PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK EYE SEASON SWEEP IN VISIT TO GRIFFINS
Dec 16, 2022GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue their three-game Midwest swing tonight with a visit to Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to take on the Griffins.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the second and final meeting of the season series between the Wolf Pack and the Griffins. It is Hartford’s first visit to Grand Rapids since November 14th, 2008. The Griffins won that meeting, the first-ever between the foes, by a final score of 3-2. Jakub Kindl had the game-winning goal.
The sides met last Saturday night in Hartford, their first meeting since January 2nd, 2009. The Wolf Pack prevailed with a 4-0 shutout victory, their second shutout of the season. Will Cuylle opened the scoring 6:57 into the game, firing home the annual ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ goal. Magnus Hellberg was sensational from there, however, stopping 20 shots in the second period alone and 30 over the course of the first two periods.
Ty Emberson finally gave Hartford the insurance 2:28 into the third, while both Matt Rempe and Turner Elson would tack on goals late to preserve the win. Dylan Garand made 21 saves for the second shutout of his rookie campaign.
Head-to-head, the Wolf Pack hold a record of 2-1-0-0, while the Griffins are 1-2-0-0.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack opened their three-game road trip to the Midwest with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals in the shootout on Wednesday night. Cole Schneider opened the scoring 17:42 into the game for Milwaukee, deflecting home a Luke Evangelista pass while on the powerplay.
Hartford needed just 31 seconds of the second period to respond, however, as Austin Rueschhoff deflected a Turner Elson shot by Yaroslav Askarov to tie the contest. Tommy Novak scored 24 seconds later, however, at the 55 second mark to restore the Milwaukee lead. It was Novak’s second goal against Hartford this season.
Cuylle tied the contest at 2-2 with his seventh goal of the season at 4:43, with veteran Tanner Fritz setting him up. Fritz had the favor returned at 13:21, when Cuylle set him up for his first goal of the season to give Hartford its first lead of the game.
John Leonard buried his own rebound at 3:13 of the third period to tie the affair 3-3, and eventually force overtime. Milwaukee outshot Hartford 3-1 in the extra stanza, but both Domingue and Askarov would slam the door shut and send the sides to a shootout.
In the shootout, Zac Jones and Evangelista would trade goals before Cuylle buried the winner in the bottom half of the third round.
Cuylle (7 g, 5 a) and Fritz (1 g, 11 a) are tied for the team lead with twelve points each this season. Cuylle’s seven goals lead the club in that department, while Frtiz’s eleven assists top the list there.
Griffins Outlook:
The Griffins are playing their first game since last Saturday night’s 4-0 loss at the hands of the Wolf Pack. The club will conclude a back-to-back weekend tomorrow night when they head to Chicago to take on the Wolves at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Since last Saturday’s game, the Griffins have dealt with numerous transactions. On Sunday, the parent Detroit Red Wings recalled G Magnus Hellberg from his conditioning stint with the Griffins. On Monday, F Drew Worrad was loaned to ECHL Toledo.
Veteran D Steven Kampfer and rookie F Elmer Soderblom have both been recalled to Detroit, while D Eemil Viro was reassigned to Grand Rapids by Detroit on Thursday.
Taro Hirose leads the Griffins in scoring with 23 points (6 g, 17 a) in 23 games this season. Joel L’Esperance, meanwhile, leads the club in goals with ten.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. EST on both AHLTV and Mixlr. To listen to Alex’s call of tonight’s game, simply click the ‘away audio’ button when selecting tonight’s contest.
The Wolf Pack conclude their Midwest road trip tomorrow night when they visit the Rockford IceHogs. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Thursday, December 22nd. The I-91 Rivalry gets renewed as the Springfield Thunderbirds come to town for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. 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.