of reach for good with his sixth goal of the campaign.
Gustav Rydahl drew the Pack within one in the third period. Rydahl tipped a pass from Emberson into the Springfield net to give Hartford a fighting chance at 3:51. Rydahl’s marker was his fourth goal of the season, and his second tally in the last three games.
Hugh McGing added an insurance goal at 6:30 of the third period, potting his sixth goal of the season to thwart the Hartford comeback bid. Hofer slammed the door shut from there, stopping thirteen Wolf Pack shots in the final period to cement the T-Birds second win in three meetings.
The Wolf Pack return to the ice tomorrow night, December 23rd, for the next installment in the ‘Battle of Connecticut’ against the Bridgeport Islanders. Puck drop is set for 5:00 pm. Join us for $2 beers and $1 hot dogs until the start of the second intermission. To get tickets, visit 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.