PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK OPEN BACK-TO-BACK SET VS. ROCKET AT PLACE BELL
Jan 31, 2025LAVAL, QC – The Hartford Wolf Pack open a back-to-back set against the North Division’s Laval Rocket this evening at Place Bell. This is the third game of Hartford’s current four-game road trip.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the third of four meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Rocket this season. It is the first of two at Place Bell. The sides will conclude their head-to-head season series tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
The Wolf Pack drew first blood in the season series, doubling up the Rocket 4-2 on Dec. 14 at the XL Center. Adam Sýkora opened the scoring 18:50 into the game, potting a rebound to give the Wolf Pack a lead they never lost.
Jake Leschyshyn made it 2-0 9:24 into the second period, tipping home a Matthew Robertson shot on the power play. Alex Belzile then made it 3-0 at 11:25, ripping a top-shelf shot by Connor Hughes.
Zack Hayes and Sean Farrell struck in the third period to make it a 3-2 game, but Ben Harpur hit the empty net at 19:54 to cement the victory.
The Rocket drew even with a 4-3 victory on Jan. 24. Logan Mailloux opened the scoring 7:45 into the game, ripping home a shot from the slot. Bo Groulx tied the game at 14:44, blasting home a one-timer on the power play from the right-wing circle.
68 seconds later, Owen Beck restored the lead with his tenth goal of the season, making it 2-1 after one. Laurent Dauphin poked home a rebound 90 seconds into the middle frame, making it 3-1 for the Rocket.
The Wolf Pack struck twice in the third period to tie the game. Brett Berard made it 3-2 at 10:52, converting on a two-on-one rush with Blake Hillman. Brennan Othmann then tied the game at 18:10, taking a centering feed from Groulx for the team’s first six-on-five goal of the season.
Mailloux stunned the XL Center crowd at 19:24, however. The second-year defenseman took a pass in the slot and beat Domingue for his second goal of the game, giving the Rocket the lead for good in the final minute.
All-time, the Wolf Pack are 1-5-0-1 at Place Bell.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack dropped their fourth straight game on Wednesday night, 6-5 to the Belleville Senators in overtime at the CAA Arena.
Othmann opened the scoring just 20 seconds in, burying a rebound for his seventh goal of the season. The goal was the Wolf Pack’s fastest to start a game on the road this season.
Stephen Halliday tied the game at 9:50, muscling his way to the goal and stuffing a shot by Dylan Garand on the power play. The play was initially called no goal, but after a very lengthy review, the call was overturned.
Dylan Roobroeck restored the lead at 11:11, taking a pass from Anton Blidh in the right-wing circle and beating Michael Simpson top-shelf. Blidh then extended the lead to 3-1 at 6:07 of the second period, jamming home a rebound for his 13th goal of the season.
Two power play goals from the Senators would tie the game 3-3. Garrett Pilon pushed his way to the net, getting a shot off in close that Garand denied. The rebound came to Jan Jenik, who potted his sixth goal of the season at 12:23.
Angus Crookshank would then lift a backhander over the left shoulder of Garand at 17:10, scoring his team-leading 16th goal of the season.
87 seconds after Crookshank’s goal, the Wolf Pack retook the lead. Jamieson Rees blew a tire along the right-wing boards, allowing Sýkora to gain possession and fling a pass up to Jaroslav Chmelař. Chmelař entered the zone on a two-on-none and elected to shoot, snapping his sixth goal of the season by Simpson at 18:37.
25 seconds into the third period, Belzile snapped home his 13th goal of the season, making it 5-3. Groulx won a draw directly to Belzile, who fired home the goal from the slot.
61 seconds later, Wyatt Bongiovanni converted on a breakaway attempt to make it 5-4. At 3:17, Keean Washkurak intercepted a puck that Garand tried to play up the wall. He centered the puck to Oskar Pettersson, who hit the empty net to tie the game.
16 seconds into overtime, Cole Reinhardt buried a centering pass from Jeremy Davies to complete the comeback.
Groulx leads the club in goals with 14, while Belzile paces the club in points with 40 (13 g, 27 a).
Rocket Outlook:
The Rocket won their third straight on Sunday afternoon, downing the Providence Bruins 3-2 in overtime at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Noel Hoefenmayer opened the scoring 10:54 into the game, blasting home a power play marker. Riley Duran evened the tilt just 22 seconds into the second period, potting his sixth goal of the season.
Alex Barré-Boulet restored the lead for the Rocket at 6:38, potting his ninth goal of the season. The Bruins battled back again, however, tying the game 3:17 into the third period. Joey Abate scored his second goal of the campaign to force overtime.
In overtime, Mailloux scored his second game-winning goal of the weekend 2:30 in, giving the team their fourth win in their last five games.
Joshua Roy and Jared Davidson are tied for the team lead in goals with 14, while Alex Barré-Boulet leads the team in points with 32 (9 g, 23 a).
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN: Mixlr
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 on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The road trip concludes tomorrow with the rematch between the Wolf Pack and Rocket. The puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Feb. 7, when they welcome the Charlotte Checkers to town. Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission!
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
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.