PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK OPEN ROAD TRIP WITH ‘BATTLE OF CONNECTICUT’ VS. ISLANDERS
Jan 20, 2024BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack are back on the road tonight as they kick off a four-game road trip. Tonight, the Pack heads an hour south to take on the Bridgeport Islanders in the latest installment of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’.
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 fifth of ten meetings between the Wolf Pack and Islanders this season and the third of five at Total Mortgage Arena. The sides will next meet on February 9th in Hartford, a night when the Pack will celebrate the 2,000th game in franchise history.
The Wolf Pack have won three of the first four meetings, including each of the last two. Most recently, the Pack claimed a 3-2 decision on January 4th in Bridgeport.
It was a 2-2 hockey game through two periods of play, as Matt Rempe and Brett Berard lit the lamp for the Wolf Pack but were countered by Otto Koivula and Cole Bardreau of the Islanders. Just 1:13 into the final frame, a shot from the left-wing corner off the stick of Artem Anisimov found the back of the net and put the Wolf Pack ahead for good.
It was the Wolf Pack’s second consecutive 3-2 victory over the Islanders. Cristiano DiGiacinto broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period on December 30th to give the Wolf Pack a victory at the XL Center.
Dating back to last season, the Wolf Pack have won five consecutive trips to Bridgeport. In addition to their January 4th triumph, the Wolf Pack won 3-0 in Bridgeport on November 10th.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack dropped their third game in their last four outings on Friday night, falling 4-2 to the Hershey Bears at the XL Center.
Jake Leschyshyn opened the scoring 4:34 into the contest, tipping a Berard shot by Hunter Shepard for his fourth goal of the season. That would be the only lead the Wolf Pack managed on this night, however, as the Bears rattled off four unanswered goals to pull away.
Pierrick Dubé notched his 20th goal of the season at 10:38, snapping a shot from just inside the right-wing circle. The goal came just 26 seconds into the Bears’ first powerplay of the night.
Hershey’s second powerplay lasted just five seconds, as Mike Vecchione tipped a Joe Snively shot at 16:10 of the second period to put the Bears ahead 2-1.
Aaron Ness tacked on an insurance marker 10:54 into the third period, as his shot from the point clipped off a Hartford player and by Louis Domingue to make it a 3-1 game. Ness’ goal proved to be an important one, as it stood as the game-winner.
Ethen Frank added an empty net tally at 17:11, while the Wolf Pack got a powerplay goal with just .1 seconds remaining from Nikolas Brouillard.
Alex Belzile and Jonny Brodzinski, on recall with the parent New York Rangers (NHL), are tied for the team lead with eleven goals each. Mac Hollowell (2 g, 28 a) leads the team in points with 30 after picking up a pair of assists on Friday night. Hollowell leads the club in assists with 28.
Islanders Outlook:
The Islanders ended a three-in-three stretch on a positive note on Monday afternoon, defeating the Bears 2-1 in the shootout on home ice. After 40 scoreless minutes, it was the Islanders who opened the scoring when Ruslan Iskhakov netted his 13th goal of the season 7:11 into the final stanza.
Late in regulation time, the Bears finally broke through when Chase Priskie fired his third goal of the season by Henrik Tikkanen at 16:24. After overtime solved nothing, the sides headed to a shootout. Each of the first four shooters scored, sending the sides to the third round tied 2-2. After the next four shooters were shut down, Matthew Maggio put the Islanders ahead in the fifth round.
Frank was denied by Tikkanen in that same fifth round to give the Isles the victory. It was Bridgeport’s first victory in five tries against the Bears this season.
Iskhakov leads the Islanders in goals with 13, assists with 19, and points with 32 (13 g, 19 a) on the season. He will represent the club at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose next month.
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 continue their road trip on Wednesday night when they visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. and coverage will be available starting at 6:50 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.