PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK OPEN MIDWEST ROAD TRIP IN GRAND RAPIDS
Mar 12, 2025GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Hartford Wolf Pack open a rare three-game road trip to the Midwest tonight when they visit the Grand Rapids Griffins at Van Andel Arena.
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 second and final meeting of the season between the Wolf Pack and the Griffins. The sides met at the XL Center on Oct. 30, a game won 3-2 in overtime by the Wolf Pack.
Dominik Shine opened the scoring for the Griffins, striking just 3:43 into the hockey game. Shine tacked on his second goal of the tilt, a power play strike, 2:05 into the second period, making it 2-0. The Griffins took that 2-0 lead into the third period but were unable to hold off the Wolf Pack.
Dylan Roobroeck scored at 2:38 of the final period, his second goal of the season, to make it a 2-1 game. At 16:31, Adam Sýkora tied the game with his second goal of the season, forcing overtime.
In the extra session, Sýkora sent a pass to the front of the net that Ryder Korczak tipped home at 2:44 to complete the comeback. The goal was Korczak’s first career overtime game-winning strike.
Dylan Garand made 22 saves to collect the victory, while Sebastian Cossa made 28 saves in defeat.
All-time, the Wolf Pack are 1-1-0-0 in Grand Rapids and 4-1-0-0 against the Griffins overall. The Wolf Pack claimed a 6-4 victory in their last visit to Grand Rapids on Dec. 16, 2022.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack picked up a 4-1 victory over the Belleville Senators on home ice on Sunday evening.
Hayden Hodgson opened the scoring at 18:28 of the first period, blasting a shot from the right-wing wall that beat Garand over the right shoulder. Garand was perfect from there, however, making 21 saves in the final 40 minutes to collect his 16th win of the season.
Just 1:18 after Hodgson’s goal, Jake Leschyshyn tied the game with his tenth goal of the campaign. Chad Ruhwedel fired a shot from the right-wing point that Leschyshyn tipped in front. The goal was Leschyshyn’s 100th career point in the AHL.
Neither side was able to strike in the second period, leading to a 1-1 tie late in regulation time. At 15:48 of the third period, Tyler Boucher took a slashing minor, sending the Wolf Pack to their fourth power play of the game. On the power play, Matthew Robertson fired a shot that Leschyshyn tipped home at 16:26, giving the Wolf Pack a 2-1 lead.
Nathan Sucese hit the empty net at 19:00, then 2.8 seconds later Connor Mackey hit the empty net to make it 4-1. The goals by Sucese and Mackey, scored 2.8 seconds apart, were the fastest two goals scored in AHL history.
Anton Blidh leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 17, while Alex Belzile paces the club in points with 51 (16 g, 35 a).
Griffins Outlook:
The Griffins fell to 3-5-1-1 in their last ten games with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
Nate Danielson broke a 1-1 tie just 32 seconds into the second period, giving the Griffins a 2-1 lead. Brogan Rafferty extended the lead to 3-1 at 10:50, potting his sixth goal of the season. Just under five minutes later, at 15:13, Skyler Brind’Amour potted his 13th goal of the campaign to make it a 3-2 spread heading to the second intermission.
Charles-Alexis Legault evened the tilt 7:02 into the final frame, scoring his third goal of the season. Joakim Ryan then gave the Wolves the lead at 15:13, striking for just the second time on the year. Austin Watson responded for the Griffins at 18:54, tying the game with the extra attacker to seemingly force overtime.
With just seconds remaining, however, Austin Wagner stunned the Griffins with his seventh goal of the season, putting the Wolves on top for good. The goal, scored at 19:22, was Wagner’s seventh.
Joe Snively leads the Griffins in both goals with 20 and points with 37 (20 g, 17 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 continues on Friday night when the Wolf Pack visit the Rockford IceHogs. The puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Mar. 21, when the Hershey Bears come 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.