PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK OPEN BACK-TO-BACK SET AGAINST MONSTERS IN CLEVELAND
Jan 26, 2024CLEVELAND, OH – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue their four-game road trip tonight at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland with the first of two straight contests against the Cleveland Monsters.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the second of four meetings between the Wolf Pack and Monsters this season and the first of two in Cleveland. The sides will meet again at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse tomorrow night, the final game of Hartford’s current four-game road trip. The season series concludes back at the XL Center on Thursday, February 22nd (7:00 p.m.).
The Monsters opened the season series with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Wolf Pack on December 6th in Hartford. Cameron Butler opened the scoring 3:04 into the game, tipping home a Jake Christiansen shot for his first career goal in the AHL.
Brennan Othmann evened the affair with a powerplay strike at 7:42, then Brett Berard put the Pack ahead at 9:54 with his sixth goal of the season.
The Monsters would strike twice in the middle frame, turning a 2-1 deficit after 20 minutes into a 3-2 lead after 40. Carson Meyer potted his tenth and eleventh goals of the season at 8:56 and 12:47 to put the Monsters in the driver’s seat.
Brandon Scanlin drew the Pack even 10:36 into the third period, blasting home his second goal of the season to earn a point for Hartford.
In overtime, however, the Monsters found the second point when Luca Del Bel Belluz danced into a high-danger area and buried his third goal of the season at 2:28.
The victory was the Monsters’ first ever against the Wolf Pack. Hartford had won the previous two meetings between the sides, which both came during the 2008-09 season.
Tonight marks the first time that the Wolf Pack will play a game in Cleveland since November 16th, 2008. Bobby Sanguinetti scored the game-winning goal in the club’s 5-3 victory over the then-Lake Erie Monsters.
Current Wolf Pack forward Artem Anisimov is the only active player in the AHL from the Hartford side that night. He collected an assist in the win.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack dropped a 4-1 decision to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday night in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Jesse Puljujarvi opened the scoring just 65 seconds into the game, entering the zone on the right-wing side and beating Louis Domingue with a wrist shot. Alex Nylander extended the lead with his 13th goal of the season at 3:42, dancing into the slot and snapping a shot by the glove of Domingue. The goal would stand as the eventual game-winner.
Jack St. Ivany’s one-timer at 10:44 of the second period extended the lead to 3-0, while Sam Poulin’s nifty one-handed jab at 13:01 ballooned it to 4-0.
Othmann notched Hartford’s lone tally, firing a one-timer from the right-wing circle on the powerplay at 7:48 of the third period.
Alex Belzile leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 12 this season. He also leads the team in points with 31 (12 g, 19 a). Mac Hollowell, meanwhile, leads the club in assists with 28.
Monsters Outlook:
The Monsters rebounded with a 7-5 victory over the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday night on home ice.
Tyler Angle broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the night at 15:32 of the second period, giving the Monsters a lead entering the final frame. A wild third period would ensue from there, with the Marlies tying the game on three occasions.
First, Joseph Blandisi evened the game 3-3 at the 5:10 mark of the final frame. Cole Clayton restored the lead for Cleveland at 6:51, but Kyle Clifford would equalize just 40 seconds later with his second goal of the night.
The seesaw continued at 11:03 when Owen Sillinger put the Monsters ahead by a 5-4 margin. For the third time in the period, the Marlies answered when Max Lajoie connected for his second goal of the season at 15:59.
Sillinger scored his second goal of the period at 17:17 to put the Monsters ahead for good. Christiansen’s second goal of the night at 19:37, into an empty net, would cement the victory. The defenseman finished the contest with three points (2 g, 1 a).
Meyer leads the Monsters with 15 goals on the season, while Trey Fix-Wolansky leads the club in both assists with 24 and points with 36 (12 g, 24 a).
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.
The Wolf Pack conclude their road trip tomorrow night when they wrap up their back-to-back set with the Monsters. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage will be available at 6:45 p.m. on AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Pack is next back at the XL Center on Wednesday, January 31st when they welcome the Charlotte Checkers to town for the first time this season. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and 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.