PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK AIM FOR SWEET WEEKEND CONCLUSSION IN HERSHEY
Feb 11, 2023HERSHEY, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude their weekend back-to-back set tonight with a trip to Chocolatetown to face the Hershey Bears in an Atlantic Division battle.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the sixth and final meeting between the Wolf Pack and Bears this season. It is the third and final meeting at the Giant Center, where the sides split a pair of November tilts. The Bears scored a 6-1 victory on November 19th, but Hartford bounced back with a 4-2 verdict on November 20th.
The Bears took the most recent meeting, a 1-0 shootout decision at the XL Center on November 26th. Dylan Garand tossed aside 38 shots for his first professional shutout, but the Bears stymied the Wolf Pack attack and held them to a season-low 16 shots on goal. Connor McMichael and Jonny Brodzinski traded goals in the first round of the shootout, but Zach Fucale would deny the final two Wolf Pack shooters, while Mike Sgarbossa notched the winner in the third round.
The Bears took two of three meetings this season in Hartford. They also edged the Wolf Pack 2-1 on November 25th. The Pack doubled the Bears up 4-2 back on October 28th. Overall, the Bears are 3-2-0-0 against the Wolf Pack this season, while the Pack are 2-2-0-1 against the Bears.
The Wolf Pack are 3-2-0-0 in their last five visits to Hershey, including a 1-1-0-0 mark this season.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack ended their five-game homestand with a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night. Max Willman opened the scoring for the visitors, tallying the lone first period goal 16:34 into the contest. Turner Elson tied the tilt at 9:11 of the second period, snapping a shot from the right-wing faceoff circle, but the Phantoms took over from there.
Willman broke the tie with his second goal of the night just 70 seconds later at 10:21, giving the Phantoms a lead they wouldn’t lose. Zayde Wisdom made it a 3-1 game 2:29 later at 12:50, potting the eventual game-winner. Zac Jones and Elliot Desnoyers traded powerplay goals in the third period, while Olle Lycksell cemented the victory with an empty net goal at 18:58.
On Friday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) assigned defenseman Libor Hájek to the Wolf Pack. Hájek will wear #25 with the club.
Turner Elson leads the Wolf Pack with 26 points (11 g, 15 a) through 46 games played. He has scored goals in back-to-back contests. Will Cuylle leads the club in goals with 14, while Tanner Fritz tops the club in assists with 21 on the campaign.
Bears Outlook:
The Bears also dropped their first game following the All-Star break on Friday night, falling 3-0 to the Utica Comets. Jack Dugan potted the eventual game-winner 6:34 into the middle stanza, while Nolan Foote and Andreas Johnsson tacked on insurance markers in the third period. Akira Schmid made 19 saves for the shutout victory. The Comets outshot the Bears 33-19.
The Bears have dropped four of their last five contests, all in regulation time (1-4-0-0). Their lone victory in this stretch came on February 3rd by a final score of 4-1 against the Bridgeport Islanders. Two of those loses have been via a shutout. In addition to last night, the Bears were blanked 2-0 on January 29th by the Islanders.
Sgarbossa leads the Bears in scoring with 40 points (15 g, 25 a) in 41 games this season. Ethen Frank, meanwhile, leads the club in goals with 21 on the campaign. His 21 goals are tied for the most among rookies in the AHL this season with Iowa’s Sammy Walker.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr. To listen to Alex’s call of the game, click the ‘away audio’ button when selecting tonight’s contest.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday night when they welcome the Bridgeport Islanders to town at 7:00 p.m. for the latest installment of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’! Join us for $2 beers and $1 hot dogs! 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 is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and plays 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.