PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK VISIT BEARS IN PLAYOFF REMATCH
Jan 6, 2024HERSHEY, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue their four-game road trip tonight in Chocolatetown, USA. The Wolf Pack will take on the Hershey Bears for the first time this season in a rematch of last year’s Atlantic Division Final.
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 first of just four meetings between the Wolf Pack and Bears this season. It is the first of two at the Giant Center. The sides will meet next in Hartford on January 19th, then wrap up the season series with two meetings in March.
The Wolf Pack returns to Hershey for a Sunday afternoon tilt on March 17th. The season series concludes at the XL Center on Saturday, March 30th.
The rivals met six times in the regular season during the 2022-23 campaign, with Hershey prevailing in the head-to-head matchup. The Bears won the season series 4-2, posting a record of 4-2-0-0. The Wolf Pack ended the season series with a record of 2-3-0-1.
The sides met three times in the regular season at the Giant Center, with the Bears taking two of the three meetings. Hershey claimed victories on November 19th by a score of 6-1 and February 11th by a score of 2-1. The Wolf Pack’s lone win in Hershey came on November 20th, a 4-2 decision.
The sides also met in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015. The Bears took the best-of-five series in three straight games, sweeping the Atlantic Division Final.
The series clincher came at the XL Center with a final score of 3-1 in Game 3 on May 17th. Lucas Johansen’s goal 4:22 into the third period broke a 1-1 tie and pushed the Bears to the Eastern Conference Final.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack won their second straight game on Thursday night, defeating the Bridgeport Islanders by a final score of 3-2 at Total Mortgage Arena. It is the first time that the club has won back-to-back games since December 1st and 2nd.
Matt Rempe opened the scoring 2:28 into the contest, knocking home a centering pass from Matej Pekar for his fifth goal of the season. The Wolf Pack found themselves in penalty trouble the rest of the frame, however, as they took four first-period infractions. The Isles made them pay on the second penalty, as Otto Koivula wandered into the slot and rifled home his seventh goal of the season at 11:29.
Brett Berard restored the lead with a powerplay goal of his own 4:29 into the second period. The rookie winger took a feed from Nikolas Brouillard in the right-wing circle, then fired a low shot that beat Henrik Tikkanen for his ninth goal of the season. Once again, however, the Islanders responded. This time, it was a five-on-five goal as Cole Bardreau found a loose puck off a net-mouth scramble and lifted his fifth goal of the season over Dylan Garand via a backhand bid at 17:52.
For the second straight game, the Wolf Pack and Islanders entered the third period tied 2-2. For the second straight game, it was an early third-period goal for the Wolf Pack that proved to be the difference. Artem Anisimov fired a shot from the left-wing corner that fooled Tikkanen just 1:13 into the period. The goal was Anisimov’s first with the club since April 11th, 2009, and would stand as the game-winner.
Alex Belzile and Jonny Brodzinski, on recall with the parent New York Rangers (NHL), lead the Wolf Pack in goals with eleven each. Belzile leads the team in points with 26 (11 g, 15 a), while Mac Hollowell leads the team in assists with 23.
On Wednesday, the Rangers recalled forward Brennan Othmann. Othmann is fourth on the Wolf Pack in scoring with 23 points (9 g, 14 a) in 28 games. He made his NHL debut with the Rangers on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden.
Bears Outlook:
The Bears won their ninth consecutive game on Wednesday night, beating the Charlotte Checkers by a final score of 4-1.
Justin Sourdif got the Checkers on the board 2:25 into the contest, but that was all the scoring the visitors could manage on this night. Clay Stevenson made 28 saves, shutting the Checkers down and allowing the Hershey offense to find their footing.
Mike Vecchione tied the game 6:58 in, potting his ninth goal of the season. Henrik Rybinski would give the Bears the lead for good 10:05 into the middle frame, scoring his first goal of the season. Pierrick Dubé then finished the scoring with two goals, lighting the lamp at 16:04 of the second period and 17:00 of the third period.
Dubé now has a career-high 19 goals on the season, which leads the Bears in that category. Veteran forward Mike Sgarbossa leads the team in both assists with 26 and points with 32 (6 g, 26 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 continue their four-game road trip tomorrow afternoon when they visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The puck drop is set for 3:05 p.m. and coverage is available on AHLTV & Mixlr starting at 2:50 p.m.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Saturday, January 13th, when they host the Providence Bruins. The puck drop is set for 7:30 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.