PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK WELCOME SENATORS TO TOWN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE THE 2021-22 SEASON
Nov 25, 2023HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack look to make it four straight victories on home ice tonight when they return to the XL Center to host the Belleville Senators. The Sens are the second North Division team to come to Hartford this season, joining the Syracuse Crunch.
The puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the first of just two meetings between the Wolf Pack and Senators this season and the lone meeting at the XL Center. The sides will wrap the series up on March 24th, 2024, at the CAA Arena in Belleville.
It is the first time that the Wolf Pack and Senators have faced off since April 13th, 2022, in Belleville. That night, Andrew Agozzino struck 8:10 into the hockey game to both open and close the scoring. Filip Gustavsson made 25 saves in the victory to collect the shutout, while Keith Kinkaid earned second-star honors for the Wolf Pack with 34 saves in the loss.
This is Belleville’s first visit to the XL Center since April 1st, 2022. They won that game by a final score of 4-1. In fact, the Senators won three of four meetings during the 2021-22 season. Hartford’s lone victory came in Belleville on March 19th with a final score of 5-2. Mike O’Leary recorded the game-winning goal 3:08 into the third period, his sixth goal of the season at the time.
The sides did not play during the 2022-23 season.
The Wolf Pack have never beaten the Belleville Senators at the XL Center. They are 0-2-2-1 in five prior meetings in Hartford. Hartford’s last home win against a Senators affiliate came on February 26th, 2017, when the Wolf Pack defeated the Binghamton Senators by a score of 3-1. Steven Fogarty had the game-winning goal.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack won their third straight game on Friday night, scoring three times in the third period to knock off the Springfield Thunderbirds by a score of 4-2 at the MassMutual Center.
After a scoreless opening frame, Riley Nash put the Wolf Pack ahead 6:00 into the second when he tapped home a pass from Alex Belzile on the powerplay. Just 4:17 later, at 10:17, Hugh McGing responded when he buried a rebound for his fourth goal of the season.
Brett Berard restored the lead 1:19 into the third period, batting home a loose puck to the left of the net. Once again, it was the T-Birds who had an answer. This time, Joseph Duszak fired a one-timer from the right-wing circle that beat Louis Domingue by the glove at 10:29 to make it a 2-2 game.
1:43 later, Matt Rempe put Hartford ahead for good when he went forehand-to-backhand and beat Malcolm Subban over the blocker. The goal at 12:12 would stand as Rempe’s first game-winner of the season and the second of his professional career.
Adam Edström hit the empty net at 19:11 for his seventh goal of the season. Domingue made a season-high 39 saves to improve to 6-1-0 on the campaign.
Jonny Brodzinski leads the team in goals with eleven and points with 23 (11 g, 12 a). His eleven goals are tied for fourth in the league, while his 23 points are first. Mac Hollowell, meanwhile, leads the team in assists with 14.
Senators Outlook:
The Senators dropped their third straight game last Saturday night, falling 8-1 on home ice to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Angus Crookshank had the lone goal in the loss for the Senators, who trailed 5-1 through two periods.
Tanner Laczynski and Ronnie Attard paced the attack for the Phantoms with two goals each on the night. Maxence Guenette and Cole Reinhardt assisted on Belleville’s lone marker.
The Senators have dropped four of their last five games, with their lone victory in that stretch coming on November 12th against the Cleveland Monsters by a final score of 2-1.
Guenette leads the Senators in points with 12 (1 g, 11 a) and assists with eleven. Crookshank, meanwhile, leads the team in goals with five.
On Thursday, the parent Ottawa Senators (NHL) recalled forward Matthew Highmore and goaltender Mads Søgaard from Belleville.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 7:15 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Pack is back for a special weekend back-to-back against the Phantoms next Friday and Saturday night at the XL Center! The Wolf Pack will don specialty jerseys on both nights and will be hosting their annual ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ game on Saturday night!
The puck drop for both games is set for 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
# # #
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.