Pack Drop 6-3 Verdict to Penguins

Mar 5, 2017

By Chris Kohler

A three-goal second period for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins was too much for the Wolf Pack to overcome, as they fell 6-3 to the Penguins Sunday at the XL Center.

Nicklas Jensen had two goals for Hartford, and Matt Carey scored his fourth goal in the last four games.  David Warsofsky and Jean-Sebastien Dea, though, had two goals and an assist each for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

The Penguins were awarded the first power play of the game 1:32 in, as Ryan Graves was whistled for interference. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took advantage of the penalty when Kevin Porter fired from the left-wing side and beat Wolf Pack starting goaltender Brandon Halverson through a screen, to make the score 1-0.

The Wolf Pack had their own power play chance when Frank Corrado was called for high-sticking at 6:06. Just 22 seconds into the man advantage, Jensen found the back of the net to even the score at one.

Following a Chris Summers holding penalty at 19:17, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton regained the lead with 16.9 seconds remaining on the clock. Tim Erixon and Porter assisted Warsofsky, who tallied his 13^th goal of the season.

At 7:47 of the second period, Jensen took a pass from Chris Brown and was able to beat Penguin goaltender Casey DeSmith (24 saves) high on the glove side, to net his second goal of the game and even the score at two.

Just 1:59 later, at 9:46, Carey snapped in a John Gilmour pass from the left side of the slot to

give the Wolf Pack the lead for the first time in the contest.  The tally extended a Carey goal-scoring streak to a team season-high four games.

The Penguins were able to tie the game back up at 13:23.  Jarrett Burton fed Josh Archibald right in front of the net with a beautiful no-look pass, that Archibald handled and deposited in the goal.

At 14:53, Warsofsky scored his second goal of the game, off of a Penguin faceoff win in the left-wing circle, putting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in front, 4-3.

The Penguins were able to keep the pressure on, as they scored their fifth goal with 0.8 seconds remaining in the second frame. Erixon fired a shot from the left point that Dea was able to deflect past Halverson.

Following the last-second goal, Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander opted to substitute Magnus Hellberg in for Halverson, who finished with 18 saves, to begin the final period.

The only goal of the third period came with 3:25 remaining, as Dea tallied his second of the game off of an assist from Dominik Simon.

Jensen said, “We were playing really well. Doing all the small things right and then we moved away from that. They’re a good team and they were able to take advantage. We’re doing a lot of stuff right, we just have to do it for 60 minutes.”

The Wolf Pack’s next six games are on the road, starting this Friday, March 10, when they rematch with the Penguins in Wilkes-Barre.  Faceoff is 7:05 PM, and all of the action can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and on-line at www.newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio.  Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.

The next Wolf Pack home game is Friday, March 24 vs. the Providence Bruins.  That is a 7:15 PM game, and, as at all Friday-night Wolf Pack home games, fans can enjoy $1 and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all remaining Wolf Pack 2016-17 home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.

Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2016-17 AHL season can be found on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451.

 

 

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 6 at Hartford Wolf Pack 3
Sunday, March 5, 2017 - XL Center

W-B/Scranton 2 3 1 - 6
Hartford 1 2 0 - 3

1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Porter 9 (Dea, Warsofsky), 2:27 (PP). 2, Hartford, Jensen 24 (Carey, Gilmour), 6:28 (PP). 3, W-B/Scranton, Warsofsky 13 (Erixon, Porter), 19:43 (PP). Penalties-Graves Hfd (interference), 1:32; Corrado Wbs (high-sticking), 6:06; Noonan Hfd (cross-checking), 12:20; Summers Hfd (holding), 19:17.

2nd Period-4, Hartford, Jensen 25 (Brown, Noonan), 7:47. 5, Hartford, Carey 16 (Gilmour, Catenacci), 9:46. 6, W-B/Scranton, Archibald 13 (Burton, Sundqvist), 13:23. 7, W-B/Scranton, Warsofsky 14 (Sestito), 14:53. 8, W-B/Scranton, Dea 15 (Erixon, Simon), 19:59. Penalties-Sundqvist Wbs (boarding), 2:39.

3rd Period-9, W-B/Scranton, Dea 16 (Simon), 16:35. Penalties-Erixon Wbs (tripping), 4:38; Gilmour Hfd (delay of game), 9:12; Burton Wbs (high-sticking), 13:41; Carey Hfd (tripping), 17:55.

Shots on Goal-W-B/Scranton 12-11-11-34. Hartford 10-8-9-27.
Power Play Opportunities-W-B/Scranton 2 / 5; Hartford 1 / 4.
Goalies-W-B/Scranton, DeSmith 15-4-2 (27 shots-24 saves). Hartford, Halverson 9-14-0 (23 shots-18 saves); Hellberg 11-11-5 (11 shots-10 saves).
A-5,670
Referees-Andrew Howard (50), Furman South (44).
Linesmen-Mike Baker (11), Luke Galvin (2).