Game Preview
Dec 20, 2017Game Day Info:
Hartford Wolf Pack vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Puck Drop: Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7:05 p.m.
Game Preview:
This is the third meeting of the season between the Wolf Pack and Phantoms, and the Wolf Pack are 2-0-0-0 in the season series thus far. The Wolf Pack triumphed 2-1 in a shootout October 8 in Hartford, and then took a 5-4 decision from Lehigh Valley in Allentown October 28.
The Phantoms are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Sunday night, and have won three of their last four games. The Phantoms sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with an 18-9-1-2 record and a 0.650 win percentage.
Last Time Out:
Last Saturday, the Wolf Pack played to a 2-1 shootout loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds. Ryan Gropp scored the lone Wolf Pack goal, his sixth of the season. Marek Mazanec made his third straight start in net and the Wolf Pack extended their point streak to a season-high seven games.
Thus far, the Pack are 11-12-3-3 on the season, which places them sixth in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division with 28 points from 29 games played. The Providence Bruins currently lead the division with a 18-7-2-0 record, while the Charlotte Checkers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms fall close behind in the tight race.
Players to Watch:
#21 Caleb Herbert
Caleb Herbert, a fourth-year pro out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is the leading point-scorer in the ECHL, having chalked up 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points, as well as 30 penalty minutes and a league-best +19, in 23 games with the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. The 26-year-old Herbert, a 6-0, 200-pound native of Bloomington, MN, split last season between the AHL’s Texas Stars and the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. In 35 games with the Stars, he scored eight goals and added five assists for 13 points, and served 27 minutes in penalties. With Idaho, Herbert skated in 13 games, notching four goals and four assists for eight points, plus 27 PIM.
#18 Danick Martel
Danick Martel has 17 goals in 27 games played, which is good enough to tie him for the AHL in goals. The left wing tallied back-to-back 20 goal seasons the past two years, but is poised to potentially more than double that mark if he keeps his current pace throughout the season. A Quebec native, Martel signed a three-year, two-way entry level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015. Martel spent four games with the Flyers this season, where he logged six shots and zero points.
Coming Up Next:
The Wolf Pack will be back home at the XL Center this Friday, Dec. 22 and Saturday, Dec. 23 for matchups against the Providence Bruins and Bridgeport Sound Tigers, respectively. Fans can stick around for a post-game skate on the XL Center ice on Dec. 23, but skates are not provided. For tickets and information, visit the Hartford Wolf Pack ticketing site or call 866-762-6451.