PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK RETURN HOME FOR LATEST INSTALLMENT OF ‘I-91 RIVALRY’
Dec 22, 2022HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack return home following a three-game road trip to the Midwest for their final two games prior to the Holiday break. Tonight, the Wolf Pack play host to the Springfield Thunderbirds in the latest installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ at the XL Center.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the third of twelve meetings between the Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds during the 2022-23 season. It is the second of six meetings at the XL Center, and the first of three meetings during the month of December. The clubs will meet again on December 28th in Springfield and then again in Hartford on New Year’s Eve.
The Wolf Pack scored a 2-1 shootout victory in the last installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ back on November 9th. Drew Callin opened the scoring for the Thunderbirds just 2:09 into the game, scoring his second goal of the season on the powerplay. The T-Birds wouldn’t beat Louis Domingue again, however, as the veteran goaltender stopped 22 shots on the night. Lauri Pajuniemi tied the contest 6:23 into the middle frame, forcing the eventual overtime. After overtime solved nothing, the sides went to the shootout.
Jonny Brodzinski and Will Bitten traded goals in the first three rounds, sending the sides to extra shooters. Will Cuylle won it for the Pack on his first professional shootout attempt in the fourth round of the skills competition.
The Thunderbirds took the first meeting by a score of 5-1 at the MassMutual Center on November 4th.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack saw their three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday night in Rockford at the hands of the IceHogs. Matthew Robertson opened the scoring with his second goal of the season 17:07 into the contest, but the Pack couldn’t hold off the Rockford attack in the middle frame. D.J. Busdeker and Michal Teply scored 5:36 and 6:32 into the second period to give the IceHogs a lead. Turner Elson would tie the game with his 100th career AHL goal 8:53 into the frame, but Filip Roos broke the tie for good at 19:26 for the IceHogs.
The Wolf Pack outshot the IceHogs 40-25 in the loss. This was Hartford’s first regulation loss when scoring the first goal in a game, and their first regulation loss when leading after twenty minutes.
Prior to Saturday’s loss, the Wolf Pack had won three consecutive games for the first time this season, and four out of five games for the first time in 2022-23.
Tonight’s content opens a back-to-back for Hartford. The Wolf Pack host the Bridgeport Islanders tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m.
Elson leads the Wolf Pack in points with 13 (5 g, 8 a) on the season. He’s currently on a season-high four-game point streak. Cuylle, meanwhile, leads the Pack in goals with seven.
Thunderbirds Outlook:
The Thunderbirds were swept in New York state over the weekend, most recently dropping a 7-3 decision to the Utica Comets on Saturday night. Nikita Okhotiuk opened the scoring just 2:23 into the game, giving the Comets a lead they would not lose. Nolan Stevens and Nolan Foote would extend the Utica lead to 3-0 before Hugh McGing and Nikita Alexandrov got the T-Birds within a goal late in the second period. The Comets would pull away, however, scoring four of the game’s final five goals, including three in the third period.
The T-Birds also dropped a 4-2 decision in Syracuse against the Crunch on Friday night. Prior to the two losses, the T-Birds had a point streak of four games. They posted a record of 3-0-1-0 during that span.
Springfield is also opening a back-to-back set. They’ll return home tomorrow night to host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the MassMutual Center.
Matthew Highmore leads the T-Birds in scoring with 26 points (6 g, 20 a). Alexandrov, meanwhile, leads the club in goals with nine.
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. To listen to Alex’s call of tonight’s game, simply click the ‘home audio’ button when selecting tonight’s contest.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, December 23rd. The ‘Battle of Connecticut’ gets renewed as the Bridgeport Islanders come to town for a special 5:00 p.m. puck drop. Be sure to join us for $2 beers and $1 hot dogs! 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.