PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK VISIT PHANTOMS IN WEEKEND FINALE
Oct 29, 2023ALLENTOWN, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude their first three-in-three weekend of the season this evening with a visit to the PPL Center to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It is the first of two straight games for the Wolf Pack against the Phantoms, as they will return to Allentown next Friday night for another showdown.
The puck drop is set for 5:05 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the second of six meetings between the Wolf Pack and Phantoms this season, and the first of three at the PPL Center. The Wolf Pack return to Lehigh Valley for games next Friday night, November 3rd, and on January 12th. The Phantoms make their final two trips to Hartford on December 1st and 2nd.
The Wolf Pack took a 5-1 decision over the Phantoms in the first meeting between the opponents last Saturday night in Hartford. Brett Berard opened the scoring 5:59 into the game, ripping home his second goal of the season. The lead was extended at 16:45, as Alex Belzile lit the lamp on the powerplay. The goal, Belzile’s second with the Wolf Pack, would stand as the game-winning tally.
Olle Lycksell, who won ‘AHL Player of the Week’ honors, got the Phantoms on the board at 18:58 of the middle frame, but it would not be enough on this night. Dylan Garand made 17 saves in the third period to help push the Pack’s victory over the finish line.
Nikolas Brouillard scored his first goal with the club at 6:53 of the third period, restoring the two-goal lead and effectively ending the proceedings. Bobby Trivigno and Jonny Brodzinski also found the back of the net in the final ten minutes of the contest as the Wolf Pack pulled away.
Hartford has won three straight against the Phantoms and went 2-0-0-0 at the PPL Center last season. The Wolf Pack scored a wild 6-4 win on February 19th, then secured a 5-1 verdict on April 1st.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack suffered their second consecutive loss on Saturday night, falling 4-2 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Penguins used four goals in the opening 13:41 to build a lead that the Wolf Pack could not overcome.
Valtteri Puustinen opened the scoring 3:24 into the game, then Joona Koppanen buried a shorthanded breakaway at 9:04 to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Jonathan Gruden put home a rebound at 11:11 for the eventual game-winning goal, while Rem Pitlick added a powerplay tally at 13:41.
Hartford played a strong final 40 minutes, pushing hard on the Penguins, but it wasn’t enough. Turner Elson scored his first goal of the season 16:45 into the second period, while Brodzinski lasered home a powerplay marker at 39 seconds of the third to draw the Pack within a pair of goals.
In the end, though, Joel Blomqvist made 15 third period saves to preserve the victory.
Brodzinski leads the Wolf Pack in both goals with five and points with nine (5 g, 4 a). Both he and Mac Hollowell (6 a) are currently riding six-game point streaks. Belzile, meanwhile, is on a five-game point streak in which he has recorded seven points (3 g, 4 a).
Phantoms Outlook:
The Phantoms opened their weekend back-to-back last night in Hershey against the Bears. Despite a 32-29 edge in shots, the Phantoms were unable to solve Clay Stevenson and fell by a final score of 4-0.
Pierrick Dubé opened the scoring 18:25 into the affair, potting a powerplay goal that would stand as the winner. Mike Vecchione added the insurance 6:53 into the middle stanza, while both Dubé and Logan Day would score in the final frame. Day’s goal came with the net empty at 15:46, with the Phantoms pressing.
Lycksell is the reigning ‘AHL Player of the Week’ following five goals in just three games last weekend. He notched a hat-trick in the club’s 5-2 victory at Springfield on October 20th, then scored a goal in both their 5-1 loss to the Wolf Pack on the 21st and 3-2 win over the Thunderbirds on the 22nd. He also notched the game-winning goal in both victories for the Phantoms.
Lycksell’s five goals lead the club in that department, while Tanner Laczynski leads the way in points with six (1 g, 5 a).
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 4:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack continue their five-game road trip Friday evening when they visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown for the second time in just five days. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to hit the air at 6:50 p.m.
The Pack returns home to the XL Center on Saturday, November 11th for a 7:30 p.m. tilt against the Providence Bruins. For more details and for tickets, visit 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.