TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: DECEMBER 5TH, 2024
Dec 5, 2024The Hartford Wolf Pack snapped their longest losing streak of the season with a dominating 6-1 victory over the rival Bridgeport Islanders on Wednesday night. Now 9-8-2-1, the Wolf Pack open a four-game homestand at the XL Center tomorrow night.
Onto the blog!
1. Wednesday night’s win was a much-needed one for the Pack. In addition to snapping their overall four-game losing streak (0-3-1-0), the club snapped a season-long, seven-game losing streak (0-5-1-1) on the road.
Entering action on Wednesday night, the Wolf Pack had managed just 12 goals in seven road games this season, the fewest in the AHL. They scored 50% of that total, six goals, in the breakout victory.
2. Alex Belzile was the star of the show, scoring his second hat-trick of the season in the win. He became the first Wolf Pack player since P.A. Parenteau during the 2009-10 season to record multiple hat-tricks in a single season. Parenteau lit the lamp three times on Oct. 10, 2009, against the Springfield Falcons and Feb. 28, 2010, against the Lowell Devils.
All three of Belzile’s goals came on the power play, which tied a franchise record for power play goals in a game by a single player. He joined Brett Berard (3/8/24 Vs. PRO), Andrew Hutchinson (2/8/08 at PRO), and Ryan Callahan (11/11/06 Vs. SA & 11/22/06 Vs. WOR) as players to strike three times in a game on the power play.
3. Speaking of the power play, it finished the night three-for-four. The three power play goals represent a new high in a game this season and mark the first time that the Pack has struck multiple times on the man advantage since Oct. 19.
4. Bo Groulx continues his outstanding season, as he recorded a career-high four assists on Wednesday night in Bridgeport. The four assists tie his previous career-high of four points in a game, which he also set against the Islanders (2 g, 2 a) earlier this season.
Groulx has eight points (2 g, 6 a) over his last four games.
5. Victor Mancini, like Groulx, enjoyed a career night on Wednesday. The rookie defenseman recorded his first career three-point game, notching a trio of assists. Mancini has made quite an impact on the power play, scoring four points (1 g, 3 a) in just six appearances this season.
6. Interesting lineup choice by Head Coach Grant Potulny to go with eleven forwards and seven defensemen for the first time this season on Wednesday night. The move paid off, as the Wolf Pack tied their season-low in goals against with just one.
Chad Ruhwedel entered the lineup after being assigned by the New York Rangers on Tuesday. The veteran provided steady play all evening and picked up his third assist of the season.
Ruhwedel might not play a sexy game, but he is a trustworthy, reliable player who certainly makes the Wolf Pack a better team when he suits up.
7. The Wolf Pack scored three goals in a span of 52 seconds in the third period on Wednesday night. Those three goals will go in the history books as the fastest three goals in Wolf Pack history.
Give the Wolf Pack credit, they smelt blood in the water and attacked, taking any doubt out of the impending result. It was exactly what you wanted to see from this group with two points there for the taking.
8. Anton Blidh is playing some of his best hockey as a member of the Wolf Pack. He notched his fifth goal of the season on Wednesday night and has been a key piece on the club’s best line recently with Belzile and Groulx.
Blidh hit a milestone on Wednesday, skating in his 500th career North American professional game.
9. Blidh said something that caught my attention during our ‘Inside the Locker Room’ intermission interview on Wednesday. He noted that during his time in Hartford, the Wolf Pack haven’t always been the more skilled team, but they have always been a hard-working team.
He felt that the club needed to get back to that and needed to bring the level of their work ethic up.
I don’t think a well-respected veteran like that would just bring that up randomly in an interview if it was not a point of emphasis already in the room.
You could see a high motor for the Wolf Pack all night in Bridgeport. It started to look like the team we are all familiar with.
10. Earlier today, the Rangers reassigned goaltender Talyn Boyko to the Wolf Pack from the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. The club will carry three goaltenders into this weekend’s back-to-back set.
# # #
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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play 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.